Strict Berkshire school 'bans talking' as parents slam rules

Parents say children at a secondary school are being treated like "prisoners" thanks to strict new rules - including a ban on speaking in the corridors. Brakenhale School in Berkshire has faced repeated complaints from parents since 2022, with some comparing it to a "military camp".

The new headteacher - Camilla Douglas - joined in February. But now parents claim things have got worse - with kids reportedly being told they have just three seconds to look at a teacher who is talking to them.

Concerned parents say 30 kids were suspended in the new head's first week alone, and say pupils are being told off for having a "fake cough", short hair, or false eyelashes. Others claim 40 children have moved from the school to a nearby secondary school in just a single week after requesting transfers.

The claims come after a former English teacher Paul Wells criticised the school’s managers for their "authoritarian" approach, this week. And in September last year said it was like an "army barracks or a military school".

Parents Keith Ellis, 41, and Kelly Ellis, 46, have two children at the school - Frankie, 14, and Teddy, 15. The couple say they would move them to a different school in a heartbeat if they weren't currently preparing for exams.

Kelly, a hairdresser, said rules she deems are unfair include:

• If a teacher says '1,2,3' all the kids in the class have to put everything down and look at the teacher otherwise they will get a warning.
• Students aren't allowed to speak in the corridor.

She said: "They have literally been silenced the whole day and they're even escorted out of the premises."

Keith, a martial arts teacher, added: "Our youngest son got punched in the face by a student, then our son was also put into isolation because he pushed the boy back."

Kelly said Frankie was sent to isolation - where students are sent to a separate room for reflection, because his haircut was too short. She added that the same happened when he coughed, because the teacher thought it was "fake".

They say the school's safeguarding team have been "terrific" but aren't happy with other staff or the rules. Another parent, Nicole Alder, 40, has a 15-year-old at the school.

She says children can go without talking for up to three hours - because they aren't allowed to speak in the corridor between lessons. Nicole described this policy as: "Very military and very like kids should be seen not heard."

She said another pupil was sent away from school due to wearing fake eyelashes - by a teacher who was also wearing fake eyelashes. A Facebook page set up by parents of children at the school also contains complaints.

“When I brought up my concern about discrimination it was effectively ignored,” she said. “This school is a joke - children running around with knives, teachers abusing kids and when you pull them up about it they think it’s ok to abuse the parents sitting the reception. Brakenhale does not provide an education environment. It is like a prison and is so unhealthy.”

She added: “I have never seen so many parents waiting in reception for "back to school" meetings today after school. My Year 11 today has been told they have to change for PE in silence. Leave the changing rooms in silence. Walk between lessons in silence. When in lessons be silent.”

Grainne Siggins, executive director for people at Bracknell Forest Council, said: “Brakenhale School is an academy in the Greenshaw Learning Trust and therefore any complaints should be made directly to the school so their complaints process can be followed. The council is not responsible for the day-to-day handling of parental complaints at any school in the borough, and would only respond to allegations relating to safeguarding concerns.”

The headteacher said: "We do not comment through the press on matters regarding students and encourage any parents or previous employees with concerns to contact the school directly."