Headteacher suspends 25 pupils in a week – for ‘zipping bag too loudly’ and ‘laughing’

A school’s new headteacher has sparked fury among parents after he suspended 25 pupils in the first week back at school for reasons including “zipping their bag too loudly” and “nervously laughing”.

Dan Jeffries was appointed interim principal of Frome Community College in Somerset in the summer, and is laying down a hardline for returning students according to those unhappy over his approach.

Speaking to ITV West Country, Mr Jeffries said he stood by all 25 suspensions, which he said were for “persistent disruption”.

But some unhappy parents have described the school as now more “like a military base”.

One parent, Natalie Morris, said her daughter was suspended for “nervously laughing”, while others got sent home for “zipping their bag too loudly”, “being a minute late” and “looking out a window”, she claimed.

She said: "You want your child to feel safe, you want them to learn. You want the same opportunities as every other child, like everyone else's kids that come here. That's all we want, we want the kids' needs to be met and not be treated like it's a military base."

Another parent, Ann-Marie Ramsey said her child, who has special education needs, would be sent to a “reset room where they get disciplined” if she was fidgeting or not concentrating. She said the school was not listening to parents.

Mr Jeffries, however, told The Independent he had received no formal complaints from parents.

He dismissed reports that pupils were suspended for lateness as “entirely incorrect”, stating that students only received detentions for persistent unpunctuality. He also said that no pupil had been suspended for “minor infractions such as minor dress code issues”.

The school had high expectations for behaviour, he said, adding: “These standards prepare young people for successful futures, and our role is to provide the structure and guidance to help them thrive.

“My first weeks have been fantastic, and the vast majority of our pupils, families, and staff have offered overwhelming support for this shared vision. While online rumors can create unnecessary worry, our door is always open.

“We strongly encourage any parent with questions, concerns, or feedback to contact the school directly so we can work together constructively.”

Latest figures from the Department for Education show there were 335,700 suspensions in the 2024/25 autumn term, down from 346,300 in the same period the year before. However, the figure was still higher than the 178,400 in 2019/20, before the pandemic.

Persistent disruptive behaviour accounted for just over half of all reasons given for suspensions.