Children are "refusing to go to school" after being abruptly separated from their friends without warning, parents have said, as fallout continues from sudden class reorganisation at Townfield Primary School in Prenton, Wirral. Last week, the ECHO reported chaotic scenes after pupils in Years 5 and 6 were told their classes would be merged into mixed-year groups starting next year, with children learning of the changes before their parents.
Distressed children and angry parents
The changes, driven by falling birth rates according to school bosses, saw children moved away from established friendship groups. This led to distressed children leaving school in tears, causing confusion and anger among parents. One father, angered by his child's distress, attempted to speak with the headteacher by knocking on her office window and calling her name. The police were called, and the school briefly went into lockdown. The father later apologised but was banned from the school premises for six months.
Since the story was published, more parents have come forward to describe ongoing upset. One dad reported that kids are "refusing to go to school" because they are "getting broken up from classes due to the school's financial issues." He added: "When the decision was made, kids were crying and upset and were just told to stop crying."
Poor communication blamed
Another parent criticised the school's communication as "appalling," noting: "They literally had all day to send an email out. To be honest they have had weeks to prepare us and the children about this." The parent highlighted that for many, the issue is about children entering their final year of primary school, facing SATs, and being separated without warning from friends they have been with for six years. "We are preparing them for the move to high school next year – they need stability and peer support going into this year," the parent said.
One mother, who spoke last week, stated: "We definitely should have been told about these changes before our children were. There were some kids who walked home in tears because their parents were working and went to bed really upset, without their parents even knowing what was going on." She described comforting crying children at the school gates, including her own child.
School trust defends decision
The Rainbow Multi-Academy Trust, which runs the school, acknowledged that the communication of the changes did not "go to plan." Chief executive Gina Donaldson said: "This may not be the traditional way of doing things, but it is increasingly common in primary schools across the country as we all respond to the declining birth rate. In fact, we already operate mixed year groups in three of our other schools – and our Key Stage 2 outcomes are consistently in the top 7% nationally." She added: "While we are saddened that this ended up in us having to call the police and using our lock-down procedure, our children and staff should be praised for the calm way in which they handled it."
The trust has been called for further response to the latest parent comments.
