Pupils' anti-war walkout

About 500 students from Longhill High School in Falmer Road, Rottingdean - just under half the roll - shouted "Peace now" and "No war" as they swarmed on to their playing fields.

Their actions were echoed by more than 200 pupils at Warden Park School in Cuckfield, who walked out of school to hold a sit-down protest on their tennis courts. They chanted anti-war songs for more than an hour.

Teachers at Warden Park finally persuaded the children to return to class by about 10.30am.

Karen Styles, 16, said she and others helped organise the protest because they wanted the Government to rethink its stand on Iraq.

Karen, of Handcross, said: "We want to put our point across about Tony Blair spending so much money on bombs for the war instead of spending it on people who need it in the Third World.

"We're raising money for Comic Relief today and the money spent on bombs should be spent on helping children and people in need."

Amy Badman, 16, said she and friends had given out leaflets to children yesterday to tell them about the protest.

She said: "We all went out on to the tennis courts after registration at 9.20am. We chanted things like: 'What do we want? No War. When do we want it? Now', and 'Don't Attack Iraq'.

"We did it because we feel most of the Iraqis haven't done anything and they're going to be attacked."

The girls said they had been threatened with suspension from school if they went out to protest.

They plan to send a petition against the war to Downing Street.

Warden Park School refused to comment.

Pupils at Longhill High staged their protest for almost two hours before they agreed to go back into school.

Many of them gathered outside before classes started and scores more later walked out to join them.

Longhill pupil Tim Whibley, 16, said: "We just wanted to show our grief for the people of Iraq and all the fighting that is going on out there.

"I just believe war is wrong. We just wanted to prove our point that we don't want war."

Tim criticised Prime Minister Tony Blair for leading Britain into war against Saddam Hussein when the majority of the country was opposed to it.

He said: "I have been following the news and feel very strongly about it. I don't agree with war, as much as Saddam has done stuff in the past. I just don't think war is the answer.

"I think we should be able to solve this in a peaceful way."

Although the protest was not authorised by the school, headteacher Geoff Ellis said it was better to let the students protest than to stop them being heard.

He said: "It's the students' initiative and what they said is they want to be heard. When they feel they have been heard they will get on with the rest of their day.

"I think they have done it in quite a responsible manner. They are not affecting anyone else and they have done it at the beginning of the day before lessons started.

"In one way you feel as a teacher it's a good thing if pupils do have views about issues like this. We would be disappointed if they didn't have views."

Mr Ellis said he suspected not all the students were aware of the facts surrounding the conflict but he hoped the school could use the protest as a springboard for giving pupils the facts.

He said: "We have some very religious pupils and they know what's going on and feel very strongly about it but I suspect some of the students just saw there was a protest and decided to join in, although they have done it in a relatively sensible way.

"Some of the students were over at Sussex University yesterday, where we have links, and I think they may have been talking to some of the students there, which may have given them the idea.

"We might be able to make some use of this and teach them some of the facts."

Earlier this week, pupils at Blatchington Mill School in Hove were suspended for taking part in an anti-war demonstration the previous week.