Pupils 'strike' over Withins Academy plans

1:44pm Wednesday 18th June 2008

DOZENS of children walked out of lessons in a protest at plans to turn their school into a privately-backed academy.

Pupils at Withins School in Breightmet staged their own demonstration yesterday - on the eve of today's teachers' strike, which has forced the school to shut.

Children from Years Eight to 10 walked out at 10.45am and refused to return to the building until 3pm.

They stood at the locked school gates, carrying posters voicing their anger at plans to hand over control of the school from the local authority to private organisations.

Paige Walmsley said: "We want Withins School to be a community comprehensive school. There is no reason for it to become an academy."

The plans are part of Government measures to raise educational standards in deprived areas.

Paige, aged 15, said more pupils tried to join the demonstration, but were stopped from leaving the school building.

"We have been threatened with expulsion from the school, but we feel so strongly about the plans that we felt we had to take action," she said.

"We support the teachers' actions. We feel as if we are being sold out.

"Instead of threatening to expel us, why doesn't the headteacher listen to our concerns. That is all we want.

"This school is not failing, it doesn't need to be an academy.

"The money is there to make it better, so why does this school have to become an academy?"

Today will be the second strike action taken by members of the National Union of Teachers at Withins in protest against the plans, which will lead to the Manchester Diocese and entrepreneurs - the Crosslands - running the school. Withins refused to comment on the incident.

Further action by the NUT has not been ruled out.