Majority of teachers favour pupils missing school to partake in climate change protests

It`s unlikely anyone in the UK is unaware about the actions of the `Extinction Rebellion` group, who have brought parts of central London to a standstill over the last few months. In April they mounted huge demonstrations, focusing around Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, and Waterloo Bridge. On the 15th of April many thousands of activitsts gathered round Parliament Square, with the protesters demanding changes to slow down climate change. Even though the protests have been generally peaceful - despite hundreds of demonstrators being arrested - more than 500,000 people have been affected, mainly through disrupted journeys preventing them getting to work. In early October many tube lines were suspended, with protestors climbing onto train roofs - one viral video showed the moment an Extinction Rebellion protestor was roughly pulled from the top of a carriage, only to be engulfed by a braying, cheering mob of angry commuters.

While their primary demand that the government pledges to cut 100% of greenhouse emissions to zero by 2025 has not been met, their demonstrations have certainly had the effect of getting people taking about climate change. More people than ever are getting involved, promising to increase their recycling, reduce their carbon footprint, and even consume less meat.

One demographic who have embraced the group`s message are schoolchildren, with thousands becoming politically involved, taking time off school to join in the protests. The Extinction Rebellion group have themselves encouraged children to support their movement, to join in their marches, even if it means missing classes.

Jessica Ahmed, a 16 year old student, informed her school by email that she would be attending the demonstration, and explained her reasons for attending the recent protest, which contained an estimated 100,000 people.

`If politicians were taking the appropriate action we need - and had been taking this action a long time ago when it was recognised the world was changing in a negative way - then I would not have to be skipping school.`

On September 20th more than 150 protests took place throughout the United Kingdom, with thousands of children, of both primary and secondary school age, missing a day`s classes to join in the demonstrations. The pertinent question here is whether it`s ethically right for these children to be missing school, in order to take part in a political campaign. Many have said that the Extinction Rebellion group have dishonestly exploited this young and suggestive demographic, and that the school children are too young to decide whether they should be abstaining themselves from school to join in the marches.

Despite the public being divided over the issue of whether it is appropriate for children to miss school and attend political demonstrations, the opinion of school teachers is somewhat clearer. In a survey commissioned by the National Citizen Service (NCS), 61% of teachers advocated pupils being permitted an `explained absence,` so they can attend social activism activities.

The head of the NCS, Sean Costello, has himself advocated children being allowed to take part in protests, saying `Young people are passionate about many issues, including the environment, racism and mental health - they have important opinions and we must help them voice their views.`

`If we don`t provide a channel for young people to make their voices heard, how can we expect them to sustain that interest into adulthood and play a part in their communities?`

In contrast with this view many school leaders have expressed their concern for the pupils, and voiced disapproval over thousands school days being lost. The general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders Geoff Barton, has said `we understand the strength of feeling over the issue of climate change but missing school in order to take part in a protest is not the right approach and we urge pupils against this course of action.`

`It is disruptive to lessons and learning, but the greatest concern of school leaders will be for the welfare of pupils who are off site and unsupervised. We would urge pupils to talk to their schools about activities which could take place in school to highlight the climate emergency rather than taking part in a strike.`

Many members of the public have asked whether such a considerable number of children would have attended the protests had they taken place over a weekend, cynically suggesting that the demonstrations have been so popular amongst pupils primarily because they sanction a day off from school. A member of public summed up this sentiment in a ballet conducted just after the September marches, saying `If they did their protest on a weekend then very few children would turnout.`