‘Its NOT a North Korean gulag’ Birmingham school cracks down on TALKING in corridors
PUPILS will not be allowed to talk in corridors when they are walking between lessons in a secondary school in Birmingham - sparking one father to liken the school to a “North Korean gulag”.
The pupils who are caught talking at Ninestiles School in Birmingham from November 5 will be punished with a 20-minute detention.
The letter sent to parents said: “All students movement including to and from assembly, at lesson changeover and towards communal areas at break and lunch will be carried out in silence.
“Students will leave school in silence following the conclusion of their last lesson.”
The academy has said there will be allocated areas where the pupils will be allowed to ‘relax and socialise'.
Students will leave school in silence following the conclusion of their last lesson
A father of one pupil at the school said: “Why does the school want to teach children to be mute zombies?
"In workplaces people chat and speak to each other, why not at school? It’s a place of learning and exploring ideas, not a North Korean gulag or a monastery."
Co-headteachers Alex Hughes and Andrea Stephens defended the policy and said: "We know that students arriving to lessons ready to learn can be further supported by doing so in silence at certain points in the day".
The school has also said it was “an extension of code behaviour” and they would review the policy at the end of the term and consider all feedback.
The school has around 1,400 pupils and is rated “outstanding” by Ofsted.
One mum told BirminghamLive: “I can’t see the educational purpose of silent corridors.
“It alienates young people and makes school feel like a prison rather than a place of learning.
“If the school worked with the young people, they could manage any problem behaviours in a reasonable way.”
A Twitter user said: “School is already a lonely, sad, isolating and difficult environment for some children.
“Socialising is important. Children need to leave school with social skills too.”