7 days ago
Parents react to alleged violence at Lliswerry High School
The South Wales Argus decided to gauge parental confidence in the school, following concerns about safety. Only two respondents would openly give their name and both gave favourable or somewhat neutral opinions of how the school has been coping in recent years.
Those remaining anonymous tended to express unhappiness at the alleged violence and disruption at the school.
"It's horrible. There is just too much social media footage and gossip about behaviour problems and fights. There seem to be gangs and we don't need that on social media,' said an anonymous father of a Year 11 pupil.
The worried dad added that social media makes things worse and people are copycats who will 'live up to the hype.'
A mother of a year nine pupil said: 'I didn't want this school. It was kind of forced on us. However, there haven't been any issues for us, but there's always worry.'
Worries about instability and violence seemed to crop up all the time when parents spoke to us. However, we had no specific reports of disorder or violence. The main issues raised were alleged gangs, social media posts, alleged bullying and alleged revenge attacks and concerns about lack of support for parental complaints.
A more positive response came from mum, Jana Powca, who said: 'We are happy with the school. It hasn't let us down. The school is good for us. We are happy with it.'
Local lunchtime legend, Uday Patel, who runs the Nash Stores, opposite the struggling school, was very positive about its tradition of good education.
'My two boys went there and it was a good school and it gave them a good education. They turned out well and both my boys have Masters in engineering.
'Two Masters, I think that says a lot about Lliswerry. Things have got more difficult, especially in the last five years. However, they (pupils) will respond to good and clear instructions. In my shop, there are rules which I apply and they can't come in if they don't follow them.'
Mr Patel insisted that he must respect the pupils and the pupils must respect the shop. There can be no swearing, fighting and only four in the shop at a time.
The Nash Stores boss argued that many behaviour problems can be traced back to 'stupid laws about softness and rights that have caused bad behaviour. There are simple solutions for a lot of bad behaviour.'
Responding, the school said: "The description of Lliswerry High School as 'crisis-hit' because of one incident is extremely misleading.
Although it took place outside school grounds and hours, it was taken extremely seriously by the school, the governors and the council.
Pupils who were involved have faced disciplinary action in line with Welsh government guidelines. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.
None of the people spoken to for this report could provide specific details of other incidents. Some of the views appeared to be based purely on unfounded social media speculation.
Perpetuating negative stereotypes is damaging in so many ways, not least for the majority of pupils who are hard-working and well-behaved.
Lliswerry will continue to support all pupils and is committed to ensuring that they reach their full potential.
Any parent with concerns can contact the school to discuss them."
