PARENTS of pupils at Tavistock College have expressed their concern at two new measures this term designed to improve behaviour.

Concerns have been raised about the entrances to the toilet communal area being widened, a move the college says is intended to crack down on bad behaviour, but which has led to worries about loss of privacy.

Another controversy has been raised over students being told to line up before class and raise their arms in what parents and students describe as a worrying ‘quasi-military’ manner — prompting them to make ‘uneasy’ comparisons with World War II.

Both measures have prompted large-scale complaints on a parents’ closed Facebook group and at least one parent to meet and express concerns to a member of the college senior leadership team.

Shedding light on the controversial ‘arms-raised routine’ the college said this was intended to allow pupils to confirm they are listening to staff, as part of a briefing line-up before school.

At the beginning of the school day, a whistle is blown by a member of the senior leadership team as a signal to be silent, followed by an arms-raised routine, before they are given instructions for the rest of the day.

The college states that the arms-up routine has been introduced so students ‘start the day in an organised manner’.

The college says both measures have been received positively by both parents, staff and pupils and were introduced following feedback from all.

Students are said by the college to be reacting ‘very well’ to the new routine.

However, one parent with children at the college said: ‘Neither students or parents were involved with the changes and the parents’ Facebook page proves that not all parents are happy with the changes. The comments from the students on the raising of the arms while standing in a line, proves the children are not happy with the changes either.’

A second parent said her child had been given a schedule for the new routine which included having a uniform inspection and checked to ensure they have the right equipment for the day. Students should also expect to hear the slogan ‘thank you for listening. Together we care, challenge, excel’, the timetable says.

The mother added that her child thought the toilet door widening was a move to crackdown on alleged bullying and vaping or smoking.

A student said of the toilet issue: ‘Me and pretty much all the students find this pretty creepy and gross.’ She said this, combined with CCTV, felt like the college had ‘taken away all privacy.’

The line-up and arms-up routine was introduced due to changes in the school’s daily schedule with daily form time now moved to the afternoon, so this new morning process ‘helps students to start the day’.

Tristan Muller-Forster, principal at Tavistock College, said: ‘Following extensive discussion with staff, students, and parents, we have developed several practical measures to help drive and support high standards of behaviour.

‘These have been implemented to ensure every student is able to enjoy a safe, inclusive, well-structured time at school, and we are hugely encouraged with their impact to date.

‘Throughout this process, we have also been pleased by the support which we have received from parents and remain happy to clarify any lingering questions or concerns they may have.

‘Above all, we want to provide a safe and engaging environment for students to learn. Therefore, we continually seek to develop our approach – based on the feedback of students, staff, and the wider community – and will continue to take practical measures to ensure high standards across the school.’