Pupils without rulers banned from lessons

A SCHOOL praised by David Cameron for raising standards has barred dozens of pupils from classes for “pencil case infingements”.

The offenders were put in isolation for coming to school with the wrong stationery and only returned to lessons once parents brought in the missing items.

One mother complained that her 12-year-old son had been punished for having a ruler 10cm shorter than the required 30cm.

Miranda Crumpler said that her son was warned by teachers at Magna Academy in Poole, Dorset at the start of term last week that he would be punished if he failed to bring in a 30cm pencil case and ruler by Monday of this week.

“I wrote a note saying I would not have my son put into isolation, and that he had a 30cm ruler but it was folding, and it does not state in school policy that it couldn’t be folding,” she said.

“How can pupils be educated when they are put in isolation like this? It is ridic- ulous. There were plenty of parents going in and out of the school. They were fuming.”

She was one of a number of parents complaining that about 40 children had been banished from classes for similar reasons.

In another case a girl was taken out of lessons for failing to bring in a pair of compasses, despite not having maths that day.

Hannah Sills, a parent who has written to the head to complain, accused the school of creating a “culture of fear”.

Magna Academy, which has 708 pupils aged 12 to 18, has gone from being in special measures to winning an outstanding Ofsted rating in less than two years, and was praised as “truly inspiring” by the Prime Minister earlier this year.

Richard Tutt, the head teacher, said: “Correct equipment is vital for students.”

He insisted that “clear and specific requirements were communicated to parents” in July and again at the start of term.