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School arranges morning-after pills for girls of 14 after end-of-term party descends into drunken orgy
Last updated at 00:22am on 23.03.08Teachers had to arrange morning-after pills for girls as young as 14 after a class party degenerated into an orgy of binge-drinking, drugtaking and underage sex.
The school said yesterday that "a disturbingly high" number of pupils had unprotected sex while drunk as up to 200 teenagers ran riot at a village hall.
In stark terms, it warned parents of the risk of pregnancy and sexually-transmitted disease, telling them: "Assume the worst."
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Parish councillors found evidence of drug use, bloodstains and wrecked equipment at the village hall
During the unsupervised party the hall was badly damaged and nearby residents were horrified when the revellers spilled out into the street, among them a boy stripped to his boxer shorts and scantily-clad girls.
The local pub landlord said he was threatened when he refused to sell them alcohol and cigarettes.
It went so far out of control that the school has taken the dramatic step of writing to all parents graphically describing what went on.
] The party was held at the village institute in Wray, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, by Year 11 pupils from Queen Elizabeth School in nearby Kirkby Lonsdale.
Parents and hall officials are believed to have been told there would be adult supervision, but the teenagers had apparently forged signatures.
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A number of girls from Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale had drunken sex, according to letters sent to parents
After complaints from villagers, the comprehensive's deputy head, Alison Hughes, wrote to parents in stark terms.
Along with "significant and harmful quantities" of drink, the children had also taken illegal drugs.
Mrs Hughes added that underage sex among the partygoers - aged between 14 and 16 - had been widespread and warned that some of them may be at risk of pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases.
She said most of the girls who had unprotected sex "were too drunk to be in control of themselves. The risks are real. Assume the worst." The girls were referred for sexual health care.
Mrs Hughes also reported criminal-damage to the hall and said one boy "could have died" as a result of the cocktail of drink and drugs he apparently unwittingly consumed.
Villagers said some of the children tried to break into the ambulance that took him to hospital.
The deputy head said many parents wrongly assumed that because the party was being held at a village hall, there would be a responsible adult involved, and urged them to be more careful in future.
"This is the underside of teenage life in this area," she added. Around 70 children from the school are thought to have been among the estimated 200 party-goers.
The event is thought to have been organised by two friends who sold tickets to classmates, many of whom passed the details to others.
Neil Taplin, landlord of the George and Dragon, said youths had urinated against his pub's walls and sworn when he refused to serve them alcohol and cigarettes.
Although an ambulance crew attended, no calls were apparently made to police.
Locals who went to clean up said they found broken glass, bloodstains and evidence of drug-taking. A new sink had been smashed.
Sue Rowland, who chairs the village institute committee, said the pupils had forged adults' signatures, leading them to believe it would be a supervised event.
She added: "We haven't received an apology from any of the teenagers."
It is not the first time children from the school have been accused of running riot. In December 2006 there were tales of drunkenness, damage and sex after a group booked out the village institute in Kirkby Lonsdale itself.
Reader views (7)
QES blames the pupils on this event when they only had this party because they asked for a end of year 11 prom and were refused. This wouldnt of happened if the teachers of qes arranged a get together for the pupils to celebrate the end of there high school lives and maybe for that the sex and drug taking wouldnt of happened, and a year later, they gave the next group of year elevens a prom which is completely contradicting themselves.personally i blame it on the school and uptight teachers there.
- ...., lancaster,uk
As a former pupil of Queen Elizabeth School I feel obligated to comment on this event. During my time at the school drug taking, sex and drinking all went on, but I feel it is necessary to add that the school is very intensely competitive and also piles a large amount of pressure on its pupils. Exams are important but we often felt like we were just there to make up the stats and improve the schools standing in the league tables. That mixed with having a very rural upbringing lead to viscous outbursts of self indulgence on the behalf of many of my peers, myself included. Inner city schools have violent crime et al due to social problems and low standards. But I think the real question is when a school has such high standards, standing in the community and a great place in the exam league tables does this happen, the answer is that the pressure is pushed onto the pupils, children under the age of 18, they feel like employees... and thus when they pass a deadline they celebrate but they celebrate dangerously. Treated like adults with deadlines then attacked for acting like adults, the fault is the juxtaposition set up by the teachers and parents alike. Perhaps if the school had taken matters into their own hands and organised a decent event that celebrated GCSE passes in the correct manner earlier on this may never have happend, then again perhaps if the pupils (aged up to 16) didn't have their innocence stripped away from them by the schools system this would never happen.
- Someone, Kirkby Lonsedale
"A number of girls from Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale had drunken sex, according to letters sent to parents" -With whom were the girls having sex? None of the drunken boys were involved?
- Filip, Kitee, Finland
Ah-ha, so this is what New Labour have achieved as a direct result of their Education, Education, Education policy!
Well done!
... NOT!
- Fraser, Telford Park
We lead Europe in the youth pregnancy stakes, but when it come to bringing up their offspring to be well balanced productive members of society, there parents are at the bottom of the league. Our over indulgent society coupled with discipline being highly unfashionable these days just adds to the problem, leaving schools to pick up the problem.
- Steve, Hereford
Golly, I thought the reason for pushing sex education earlier and earlier was to educate the kiddies on birth control, and safe sex. Doesn't appear that they are learning the lessons are they? No, all they've learned is HOW to do it, any and every way BUT safe. How many will soon have their stories told in the tabloids, hoping to gain fame and fortune?
- Trunk, US
Perhaps the return of Village Stocks?!
- Roz, Chamonix, France
