AN Oxford headteacher has said that some pupils who missed class for the city’s last ‘school strike’ did not attend the demonstration.
Oxford Spires Academy’s principal Marianne Blake told parents that it was ‘unacceptable’ that ‘a number of students’ bunked off school and ‘did not attend the rally.’
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As many as 2,000 students, some as young as four, filled Bonn Square on February 15, as part of a nationwide ‘strike’. Another strike – this time global – is planned for Friday and could be one of the largest environmental demonstrations in history.
Outlining some sympathy for the cause, Ms Blake wrote in a letter to parents: “Unfortunately there were a number of students who were provided with permission from parents who did not to attend the rally on February 15 and this is not acceptable.
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“Additional requirements have been put in place for this strike to ensure that the students attending are attending for the right reasons.
"Students will need to complete a written application. This must be submitted to me no later than 6pm on Wednesday.”
Pupils will also have to answer four questions to be given permission to attend, outlining their concerns on climate change and what impact the strikes can have.
Ms Blake added that all other arrangements would be the same as last time, and students would be able to leave school at 10.45am, ahead of the 11am – 2pm action, if they have parental permission.
In its latest statement about the strike, Oxford Youth Strike 4 Climate said: “We are striking again because the government has ignored us. We will continue to demand action until our demands have been met. We need people to stop debating whether the strikes are truant and start acting like we are facing a crisis- we are in unprecedented times.
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"It is time for the government to listen to public outcry and to wake up to the danger that scientists have warned us about for decades.”
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Spokesman Oscar Idle added: “Our movement has inspired a new wave of hope. But we don't want people to hope, we want people to fear. For fear is the spark that ignites the flames of change.
“Stop hiding from fear and start confronting the climate crisis head on.”
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