Parents revolt over behaviour policy at Telford Priory School

But staff at one Shropshire school have been met with widespread opposition, including an online campaign that appears to be co-ordinated by the parents.

Today Stacey Jordan, headteacher of Telford Priory School, said she was determined that both children and parents should "rise to the challenge" of a new behaviour system put into place.

But an Ofsted webpage designed to give parent feedback on the school has been inundated with negative feedback.

The online poll, which asks questions about whether parents think their children are happy, whether they are safe at school, whether they are well taught and whether they would recommend it to others, shows an average of around 80 per cent of respondents are unhappy with the way the school is run.

Parents have also set up a Facebook group called Unofficial Telford Priory School - TPS Complaints, which has almost 700 members.

They claim children are unhappy since Wrockwardine Wood School and Sutherland School were closed to form the new Telford Priory School academy,.

Members of the group say children are given hour long detentions for being minutes late for class, even if it is because another teacher has kept them in a lesson.

One mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "It is constant punishment they get for lateness even if only a minute late, even if teachers kept them behind in other lessons. They will get an hour detention.

"I got a phone call while I was in a meeting to say my son was not in school, I text him but because he didn't want to get in trouble for using his phone, he didn't reply.

"After about an hour and a half, he realised something was going on and text me to say I am in school and I have been put in the isolation room."

The parent said that when she approached the school about it, staff were unhelpful and shrugged off her concerns.

They said: "The school is not forthcoming. They don't really want to get involved with any meetings, but so many parents are dissatisfied and angered.

"I would consider taking my son out, but it is so close to exams don't think it would benefit him.

"Something needs to be done, they are ruining kids education and the kids don't want to go. School years should be one more pleasant times of their lives."

The news comes after the Government announced in its budget yesterday that it planned to make all schools into academies.

But parents say standards have actually dropped since the merger of Wrockwardine Wood and Sutherland to create the Telford Priory academy.

The mother said: "The school said that because Wrockwardine Wood was so poorly run; because the children are actually having to do work, their true grades and potential are coming out, but I don't believe that. At least at that school they were willing meet with parents and talk things through and listen to parents views about best way to approach subjects, now they don't want to know at all."

The new school only opened in September and just before opening, headmistress Stacey Jordan said she wanted it to have a "back-to-basics" approach, improving discipline standards and improving results to get it to have an outstanding Ofsted rating.

She stands by the schools methods saying it is a "tried and tested" strategy and that she is committed to set a high standard in pupil's learning and is prepared to meet with parents to explain school strategies.