A SCHOOL in York has made an appeal to parents after pupils protested about the positioning of a CCTV camera close to a toilet block.

The Press was contacted on Friday evening (February 24) and over the weekend by parents claiming that there had been protests from students at Archbishop Holgate's CE School in Badger Hill during the school day on Friday.

It followed the siting of a new CCTV camera close to a toilet block entrance.

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One parent, who didn't want to be named, said: "My boys who go to school there have said some pupils were suspended. I agree with the kids that it is an intrusion on their privacy."

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Another anonymous parent said: "The school has said that it is prepared to exclude more pupils if they are to protest and is refusing to do anything about the issue."

A spokesperson for the school said that the issue with the CCTV camera was immediately addressed and no student was suspended for expressing their views.

The issue followed a protest at Penrice Academy in St Austell, Cornwall, on Friday, as “hundreds of students” demonstrated against a new school rule which bans pupils from going to the toilet during lessons.

They said: "The public may have seen reports in the national press of student protests in schools that are being encouraged on social media. Like any school, we would appreciate families' support in taking time to speak to their child about this trend and how it is important to work together to ensure that school remains a place where all children can flourish. If any child, parent or carer has any concerns linked to school we would welcome the opportunity to discuss and address them. This is something that our families do extremely well and as a school we welcome and proactively seek parental feedback.

"As a school we have had, for a number of years, a limited number of CCTV cameras to support site security and prevent vandalism. At the end of last week, a small number of students raised concerns about the positioning of a new CCTV camera used to monitor the entrance to one of the toilet blocks. Following this feedback, we immediately took action to reposition the camera to alleviate any concerns. We would like to reiterate that we always welcome feedback from our students and our young people are only ever sanctioned, as a last resort, in line with our behaviour policy.

"We would like to thank families for their ongoing support, strong two way communication and partnership working which is really important to our school community. As families are aware we welcome and proactively seek parental feedback, both positive and in terms of areas for further development. We highly value our open dialogue with families as it helps to ensure that Archbishop Holgate’s School continues to be a happy and supportive environment for students to learn and develop as individuals."