SCHOOL CARNAGE
Shocking moment ‘gangster’ pupils hold organised fight at Birmingham school where staff who use PANIC buttons are on strike over knife fears
THIS is the shocking moment two students trade blows in an alleged organised fight at a Birmingham school where staff use panic buttons over knife fears.
Starbank Secondary School in Yardley has been rated as "Outstanding" by Ofsted but teachers are now on strike over the behaviour of students.
6
And footage of the terrifying fight has now been released as parents claimed the students "act like gangsters" and organise regular fights.
One dad of a student at the school said he had been left horrified when he checked his son's phone to find the clip.
He told the : "I asked my son about it and he said there were regular fights, and that some of the pupils encouraged others to fight.
"He said the video on his phone was between the 'two hardest students at Starbank'.
"He told me they fought to see who was the hardest."
Another clip shows students in a school corridor, with one pupil encouraging "Thursday fights".
And the dad said his son told him the teachers just "stand and watch" - frightened it will escalate further if they become involved.
Furious teachers have walked out in a dispute over the behaviour of the kids - which has become so bad the staff have been issued with panic buttons.
They claim they fear for their safety and are even too scared to walk through the corridors between lessons.
Others have reported being physically attacked and punched by students who have also threatened to stab or "shank" them.
Parents have backed the protest and say headteacher Satnam Dosanjh has "lost control" of the school, which is rife with knife-carrying gangs and bullies.
Emma Wall, 34, who has a 13-year-old daughter called Sydney at the school, said: "It’s got to the point I’ve got a counsellor for my daughter here.
"It has affected her mental health. I’m not sending her to school today to make a point. Her attendance is down to 90 per cent to avoid the bullies.
"Sometimes she has to run home. It’s beyond a joke. What more is going to happen? Will somebody get stabbed?"
Parents are now calling for metal detectors to be used to tackle the knife problem.
KIDS PULLED OUT
Tina Seabright, 33, has a 13-year-old daughter Megan and a 12-year-old son Adam at the school and has applied to withdraw both her children.
She said: “Sometimes Adam doesn’t want to go to school because he’s scared of the bullies. He used to love it. This school was gone right down.
“I spoke to a teacher by the gates and they just fobbed me off.
“The head teacher has lost control. She shouldn’t be working here. She can’t even stop the children running through the corridors.
“They come home and say they are getting bullied. It can’t be an outstanding school if kids are bringing in knifes and they are doing nothing about it.”
Adam added: “An 11-year-old boy brought in a flick knife.
“He went 'If you want me to stab some body just tell me.’ His face looked serious."
Megan added: “Girls my age follow me around and threaten to beat me up. I was leaving school early because they threatened to batter me outside the gates.”
Members are telling us they are scared to come out of their classrooms during changeovers between lessons
Paul Nesbitt
Paul Nesbitt, NASUWT National Executive Member for the West Midlands, said the problem was not isolated to one of two gangs but a widespread issue throughout all year groups.
He claimed there had been a "lack of direction" from leadership, saying he had witnessed students running through the corridors screaming when they should have been in class.
He said: "Members are telling us they are scared to come out of their classrooms during changeovers between lessons and that they don’t want to be in the corridors because they don’t want to come across the children.
"They don’t feel safe in school. They said they are reporting this to the leadership team and they are not taking appropriate action."
"There's even something called ‘Thursday fight’ when there’s always a fight on the playground on a Thursday.
Starbank School is a mixed "all-through" primary and secondary catering for over 2,000 pupils aged between 3-16.
MOST READ IN NEWS
It was previously called Bierton Road School and was saved from demolition in 2015 when it brought together two primary schools and a secondary school into one large school across three sites.
The site on The Hob Moor Road was rated "Outstanding" when it had its first Ofsted inspection a year ago.
Executive head teacher Satnam Dosanjh decided to keep the school open today and said suitable provision was put in place to ensure that lessons will continue.
A second strike is planned for next week.
6
6
6
6
6
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.