THERE were chaotic scenes at one secondary school as pupils clambered over gates in a bid to reach a protest march.

Children at Blatchington Mill in Hove had been threatened with detention for any "unauthorised absence" ahead of today's Climate Strike.

But that did not stop scores of children bunking off, and dozens more escaping at break time to join the demonstration in the centre of Brighton.

As pupils made their escape, teachers were left ringing parents to let them know their children had left the school site.

One year 11 pupil said: "Yesterday, pupils were told in their last lesson of the day that 'any absence will be regarded as unauthorised absence and will receive one hour’s detention'.

"Lots of pupils called in sick today.

"Before school today, lots of pupils didn’t show up for any lessons at all.

"Then, in form time, pupils were offered the opportunity, four students per form, to go and meet Peter Kyle in period six.

"At break time at 10.30am there were loads of boys who ran down to the main entrance, which was locked.

"They had to backtrack and go over a different gate nearby.

"Girls also went down but weren’t prepared to climb over the same tall gate.

"At the top of the main entrance road, near the school buildings, around 300 pupils gathered and wanted to escape but up to 10 teachers were standing there and shouting at the pupils 'get back in there!'

"The pupils stood there until the end of break.

"Some exits weren’t as secure.

"Some teachers were standing near exits, and at the Frant Road entrance, there was a teacher there and pupils couldn’t get out.

"Some pupils were climbing over a metal fence near the sports hall and escaping from there.

"At lunch time, around 400 year 8 and 9 pupils were running past the astroturf pitches to a gate and only a couple got out because there were teachers.

"Then around 15 teachers swarmed down there, rounded them up and kept them there till the end of lunch.

"The pupils weren’t allowed back into the school until lessons began again.

"In morning lessons, there were only half the students there should have been. After break, there were even fewer and in the afternoon, there were about six students per class."

In a message to parents, head teacher Ashley Harrold wrote: "I need to inform you that at break time a number of upper-school students have left the school site.

"Currently we have staff checking all registers and ensuring that we account for the children in school.

"The year offices are calling parents and carers where students were present in school but have not registered in their class in lesson 3.

"Please be assured that we are doing all we can to communicate quickly with parents and carers if we have reason to believe your child has left school.

"We are also working to re-establish the calm and purposeful environment that is the norm at school."