As a parent of a "mindless idiot who decided she would take advantage of the situation to have half a day off", what does Blatchington Mill School headteacher Neil Hunter's statement say about him as the man being paid to ensure these pupils are well-educated, intelligent individuals?

While I did not agree with the actions of the pupils, for safety reasons, I understand peer pressure is a very powerful thing.

If a high percentage of your class walks out, you would feel duty-bound to follow suit. As a teenager, it doesn't make you mindless - it makes you cool.

After all his years in teaching, Mr Hunter should be the first to realise this.

If he was truly in touch with his 1,700 students, he would have foreseen this situation, put his own feelings regarding the pending war, whatever they may be, to one side and invited pupils with passionate feelings against the war to sign a petition for Downing Street, organised debates and arranged a sit-in in the safety of the school hall with the Press there to make sure their views were heard.

Calling children at his school mindless is only insulting himself.

For the record, my daughter is far from mindless or the school would not have asked her to sit her exams early.

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