By Kelly Eve and Phil Coleman

Last updated 13:24, Wednesday, 03 December 2008

Leaders of Carlisle’s two academy schools have launched a crack-down on unruly pupils – and warned the worst behaved will not be allowed to stay.

Central Academy director Mark Yearsley

The schools say they are determined to lay a foundation of good behaviour.

Troublemakers at the Richard Rose Central Academy in Harraby could be sent to ‘Room 101’ – one of a raft of measures in a new hard-hitting behaviour policy introduced this week.

The room was made famous in George Orwell’s classic novel 1984, in which Room 101 was a torture chamber.

More recently, the room number was featured in Paul Merton’s celebrity comedy show as a dumping ground for unwanted possessions.

Central Academy students will also get passes to let them leave lessons and use the lavatory.

‘Toilet supervisors’ then inform staff when youngsters leave the toilets.

The strict policy is being introduced across both Carlisle’s academy schools. Pupils who play truant or leave class without permission will also face sanctions under the new policy.

Central Academy director Mark Yearsley says poor behaviour will no longer be tolerated.

Just two weeks ago he said bullying was one of the six main areas of concern he was looking to tackle.

Youngsters will now face being excluded from the 1,500-pupil school for “serious breaches”.

Mr Yearsley said: “It has long been our intention to create a new Federation behavioural policy. There are three predecessor schools each with their own existing policy.

“The fast track process for the creation of the Academies meant that this work could not be done beforehand but it has given us the opportunity to clearly assess what is needed.

“Our aim as a Federation is that our schools will be in the top 25 per cent of schools nationally.

“One of the three key themes is to improve the attitudes and behaviour of our students and to develop our staff to help deliver these improvements.”

Mr Yearsley added: “Students who meet our expectations will be part of an exciting, successful and rewarding academy.

“If there are students who cannot meet our expectations we will work with parent and the Local Authority to find them alternative provision.”

Examples of bad behaviour that would lead to pupils being excluded for fixed terms include:

using abusive language to staff or students;

bullying;

fighting or provoking violence;

possessing drugs or alcohol;

organised trouble;

persistent disruption of others’ learning;

repeated refusal to follow teachers’ instructions;

behaviour likely to bring the academy into disrepute;

downloading and circulating pornography;

throwing objects around the school.

Staff will also clamp down on “behaviour likely to put others at risk, including setting off alarm systems unnecessarily or climbing over the school fences”.

It follows an incident in early October when hundreds of children fled the school in confusion following a series of fire alarms.

A fault in the system led to four evacuations in an hour but Mr Yearsley confirmed after the incident that it was made worse because two students had deliberately set off the alarm.

Copies of the new behaviour policy have been sent to parents.

Pupils were told of the new rules this week and parents have been asked to return slips by next Monday to confirm they have received and understood the document.

Mr Yearsley, in his letter to parents, wrote: “From December 1 we will expect the highest standards of behaviour from all.

“You will also see that we are being very clear about the consequences of poor behaviour; quite simply this will not be tolerated because we do not want the learning of others to be disrupted.

“Of course the vast majority of students behave well and we are proud of them.”

Opinion: Page 12