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Traveller camp forces Birmingham school partial closure Traveller camp forces Birmingham school partial closure
(about 1 hour later)
A school has been forced to shut to most students after travellers set up camp in the car park.A school has been forced to shut to most students after travellers set up camp in the car park.
Shenley Academy in Birmingham said members of the traveller community were "not willing to abide" by a 24-hour eviction notice it issued on Saturday. Shenley Academy in Birmingham said it was closed to all Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 pupils after travellers ignored an eviction notice issued on Saturday.
Principal Lucy Monk said the school was shut to Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 pupils. Older students were escorted on to the site by police and staff. About half of the group, which officers said included 20 caravans, a horse and dogs, have now left the site.
She said the situation was "detrimental to the education of our students". West Midlands Police said it had helped evict the group after the city council served an immediate eviction demand.
The academy remained open to pupils in Years 11, 12 and 13 who were told to avoid using the main entrance and were escorted on to the site by police and staff.
For more on this story and other Birmingham newsFor more on this story and other Birmingham news
Mrs Monk added the move to shut "was certainly not a decision which has been taken lightly". School principal Lucy Monk said of the partial closure: "I recognise that this situation is detrimental to the education of our students, and it is certainly not a decision which has been taken lightly."
'Further action' Mrs Monk said the school had been working with police over the weekend.
"I have been working with West Midlands Police throughout the weekend as this situation has unfolded, and I hope to be able to return the whole academy to a normal operation as quickly as possible this week," she said. Local police sergeant Dave Cotter said the travellers' behaviour was "totally unacceptable" and had caused huge disruption for the school, staff and parents forced to make last-minute care arrangements.
Mrs Monk said it was also working with the force and city council to take further legal action to remove the travellers "from the site as quickly as possible". "The group ignored a notice to leave, which gave them 24 hours to move on, and in the end we were left with no option but to force them to leave the school grounds," he said.
The principal said teachers would set up work online for the pupils to do.
The academy is open to pupils in Years 11, 12 and 13 who were told to avoid using the main entrance.
"Students will not be allowed outside the school building throughout the school day," the school said.