Taking the pip?

AN APPLE a day doesn't keep detention away- according to a Cheddar student. Kings of Wessex student Tom Bosley was given detention and then a day in isolated learning after he was caught eating an apple on the school tennis courts during his lunch break. Tom, aged 16, from Orchard Close, Cheddar, said: "Its ridiculous. Students come in here drugged up and drunk but as long as they have their top button done up the school doesn't care."After Tom failed to turn up to his lunchtime detention, which he hadn't noticed on the detention board, he was given an after school detention. When he refused to turn up to that, he was sent to the Supervised Learning Unit (SLU). Tom's dad Andy was furious when he heard the news. He said: "He was dragged out of class and sent to the SLU. It's for disruptive pupils and they set you stupid tasks like 'draw a picture of your dog'. It's bizarre."Tom said: "I broke a school rule but I don't think the punishment was justified. I was in the unit all day. You're not even allowed to look out the window and your breaks are shorter."I'm doing my GCSEs at the moment, so now I have a lot of work to catch up on."Parents Lynn Southam and Andy Bosley said they have tried to contact the school but haven't been able to speak to headteacher Chris Richardson. Andy said: "I don't have a problem with the teachers at the school. It's the management. The school is very unapproachable and you can never get to the headteacher."Tom added: "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."Headteacher Chris Richardson said: "For health and safety reasons students are only allowed to eat in designated areas. All students are aware of this rule and the consequences of not adhering to it."It is unfortunate that this student and parents chose to escalate a relatively minor disciplinary incident by repeatedly refusing to accept the punishment.