Pupils at Blackpool Aspire Academy stage two mass demonstrations in protest over new toilet rules

The first demonstration was took place at break time on Friday (Friday February 24), when a large crowd of pupils left the school building to protest outside.

And the pupils followed it up with another one yesterday (Monday February 27), with some holding banners.

It follows similar protests at schools across the country as pupils staged massed rebellions over controversial nationwide changes to the use of toilets, with the conveniences being locked during lessons and break times.

Many videos of these events have been posted on social media platform TikTok.

One of several Aspire videos attracted more than 90,000 views.

In some schools there have been riots and the police have had to attend, with claims that a teacher was pushed over in one school and reports of damage, but that was not the case at Aspire.

A pupil involved sent a message to the Gazette after the first protest, stating: “At roughly 10:55 on February 24 an organised protest took place at Blackpool Aspire Academy.

"Nearly the entire population of students had decided to go outside and protest for 1: the right to go to the bathroom when you need it and 2: sexual assault/harassment to be taken seriously.”

Various pupils have also posted comments on the videos.

John Woods, headteacher at Aspire Academy, on Blackpool Old Road, said: “Along with many other schools nationally we experienced a student protest at breaktime on Friday and again yesterday from a small number of the school community.

"The premise of the protest was in line with the national picture that has been widely shared on social media platforms such as Tik Tok.

"We conducted a series of assemblies on Monday reminding students of the various avenues that students have to express their views and potential concerns.

"I also met with a cross section of students to gain a greater understanding of the basis of any concerns raised.”

It is believed the Aspire protests were coordinated via social media.

Across the country there have been mixed reactions from parents, with some having sympathy with the pupils’ position over the toilets.