Chaos at school gates: Students climb fences to protest principal’s new ‘jail’ rules, including suspending classes for being two minutes late, climbing over their tights or asking to go to the toilet – as parents join the protest and the police are called.

Parents and pupils have launched a protest against “strict” rules at a Cornwall secondary school which they say has suspended pupils for asking to go to the toilet and for wearing ladder tights.

Students have complained that Camborne Science and International Academy has become a “prison” after children were kicked out of classes for being just two minutes late.

Parents and pupils said the strict rules made children “overthink” minor infractions including yawning, going to the toilet and wearing ladder tights.

Videos posted to TikTok show students climbing school fences to join the protest and chanting “School is shit” in opposition to the new rules.

Police were later called during the student riot, with the academy principal saying the rules were “vital” to the “well-being and success” of the school.

Students and parents launched protest following complaints the school had become a ‘prison’

Parents gathered outside the school as police attended the protest at Camborne Academy

Videos posted to TikTok showed dozens of students marching through Camborne Academy as parents gathered outside the gates for a protest allegedly organized on social media.

The caption of one video reads: “POV, your school had a protest before the school became a prison with locked doors every day.”

Parents and pupils have complained that students were put on “reflection” for going to the toilet while they criticized the academy’s “ridiculous” rules.

The mother of one student told the BBC that her son was “crying because we were having car problems and it was literally breaking his heart because he was afraid of being… suspended.”

Another mother complained that school rules were enforced across the board, without distinguishing between minor infractions and more serious rule violations.

“It’s the way they’re enforced, there’s no distinction between being two minutes late to class, literally two minutes late, and throwing a chair,” the mother said.

Parents said pupils felt anxious about the school’s “military-style” approach to bad behavior and the “harsh” punishments handed out, according to Cornwall Live.

They said children are now detained daily for wearing pants that were previously deemed appropriate and are reprimanded for taking off their blazers during the heatwave or for not having a clear pencil case.

Parents also said children were punished for small infractions, including yawning and not paying attention in class.

As “thinking,” students are required to copy lines from textbooks for two entire class periods – without stopping for lunch, a glass of water or a bathroom break.

If students fail to complete “thinking” detentions, then they are suspended, parents say.

Students were filmed storming out of the academy chanting “School is shit” to protest the rules.

Students and parents launched protest against ‘harsh’ rules at Camborne Academy in Cornwall

The protests come as parents raised concerns over the possibility of the Cornwall academy joining the controversial Athena Learning Trust, known for its strict rules and reliance on “thinking” to enforce them.

Headteacher Emma Haase (pictured) said the rules are vital for the “well-being and success of the entire school community”.

Headteacher Emma Haase said it was vital for the well-being of the school that behavioral incidents were kept to a minimum, and she urged concerned parents to contact the school directly.

“For the well-being and success of the entire school community, it is vital that individual problems relating to punctuality, behavior, uniform and organization are kept to a minimum,” a- she told the BBC.

“As always, if parents or guardians have questions about how a policy is applied in a specific case…they are encouraged to contact the academy directly.”

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Officers were informed of a protest at Camborne Science and International Academy involving pupils which took place on the school grounds on Wednesday September 20.

“Local officers have come to speak with the school to provide advice to ensure the protest remains safe. This is a school matter and there is no further action to be taken by the police on this matter.

Camborne Science and International Academy has been contacted by MailOnline for comment.