Marshland High School head teacher claims West Walton Parish Council members were 'rude and hostile' about the school after land swap plans were rejected

A head teacher has criticised members of a parish council as he claimed they were “rude, offensive and hostile” about his school.

Marshland High School head teacher Craig Jansen said the behaviour of members of West Walton Parish Council “fell short of the public office they hold” and added he was “dismayed” by the attitude of councillors towards the school.

It comes after a plan to swap land in a bid to resolve parking issues was rejected.

“It was clear from my very first meeting that many of the parish council members had strong negative views in respect of the school and its place in the community,” he said in a letter to the council.

The school had approached the authority to take part in a land swap, which would see the current village playing field become part of the school and an adjoining piece of land the school owns would be handed over to the parish to be used as a playing field.

Anticipating further discussions about the proposal, Mr Jansen said he was “dismayed” to discover the council had voted to reject the plan at a meeting last month.

He added that on the two occasions he attended a public council meeting he felt the “climate to be hostile” and when he hosted councillors at the school to explain the plan, one councillor “was incredibly rude, speaking in a disparaging manner, refusing to enter the school building”. “Their behaviour was offensive and petulant,” Mr Jansen added.

The school’s proposal said the village playing field was regularly used by pupils for PE and has an entrance shared with the school. The school’s own field was used infrequently because of its distance from the buildings but with a new path it would have separate access, it added.

The plans would also have included a new sports pavilion or gym on the school’s new field, with the extra parking alleviating problems around the school. They were also planning to look at the possibility of installing CCTV to oversee the new car park, relocating play equipment and creating a covenant so the land could not be used for future development. The school had offered to look at meeting all the legal costs of the transfer.

Draft minutes from the parish council’s last meeting in August state: “The recommendation is that there is no land swap and the playing field remains as it is as the current layout is beneficial to the residents of the Parish. Councillors considered and discussed."

A vote was taken on the recommendation, with ten in favour and one against.

“The parish council resolved not to enter into a land swap with Marshland High School," it adds.

West Walton Parish Council, which is due to hold its next meeting this evening, has been approached for comment.