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Pupils at a Leicester secondary school staged a protest in the dining hall over the removal of GCSE study leave.

A number of year 11 pupils carried banners and chanted during the demonstration in the morning break at Judgemeadow Community College on Wednesday.

The protest began peacefully during the break between 10.50am and 11.10am, but became noisy and boisterous with students chanting and furniture being damaged.

The students, aged 15 and 16, are angry over the school’s decision to require pupils to come back to school after the May half-term break instead of taking the usual extra week off to study for their GCSE exams.

The 1,313-pupil school, in Marydene Drive, Evington, has confirmed that a number of pupils were disciplined for their part in the noisy protest.

'They're already stressed, this just adds to it'

A parent, who has a child in year 11, said she was disappointed and angry with the decision to stop the home study leave.

She said: “A lot of the children and the parents are not happy about this.

“A lot of students, including my child, want to be at home in a controlled environment where they can get real peace and quiet and study properly.

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“These are important exams and children need to be given the best chance to revise.

“They are stressed out enough already and this just adds to it.”

What the school said

A spokesman for the school, which is part of the Lionheart Academies Trust, defended the decision to remove the one-week home leave study break.

He said: “In order to best support our Year 11's preparation for exams we have decided not to set a period of exam leave but to give learners the time and space in school where they can study and revise with the full support of staff.

“Research shows this is more beneficial to the progression of learners, in particular those without the resources for focused study at home and is in line with the practice of other Leicestershire secondaries.

“Parents/carers were informed and were supportive and student representatives were given the chance to discuss their views as part of our ongoing commitment to student voice.

“Although some raised concerns over attending school during Ramadan, colleagues in the local community confirmed that full attendance would be appropriate during the period of observance.

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“However, in response to the decision, a small number of our students attempted to disrupt break time with a protest that was quickly and safely resolved by staff, allowing the school day to continue as normal with no further disruption during lunch or at the end of the school day.

“We are deeply disappointed by the actions of the students involved but parents/carers can be assured that those responsible do not represent our student body and they have been suitably and fairly sanctioned because of their behaviour.

“We have also reminded our Year 11 students of the school's high expectations and our commitment to their personal and academic progress.

“We have not been contacted by any parents/carers other than those of the students who have been sanctioned. Discussion of the incident has clearly exaggerated what actually happened and this seems to be part of student efforts to have us reverse the decision.

“However, we remain committed to our decision, it has the support of parent/carers and is the best way of helping all learners prepare for GCSE exams.”