Students returning to Cowes Enterprise College this week have found new restrictions in place – including locked toilets during lessons, a shortened lunchtime, and a musical cue to move between classes, with parents expressing concern.
It was back in July, as first reported by Island Echo, that news of plans to lock the toilets at the Crossfield Avenue school first emerged. However, upon returning to school earlier this week, students discovered that the toilets were indeed locked and access completely restricted by a large shutter.
Toilets remain accessible during break and lunchtime, but students who need to use the facilities during lessons must be escorted by a member of staff.
A spokesperson previously said:
“Going forward, these will require confirmation of medical need so that appropriate support is directed to those who need it.
“For all other students, toilets remain fully accessible during break and lunch times, and students are encouraged to use them during these periods.”
Alongside the toilet policy, changes have also been made to the lunchtime routine. Students now have just 10 minutes to eat their lunch before being asked to vacate the canteen and spend the remainder of their 35-minute lunch break elsewhere.
At the end of the lunch period, students are asked to line up along a dotted line before being escorted to lessons by staff. While moving between lessons, music plays – with students expected to arrive in class before the music slows down.
One parent has told Island Echo:
“It’s like a version of Squid Game. It’s shocking.”
Island Echo understands that the song used is a slowed-down version of the Great British Bake Off theme tune. Students who fail to reach their classroom in time are understood to receive a detention.
Speaking on the changes when questioned by Island Echo, a spokesperson for Ormiston Academies Trust has said:
“We are proud to be a high-performing, inclusive school where students are happy, well supported and achieve well. Everything we do is focused on maintaining and strengthening that culture, and we have policies in place to uphold these high standards.
“At the start of this term, we introduced a number of changes designed to build on that commitment by creating an even calmer, safer environment that supports both wellbeing and academic achievement. Many of these policies are in response to direct feedback from parents, students and staff, and aim to enhance the overall educational experience of our children and young people.
“We know that new approaches can take time to embed, and we are listening carefully to feedback from parents, students and staff. Where sensible refinements are needed, we will make them. However, we remain confident that these changes will help ensure our school continues to be a place where children can thrive and so we will be working closely with our school community to support this.”
An email has been sent to parents and guardians today, Island Echo understands.
This country heads more close to dictatorship rules as each day passes
So a Dystopian college exists on the island,
just wait for Blair’s Digital ID’s to kick in.
George Orwell’s 1984 is on the horizon
As a student at CEC I think this is outrageous and completely unacceptable we have rights to be able to go to the toilet prisoners have more availability to go to the toilet then us and I think they need to change it
As a student at CEC I think that this is unbelievable and unacceptable prisoners have more availability to go to the toilets then we do and with the time for food we don’t have enough time Im year ten and we only get like 10 minutes and half of that is people getting food and the amount of food the cooks have to cook mean that the food isn’t the best quality
Maybe, now that you spend the appropriate amount of time in the classroom, your spelling, punctuation and grammar may improve?
You are one sad individual. As u think ur the only person in the country to pay tax with ur stupid online name I can gather you are over the age of 18. This being said ur online being rude to a minor over their spelling and punctuation when u have no clue of any of their background/personal struggles in life. They are raising concerns that they don’t even get time to get a lunch, can’t use the toilet all day except at a break. I bet whatever job your in paying all your tax you can use the toilet when you desperately need to and I bet your lunch break isn’t dictated to you by your boss if u have 30 mins you could eat for 30 mins not 10 and then do something else with your break. This set up isn’t getting kids ready for the real world its teachers on power trips.
As a student at CEC I think that this is unbelievable and unacceptable prisoners have more availability to go to the toilets then we do and with the time for food we don’t have enough time Im year ten and we only get like 10 minutes and half of that is people getting food and the amount of food the cooks have to cook mean that the food isn’t the best quality I.e. my chips where undercooked we can’t take the food back up if we don’t enjoy it
Such beauty would bring a tear to the Führer’s eye.
Is this school run by Nazi’s, absolutely ridiculous. 10 minutes to eat, oh well I guess they will also have to just pee and crap in the corridors then. Typical corporate business speak in the statements.
It looks like there was a need to discipline the little angels, probably after complaints from their parents that their child didn’t feel safe, the toilet areas were being controlled by bunches of bullies and the toilets were a haven for possible drug abuse etc etc.
So, be careful what you wish for when you complain, this seems an excellent idea.
Good old fashioned discipline at least they don’t get the cane at school, too many do gooders at it again
I get it that some children will skive during lessons, such as hiding in the toilets. But I am concerned for those pupils who may suffer from conditions such as IBS.
Anyone who suffers with IBS will tell you there is often no warning – you need the toilet NOW. The time it will take for the pupil to interrupt a class, get a teacher to accompany them, they will soil themselves.
Going to school is not just about learning subjects, but also about learning to respect and be respected, with trust being at the forefront. Attending a school where a draconian policy is in place doesn’t instil respect.
I am so glad I attended Ryde High in the late ’70s, where I was trusted and seen as mature enough to return to class after using the toilet.
If a child continually disappears and hides from attending class, then it ought to be that child’s parents who are held accountable. The school’s new archaic rules should not measure those children who attend class and are well-behaved.
As for lunch, many will be unable to finish their lunch within ten minutes. Some individuals may have medical conditions that require them to eat slowly to digest their food. Many Autistic people may require additional time while eating due to sensory overload or processing time needed.
The school says “creating an even calmer, safer environment that supports both well-being”.
As for the music cue, Squid Game comes to mind.
Yes, children will be impacted, but so will the teachers. Just imagine, you spend three years studying to obtain a teaching degree, only to find your role is spent acting like a Prison Officer in Cell Block H, or as a Nursery Nurse in assisting pupils who have soiled themselves.
The human rights brigade will soon be on this lol
Just wait until Digital ID’s are enforced on the people of
the country.
‘You will never be able to say no to the Government again!’
Back in the 70’s I bunked off school more days than I attended and pretty much left school at 14 as I got very good at intercepting the letters to my parents sent by the School board.
Why? well there was no discipline, no rules that anyone took notice of and getting the cane was an occupational hazard that made no difference to my behaviour.
Sounds like Cowes EC have got it right to introduce some firm parameters.
Sounds more like a concentration camp than a school. If there’s any parents here who have children in public education I emplore you to seriously consider removing them and homeschooling, this is only going to get worse.
Schools have been slowly losing the ability to exercise discipline in the classroom. This is one way to start getting back normal behaviour. It may seem draconian but once pupils get the message they won’t disrupt their learning by spurious requests to use the toilets or to lodge themselves in the dining areas. It’s easier to maintain discipline than to reintroduce it to pupils who are used to setting their own rules. The teachers have to be in charge & not parent backed children
I believe that a Southern Vectis Bus could’ve solved this.