Police called to Doncaster school again as angry parents blast back against under-fire head

Fuming mums and dads have staged demonstrations outside the gates of Balby’s Astrea Academy Woodfields in an ongoing row with new principal David Scales over rules and the way the school is being run.

Police were called to the school on Friday morning after tempers flared with parents accused of subjecting staff to ‘intimidating’ and foul-mouthed abuse.

Following another visit to the school by South Yorkshire Police on Friday afternoon, parents have described the accusations as ‘lies’ and ‘completely unfounded’ and have said that the demonstrations have been peaceful.

Mr Scales has been overseeing the school since an Ofsted report earlier this year branded it ‘inadequate’ in a damning report.

However, upset parents say the school is being run like a ‘Nazi regime’ with pupils excluded for ‘flimsy’ reasons and a large number of students being barred from the classroom over ‘minor’ rule breaches.

Others have claimed that girls on their period are not allowed to use the toilets, which some parents have said are locked to avoid vandalism – claims the school has flatly denied.

The unsavoury war of words between angry parents and the school has seen a Facebook group set up against the school while police were called in on Friday morning after placard-waving protesters gathered ahead of a maths GCSE exam.

One said: “The police have given no warnings, no cautions.

"The head teacher is spreading lies about what happened outside school.”

Another said: “It was perfectly peaceful with no trouble at all. The police and school are lying about what happened.”

Another furious parent said: “The school is an absolute joke. Kids are being excluded for totally flimsy reasons. It is like a Nazi regime.”

South Yorkshire Police said they were first called on Friday morning following reports of a group behaving “in an intimidating manner.”

A spokesman said: “Police were called to the Astrea Academy Woodfields on Weston Road following reports that a group of individuals were outside the school behaving in an intimidating manner.

“Officers have attended and spoken with those present, asking them to move so as not to prevent access to or egress from the school premises.”

Last week, a spokesperson for Astrea Academy Woodfields said: “Five parents gathered outside of our school as our Year 11s were entering their GCSE maths exam.

"After they made threats to our staff, they were asked to leave, and when they refused, the police were called.

“Some of the language being used is extremely offensive and completely unacceptable.

"All school staff and students have the right to be treated with consideration, dignity and respect, and we will not tolerate any instances of this kind of abuse.

“We are on a journey to improve Astrea Academy Woodfields, and make it the best school in Doncaster.

"We want to develop a strong culture of success, and we want our school to be a calm environment in which everyone can thrive.

“All of our parents know that our doors are always open to anyone who has any queries or questions for the senior leadership team.

"The vast majority of parents are supportive and respectful and it has been a pleasure to welcome more of them into school, for example to our recent Roma music evening.”

Earlier this year, bosses at the school were told it requires ‘significant improvement’ after a damning Ofsted report branded it ‘inadequate.’

The school, which has more than 700 pupils, was blasted by inpsectors over its quality of education, behaviour and attitudes of pupils and leadership and management of the school.

Overall effectiveness and behaviour were described as “inadequate,” while education quality, personal development and leadership and management all require improvement, the report said.

In response, newly appointed principal David Scales said: “I'm delighted to be leading Astrea Academy Woodfields and I strongly believe we can turn this school into the best in Doncaster.

"I have a strong and supportive team here who will continue to work with me to develop a strong culture of success and ensure every student at Woodfields goes on to thrive.

“With the support of our school community we can continue to build on the improvements recognised in this Ofsted report. I am looking forward to working with the parents, carers, and families of our pupils to push the school to new heights. Our young people deserve nothing less.”