PARENTS have compared a school to a prison after bars were temporarily put over the toilet entrance.
Appalled mums and dads hit out at the school in Dudley for putting up bars inside the building.
Thorns Collegiate Academy, on Stockwell Avenue, Brierley Hill, built a gate at the toilets' entrance earlier this month.
A picture taken by one of the students exposed the "cruel" door.
Teachers claimed they were temporary erected to tackle vandalism at the school's toilet stalls.
Although the bars have now been removed, parents were left in shock and slammed the academy for the move.
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Dozens of worried parents took to social media to show their anger saying the bars are "absolutely disgusting".
Posting on Facebook, a mum blasted: "Thorns Collegiate Academy hang your heads in shame!! This is inhumane and against our children’s human rights!"
"I can’t believe my eyes. This is a school not a prison. No wonder you’re in special measures. Absolutely disgusting."
Another parent added: "Thorns Collegiate Academy you should be ashamed.
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"I thought it was a s**t hole when I was there, it’s truly even worse now, they don’t know how to run a school.
"No wonder the kids don’t want to learn or anything."
A third fumed: "I can't believe what I'm seeing here. They'll be escorting pupils to the toilet next. It's despicable to treat youngsters like that."
Thorns Collegiate Academy has now responded to parents saying students still have access to the toilets.
In a statement, the school said: "The gated door over the toilet block restricts access to six cubicles, the other five cubicles are readily accessible and not closed off during lesson time."
"The Academy has had to do this because some toilet cubicles that were further away from the main corridor were being vandalised during lesson time.
"It was difficult to monitor these six cubicles so access was restricted during lesson time only."
According to the school, students are not banned from using the toilets during lunch break.
However, teachers don't allow students to use the toilets during lesson time.
Acting principal Ms Jones has written to all families explaining why the gates were put up.
She said: "We appreciate that the gates were unsightly and aesthetically not something we wish to see in a school environment, they have been removed and we will be reviewing the situation and looking for an alternative solution.
"At no time during breaks and lunches were students stopped from accessing a toilet.
"We do encourage students to use toilets during break times and not during a lesson."
Thorns Collegiate Academy has been approached for comment.
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It comes as fuming parents said one child has spoiled it for all of them after an entire school was banned from McDonald's.
All 1,086 students at Burgess Hill Academy have been ordered to stay out of the fast food restaurant before, during and after school hours while wearing school uniform by Head Teacher Simon Davies.
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