The head of a Baldock school has temporarily banned his pupils from visiting the town’s Tesco Extra store in uniform unless they are accompanied, following a spate of ‘anti-social behaviour and complaints from customers’.
Knights Templar head Tim Litchfield has announced the ban — effective starting today — in response to incidents involving a small group of Knights Templar pupils, whose behaviour he says ‘brings the school’s name into disrepute’.
Uniformed Knights Templar pupils are temporarily barred from entering the Tesco site unaccompanied either before or after school, but can still go to the High Street superstore under parental supervision.
Mr Litchfield wrote to parents to inform them of the ban following a meeting on Friday with Tesco management and the police, both of whom have received complaints from members of the public.
He said: “I am disturbed to hear that a small group of our students, wearing our uniform, are demonstrating anti-social behaviours both outside and inside the store.
“I will be writing to the parents of these students individually over the next few days.
“I would like to support our community in this and therefore, for a limited amount of time, I do not want students from our school going onto the Tesco site in school uniform on their own, either before or after school.”
He added: “Please be reminded that the Tesco site is private property.
“I am very pleased to say that the vast majority of our students uphold the high standards that we expect, and that they demonstrate our motto of Courage and Courtesy every moment of every day.”
Arrangements have been put in place for pupils to request exemption notes signed by student services if they must use the store unaccompanied before or after school.
A Tesco spokeswoman said: “Following a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour and complaints from customers, the Knights Templar School headteacher has decided to temporarily restrict unaccompanied pupils from visiting our Baldock store.
“Students can of course continue to use the store with their parents at any time. We will continue to monitor and review the situation with the school and the police.”
A police spokeswoman added: “Police are working in partnership with Knights Templar School and Tesco to resolve issues of anti-social behaviour, which is being carried out by a small number of young people.
“This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken against those identified as being responsible.”
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