Police called to JFS as ‘muck-up day’ celebrations turn ugly
Police were called to Europe’s largest Jewish secondary school on Thursday as end-of-year celebrations turned ugly.
Hundreds of year 11 students were removed from the grounds, after ‘flour, eggs and dead chickens were hurled around classrooms and corridors’, according to the Standard.
Students relocated to a nearby park before trying to re-enter the campus, scaling a seven-foot fence; covering their faces with balaclavas and scarves.
Police were called as evicted students ‘began aiming fireworks at the building’ according to the Standard.
One JFS pupil who asked to remain anonymous told Jewish News: “The reason we were escorted out was because 20 people were having an egg and flower fight in the school. Because of this the entire year was told to leave. An art GCSE exam was disrupted but they were allowed to complete their exam. Students were crying, teachers were upset. We weren’t allowed to say goodbye to friends or collect personal belongings from our lockers. It was all deeply saddening.”
‘Muck-up-day’ takes place every year, according to one student. “The teachers couldn’t go round picking out the trouble-makers, so they had to send the whole year home.”
One parent said: “I want my children to be safe and if that was the only way to calm the situation the school was right to send them home.”
JFS head teacher Jonathan Miller wrote to concerned parents, stating: “After considerable efforts to target sanctions to specific individuals, the scale of disruption caused during the morning left us with no choice but to follow this course of action.”
A police spokesman said: “Police were called to The Mall in Brent at 1.30pm to reports of disturbance involving pupils at a school. There were no arrests. The officers left soon after.”
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