A huge thank you to everyone for your support as this petition reaches the 1000 mark. Please do keep sharing.

Here, some of the adult former students explain why they want to see an inquiry.

Payal says: “All I want is to make sure other children can go on to do what they've always wanted without being put down, or leaving education with life-long mental health issues.”

Michael says: “An education system cannot succeed if it neglects the young people within it. I worry about the students who are still there. There was a constant atmosphere of fear. That fear often turned into anger — anger towards teachers, anger at the system, and ultimately anger directed inward. For many boys, that unresolved anger becomes a vicious cycle, especially when there are no healthy or supportive outlets. Where there should have been understanding, nurture and care, there was instead fear, resentment and emotional distance.”

Chloe says “This has all been weighing on me, my family, and my friends for years. We all felt something was really wrong but there was nothing we could do. A lot of children have an unstable home life, there are kids from minority groups, low income families, and kids with undiagnosed mental health issues. I feel these kids were targeted and suffered the most, I would like that to change. Using fear as a motivator when someone has been through abuse or has anxiety is cruel. It is cruel, period.”