It's detention for anti-war pupils

More than 30 pupils from The Chase High School, Malvern, decided to miss classes at around 11.30am yesterday, to demonstrate against the impending war in Iraq.

They remained in the schoolyard and protested again following their lunch break, before returning to classes later in the afternoon.

"We are the next generation, and those who decide our future should listen to us," said one 16-year-old pupil, who did not wish to be named. "This is a really important issue and we feel our opinions should be heard."

The protest followed last Friday's incident when four Chase pupils - Rowan and Jack Kirtley, Rocky Lashley and Pete Symmonds - skipped school to hand out anti-war leaflets in Worcester city centre.

However, headteacher Kevin Peck warned the pupils to find alternative ways of demonstrating their feelings in the future.

"We appreciate how strongly some students feel about the prospect of war, but our strong message is they must find ways to express it that do not involve losing learning time and breaking the law," he said.

He added that anyone who was a truant from school will have to make up the time in detention. This would apply to anyone who used the time to protest in the future, he said.

And Mr Peck was fully supported by June Longmuir, the county council's Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Education and Life Learning.

"I totally support his action," she said. "If the students want to make their views felt, they have time outside school and weekends to do it.

"We are all concerned and it's a good thing that young people have views and discuss what goes on in our own country.

"But to walk out of school is an irrelevant protest."

The incident also follows Saturday's anti-war lobbying of the West Midlands Labour Party Conference.

Today, six members of the Worcestershire Anti-War Coalition are due to lobby MPs in London, as part of a programme of events planned over the coming weeks.