Worcester school mirrors replaced with 'provocative' posters

Posters were displayed in one bathroom at Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester

A school has been criticised after replacing mirrors in a girls' toilets with posters containing "provocative" messages.

The posters were displayed at Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester.

According to images posted on social media some of the quotes included "beauty is nothing without brains" and "make-up is a harmful drug".

The temporary measure was introduced after some "misuse" said the school.

The school's head teacher, Neil Morris, said the bathroom had become a "congregational social area" with some older students blocking the path to toilets, while they socialised.

"One of the English department staff has used this as an opportunity to provide some argumentative discursive letter writing," he said.

"They put some provocative posters up in the one toilet area in their corridor before the lesson.

"This has produced some 'frenzied' powerful writing and debate. With hindsight, the posters should have been placed in their classroom area, not in one toilet."

'Parents quite angry'

Speaking to BBC Hereford and Worcester one parent said images of the posters had "circulated very quickly" via social media.

The wording of the posters had made many parents "quite angry", she said.

"Saying that make-up is a harmful drug, and that it's addictive, saying that boys won't start to like you unless you take make-up off, you'll feel ugly if you don't wear it - I think how they've gone about it is not right and they should have let parents know what they were doing."

The mum said her daughter, who had seen the messages via social media, thought the wording to be "quite disturbing".

"I just don't think they're going about it in the right way, this won't stop young girls putting make-up on," she added.

There had been "ongoing" issues about behaviour around toilets at the school, she explained.

"Apparently there's a lot of bullying going on in there, there are horrible comments being written on the mirrors and it sounds as if the staff have had enough."

"[But] they could have got parents together, called a meeting - for the students as well - and maybe try to get some ideas about how the behaviour can be restored back to how it should be."

A "very productive" meeting had been held with pupils and two parents on Wednesday said head teacher, Mr Morris.

He said while the student council was "being challenged to come up with an action plan", staff had noticed pupils' behaviour had "noticeably improved this week".

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