On the march... the children who defied heads’ warnings

Published: 2 December, 2010
by JOSIE HINTON

PUPILS from Camden’s secondary schools ignored teachers’ warnings this week and walked out of lessons for the second time in as many weeks in protest at tuition fee hikes.

Following last week’s demonstration, during which hundreds of teenagers were “kettled” by police for up to eight hours, Camden’s headteachers warned pupils not to take part in a second demonstration.

Some school’s texted parents asking them to stop children leaving the school gates while others warned that absences would go down as unauthorised.

But, undeterred, pupils from Acland Burghley, Parliament Hill, William Ellis, La Swap sixth-form consortium and UCS were among crowds marching through central London on Tuesday to protest against tuition fee rises and cuts to education grants. 

Keen to avoid being detained by police officers, protesters split into groups and snaked their way through the West End and the City. Christmas shoppers looked on in amazement as students marched along Oxford Street chanting “marching in a winter wonderland” and cheering as motorists beeped their horns in support.

Year 9 Acland Burghley pupils Anna Wernick and Ruby Sweet left their Tufnell Park school at about 10am to join the demonstration.

“We left straight after assembly,” Anna said. “A lot of pupils from years 9, 10 and 11 walked out. The teachers said we could go as long as we had a letter signed by our parents.”

Other schools took a stronger stance. William Ellis pupils who took part in last week’s mass walkout were given a two-hour detention.

Year 11 pupil Remy Haggard said: “Although we felt it was wrong to be detained for practising our democratic right, we accepted our punishment. Everyone who had participated willingly attended the detention.”

Jacques Szemalikowski, headteacher of Hampstead School, warned parents: “Any child who leaves the school premises without permission is putting themselves beyond our duty of care.” 

Some Hampstead pupils joined the march at the end of the school day. 

UCS pupil Leo Sands said he suspected his teachers were secretly supportive. 

“They haven’t openly supported us but a lot of them are pretty left wing so I’m sure they sympathise,” he said.