Eldon Primary: mum-of-two banned from under-fire Preston school after being accused of threatening and intimidating behaviour towards staff members

A single mum from Preston has been barred from her children’s primary and told she could be arrested and fined up to £500 if she steps foot on the school grounds. Scarlet Willcock, 36, received the warning from Lancashire County Council’s legal department via senior leaders at Eldon Primary School, which is currently at the centre of a row between its senior leadership team and teaching unions over concerns among staff turnover.

Scarlet says she believes the ban was issued after she voiced her support to union claims an alarming number of teachers had left the school over the past 18 months, a claim the school dispute. Education bosses, however, accuse her “threatening and intimidating behaviour” towards staff members and of repeatedly smoking by the school gates.

The Post reported that the National Education Union (NEU) and UNISON told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that only one of the permanent class teachers who was working at Eldon Primary School in July 2021 was still in post as of December last year.

Scarlet, who has a nine and five-year-old at Eldon, said: "I was informed earlier this week that I was barred for intimidation. The only part of the letter that is true is that I was smoking near the gate. They are punishing my kids because I am a single parent.

"I can't leave my youngest who is five at the gate as he needs assessing for ADHD, which the school hasn't helped with, so I have had no choice but to take them out of school for a week as I am not allowed on the premises. I'm speaking out due to a lack of support for my children. I have now been banned from the premises for speaking out. A lot of parents don't want to go public in case the same thing happens to them."

She added: "Some parents were also told that teachers felt threatened by some of the Facebook comments from a previous story on teachers leaving. I have seen the posts and they are not threatening at all. The school is run like a business and this is why so many amazing teachers never stay."

Following the article Lancashire Police patrolled around the school last month after receiving a report of staff receiving malicious communication. A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "We were called by Eldon Primary School, Preston, on January 14, to a report of malicious communication. This is an ongoing investigation and our enquiries are continuing. There will be an increased police presence in the area around the school as part of our enquiries."

Later that day, the school’s headteacher Azra Butt issued messages to parents urging them to use the school’s “communication tools” to raise concerns and not to air grievances on social media – a seeming reference to the furore caused by the union’s concerns about staff turnover.

Sue Schorah, Chair of Governors at Eldon Primary, said: "The Senior Leaders, staff and Governors are fully committed to ensuring that all children come first and are being taught well in a safe and nurturing environment. Eldon is an inclusive school dedicated to providing support for all children to meet their individual needs. This often includes targeted, additional support. We are always keen to work constructively with parents and carers to support their children’s learning.

"Where parents raise concerns, the school has a formal complaints procedure which will respond to any complaint made. Our procedures always encourage parents to contact the HT and CoG to discuss the complaints so that these can be resolved as soon as possible."