A grammar school has been forced to defend itself after students protested against alleged sexual assaults at the school.
Students at Chesham Grammar School taking part in a mass demonstration say a pupil “repeatedly upskirted members of his class, to the point that the police were involved” – but that the school did nothing.
A message sent to the BFP said: “Chesham Grammar have done nothing to hold this student accountable – no suspension or expulsion.”
The message also claims teachers are confiscating cameras when students have been taking pictures of the protests.
Signs held by the students demonstrating appear to read: “Boys will be boys held accountable for their actions”, “School should be a safe place”, and “Are you listening?”
Headteacher Annmarie McNaney wrote to parents saying she has met with some students to talk about the issue.
She said: “This morning, some of our students took part in a peaceful representation at school following a social media post encouraging this last night.
“I know that there has been a good deal of interest about this on social media. While I cannot for obvious reasons give details of the specifics of anything relating to individual students, I want to reassure you that we always follow our processes and procedures when dealing with any issue in school, as you would expect.
“Likewise, we are constantly reviewing these and one of our core principles is that of listening to and working with our students.
“As you will know, we always seek feedback on ways in which we can develop and further improve as a school.
“I have already met with some students this morning to discuss the issues they wish to raise, and we will actively continue this work moving forward.
“As always, if you have any queries, questions or concerns, please do get in touch.”
Upskirting was made a criminal offence in 2019 and refers to the act of taking a picture under someone’s skirt or dress without their permission.
ALSO READ: MP who died over Easter following long illness laid to rest
Offenders face up to two years in jail, with the most serious put on the sex offenders register, according to Gov.uk.
Commenting on social media, user @carlagregory89 wrote: “Protest happening right now at Chesham Grammar School cause a boy took a photo up a girls skirt and the school when told did NOTHING.
“Those kids protesting in a peaceful way are a fantastic example of the future.”
To which another user @gemmak500, responded: “My local grammar school, sad to hear this has happened at all but glad to see the pupils making a stand.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel