JFS Muck-Up
THE HEADTEACHER of JFS has pledged that the pupils who led the “loutish and dangerous behaviour” which resulted in 300 teenagers being sent home will be dealt with “in the strongest possible way”.
Jonathan Miller said taking the drastic action of removing all Year 11 pupils from the school premises last Thursday had been “necessary, if regrettable”.
Teachers acted after “muckup day” — a day on which pupils traditionally play pranks before leaving to sit their GCSEs — spiralled out of control.
A “sizeable” number of students were said to have brought fireworks and non-kosher chicken into school, thrown eggs and flour around classrooms, and vandalised property.
Vi d e o fo o t a g e posted online showed the scale of the damage. Pupils could be seen climbing a security fence and vandalising road signs outside the school, attacking other pupils, and swearing at Mr Miller.
In an email to parents, Mr Miller wrote: “The escalation of bad behaviour by a number of students was all the more distressing. Their behaviour is an embarrassment to the school, the wider community, their parents and themselves. Those involved will be facing consequences.”
He added: “We will be dealing in the strongest way possible with those who have perpetrated those actions seen by so many.” The school declined to comment further or explain what measures would be taken.
But Mr Miller stressed his commitment to upholding the school’s reputation.
“I always require of all students at JFS that they behave in an exemplary manner, both inside and outside of school,” he wrote. “I ask all parents to support me in sharing this message with your children. In this regard, I am grateful for the many, many messages I have received supporting the school’s response to this unprecedented situation.”
Large numbers of Year 11 students initially spoke of their fury after being ejected from the school grounds.
One 16-year-old student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “There was a small minority, maybe 20 or so, who were causing a few problems. But they decided to punish all of us.”
But pupils from other year groups publicly backed JFS’s response.
They complained that the school had been misrepresented and was fully justified in taking such serious action.
A Year 12 pupil said: “Students were unable to use the toilets because they vandalised them.
“The kids were sent home after teachers discovered there were fireworks hidden in the ceiling which were going to be used during the lunch break.
“The chaos that was happening was not only unprecedented, but totally obscene.”
Pupils uninvolved in muck-up day contacted the JC to highlight the trail of destruction. They said hand-dryers had been ripped from walls; toilets were blocked with honey, glitter and cereal; corridors were filled with condoms and sanitary towels; a security guard was attacked with eggs; and a fence was broken when as many as 80 students climbed on it.
Another Year 12 teenager said: “The school did a brilliant job at handling the chaotic situation. It was not just a small group of students who participated; it went from rebellious and disrespectful individuals swearing at teachers and pouring honey on the floor — which a cleaner slipped on — to normally quiet and innocent individuals sprinkling glitter everywhere.”
One parent said: “I want my children to be safe, and if that was the only way to calm the situation, the school was right to send them home.”
Police confirmed officers were called to the school, in Kenton, north-west London, during the disturbance, but made no arrests.
Public outcry over the negative portrayal of the school following the incident led to the hashtag “#IloveJFSbecause” appearing online. Past and present students took to Twitter to proclaim their support for JFS and the headteacher’s response.
HE SAID, she said, this happened, that happened. Since news broke that JFS sent home 300 misbehaving pupils, I have heard multiple accounts of how the day unfolded.
Reports that often disagree and end up reducing themselves to squabbles over minute details.
But one element of the story is overwhelmingly consistent: the power of the united student voice.
This became clear to me early on Saturday morning, when I found my Twitter feed resounding with the loud cry of JFS.
Unhappy with the coverage their school had been receiving, pupils had taken matters into their smartphones and, using the Twitter hashtag #iloveJFSbecause, were telling the world why their school mattered to them.
Reasons varied, with comments ranging from the general, “they really enrich school life throughout the year, such as with the mock election, Yom Haatzmaut and Purim”, to personal testimonies — “I was in hospital for two years and they kept fighting for me to return, never giving up on me.”
They also stretched far and wide, with ex-alumni weighing in alongside current pupils. One said: “Twelve years on, I still have incredible friends, amazing memories and a bond with hundreds of people I meet year on year.”
Whether you agreed with them or not, there was no denying the force of their convictions.
Here were students who were galvanising the masses and rallying around their institution. They were rebelling against reports of rebellion and standing united — not in subservience, but defiance.
And in doing so, they were proving that, despite complaints of “generational apathy”, young people can rise up and make an impact. What is more, they can do so without donning balaclavas and wielding eggs and flour.
As well as the tweets that continued to appear well into the new week, some of which can be seen here, I was also inundated with emails echoing such sentiments.
Ella Taylor, 18, told me that she had launched the #iloveJFSbecause campaign because the school is “an enriching, welcoming and unique environment which makes a huge school a close-knit family”.
Her comments were echoed by Lucy Jawett, 17, who said that “JFS has the provision and the staff to develop and extend every ability and hidden talent we have”.
Jess Fishman, 18, said she loved her school because “when we come together, we are an unstoppable force. We are a community, all feeling the same hurt when someone ruins our reputation”.
Some comments also spoke out against the school, proving that people of all opinions were able to use social media to make their voices heard on a public platform.
In time, it is more than likely that the particulars of Thursday’s events will fade further.
But one thing we can all agree on is that, evidently, students will stand up for what they believe in. And believe me, their collective voice won’t be silenced.