Newfield School likened to North Korea as corridors become silent and single file in 'draconian' new measures
“Rules like these are stifling children and robbing them of crucial life skills they will need at a later date”
It was just over a month ago that Newfield School received glowing praise from Ofsted inspectors, who described it as a calm and orderly environment where bullying was rare.
Now, the school has introduced stricter rules requiring pupils to walk in single file and in silence in between lessons, leaving one dad questioning what has changed - and likening the Meersbrook based school to ‘North Korea’.
The father, whose 13-year-old daughter attends the school, said the measures appeared to contradict the picture painted in the recent inspection report.
Newfield School announced the changes to parents on October 23, saying pupil feedback had identified concerns about intimidation in corridors, insufficient supervision in some areas and pupils not feeling safe in certain parts of the school.
The school also said busy corridors could make it difficult for staff to be seen and heard.
The concerned dad said: "I couldn't get my head around it, it seems contradictory.
"I appreciate that an Ofsted inspection is only one day in time, but for them to say bullying is rare and then, in a matter of weeks, pupils feel threatened and intimidated, it raises questions.
"If Ofsted said it was a calm and happy environment, what has gone so massively wrong over the course of 11 academic weeks for the school to have to take such drastic action?"
He fears the measures will harm students, more than they help.
“School should prepare children for the workplace -and discipline has its place - but when you or I go into a meeting at work, we come out of that meeting and discuss with colleagues,” he said.
“Rules like these are stifling children and robbing them of crucial life skills they will need at a later date.”
Though the school was taken over by Mercia Trust back in 2014, parents say the changes and ‘Merciafication’ of the school really ramped up two years ago.
His daughter has become increasingly unhappy with the school's disciplinary approach since, and is now on a waiting list for another school, the concerned dad said.
He described the sanctions as "draconian", claiming pupils could receive detentions for relatively minor issues, including forgetting a pen or rubber.
He said: "Little things like not having a rubber are straight to detention. If you or I forgot a notepad in a meeting at work, there would not be the same reaction.”
He added: "It should be corrective, not punitive. There should be a proportionate level of action.
"As parents, it's almost like living in fear of what's next in the new regime at Newfield School."
The father also raised concerns about what he described as a lack of consultation with parents over changes to school policies, including new uniform requirements.
He claimed attempts to obtain information about decisions had been met with limited engagement, leaving him turning to Freedom of Information requests to get answers, which the school had failed to fulfil, he said.
"They use pupil voice as a reason, but they don't engage with parents or explain things transparently," he said.
Another parent, with a 14-year-old son currently at the school also wished to remain anonymous.
He said the school's increasingly strict approach had prompted their family to reconsider sending their youngest child to Newfield, despite adding on considerable commute time.
He said: “It's not what we signed up for. When my son started, it was a different school.
“I respect what Mercia have created, but we did not sign up for Mercia, we signed up for Newfield.”
He said that many students lived in constant fear of detentions, claiming one child received a detention for laughing in a school corridor.
Another, he said, was punished for their shoe laces being ‘too thick’.
"The kids just seem to live in fear of getting a detention for something stupid. The parents with older children in the school are just hanging on in there,” he said.
"School should be a place to learn, of course, but also to have fun.
"They might come out with amazing grades, which is great, but they could be miserable.”
The parent said the lack of consultation over decisions, including changes to school uniform, had added to their frustration.
They said: "It was all done with student voice, but you speak to the kids and none of them want it.
"There's no evidence of any of the discussions.”
The school's most recent Ofsted report, published on June 23, said: "Behaviour across the school is calm, orderly and respectful."
It added: "These routines create a safe and purposeful atmosphere", and inspectors found that bullying was rare.
A spokesperson for Newfield School said: "Newfield School is continuing to build on the positive findings from its recent Ofsted report and this summer's GCSE results. The introduction of clearer routines for moving around the school is part of that work.
"For more than a year, transitions at the start of the day and following breaks have taken place in single file and in silence, including during our Ofsted inspection. The proposed change will establish this as the consistent approach throughout the day.
"These routines help ensure pupils move safely and purposefully around school, so lessons can begin more quickly."