Head wins top praise

A CHEDDAR school has been congratulated by people from all over England for its no-nonsense policies on pupil discipline. Letters featured in national newspapers have applauded the stance of Kings of Wessex headteacher Chris Richardson. Among its policies, Kings of Wessex has strict rules on school uniform and the areas in which children are allowed to eat. Charlotte Radford, from Doncaster in south Yorkshire, wrote to one newspaper saying: "Although my daughter's school is a very good one, most of the pupils go around with their collars wide open and their ties loosely knotted at half-mast. It is so refreshing to see a school taking a stand on this and handing out punishments."Kings of Wessex pupil Tom Bosley hit national headlines when he spoke to journalists about his detention for munching on an apple in an area where eating was banned. Speaking to the Somerset Mercury, Tom said: "Students come in here drugged up and drunk but as long as they have their top button done up the school doesn't care. "I'm not the only one this has happened to. My friend had a cold and got detention for sucking a cough sweet. They worry too much about the minor things in the school."A number of Tom's peers also featured in articles in the press for incidents such as not wearing their ties correctly. Tom's parents, Lynn Southam and Andy Bosley, wrote to the Somerset Mercury saying: "We do not deny that our son broke a school rule. We objected to the level of punishment received when he unintentionally missed his slot on the waiting list of detentions. "We are grateful for the many messages of support from concerned parents, each with their own story to tell. We would also like to thank Tom for remaining calm throughout, despite unprecedented attention from the media.