Unruly pupils at Wolverhampton school are nuisance, say neighbours

Unruly pupils from a troubled school that was recently placed into special measures are causing a nuisance for residents, according to some living nearby.

But others say the children at New Park School in Wolverhampton are simply 'misunderstood'.

The school in Whitmore Reans caters for 107 pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

Ofsted inspectors visited the site in Cromer Gardens in February and found that as well as school property often being damaged, staff said their cars had been vandalised by pupils.

See also: Wolverhampton pupils fenced in after bad school report

The report, published in March, also said students smoked on site and skipped lessons, while staff also frequently manhandled youngsters and even locked them in classrooms. Some residents say the problems are spilling out of the school and onto the streets.

Taxi driver Joma Ali, aged 42, of Cromer Gardens, said:

"They are not threatening but they block the road and don't let you go while they are just talking and laughing."

Mother-of-three Ruth South, of Cromer Gardens, said:

"They once swore at one of my children for doing the gardening. They are always running off and the teachers are coming to fetch them back. The staff can't control them."

However, Ms South added that not all of the children were badly behaved.

She said: "They haven't really bothered with me because I engage with them. All they really want is someone to say, 'You're OK. You're not as bad as they say you are'."

In the wake of the Ofsted report, the school's headteacher, Sharon Humphreyson, stepped down from her role.

She has been replaced by Nicola Davis and Martin Farmer, both from nearby Aldersley High School, who are acting as interim executive headteacher and interim headteacher.