Parents have likened their children’s school to a “military base” after 25 pupils were suspended in the first week of term following the appointment of a new headteacher.

Dan Jeffries, interim principal at Frome Community College in Somerset, said he stands by each of the 25 suspensions, which he said were issued for “persistent disruption”.

However, parents said they are “outraged”, claiming children were suspended over incidents including “zipping their bag too loudly” and “looking out of a window”.

Natalie Morris, one parent, said her daughter was suspended during her first week at the school for “nervously laughing”.

She said: “She has SEND [special educational needs and disabilities], additional needs and sensory needs. So that was a massive setback for her when she did get suspended.

“She was just nervously laughing because of her surroundings, strange faces. She gets overwhelmed – it’s a new school with new people.”

Ms Morris also said other pupils had been suspended for reasons such as “being a minute late”. She added that the atmosphere at Frome Community College had affected pupils’ mental health, with one child reportedly feeling they needed to “hide in the toilets”.

She said: “You want your child to feel safe, you want them to learn. You want the same opportunities as every other child, like everyone else’s kids that come here.

‘That’s all we want, we want the kids’ needs to be met and not be treated like it’s a military base.’ 

Ann-Marie Ramsey, who also has a child with SEND needs at the school, described the discipline as ‘crazy’.

She said: ‘If she was a bit fidgety or not concentrating, she would be sent to the reset room where they get disciplined if they’re not doing what the school wants them to do.’ 

Ms Ramsey said her child does not get the ‘movement breaks’ she needs when sent to the room. 

She also claimed students were being policed on ‘hair and nail colour’ and that parents were ‘not being listened to’. 

But the new headteacher said all suspensions involved cases of ‘defiance leading to the disruption of the running of the school’ and not reasons of ‘uniform or lateness’. 

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Ex-rugby union player and coach Mr Jeffries said: ‘For someone to be suspended for disruptive behaviour, they’d have to be completely defiant and disrupting us four times, in our policy, before we’d consider it.’ 

He added: ‘I am there to ensure we are inclusive and that we maintain really high standards.’ But not all parents have taken issue with his approach. 

Liz Halliwell said: ‘He has come in and he is making sure that the rules are being followed.’ 

She added that ‘as long as it’s fair and consistent for everybody involved’ she was pleased there would be a ‘more consistent education’ for her child.

Film and media teacher Seth Lavington said: ‘The idea is that these are clear and consistent routines which are going to enable the best learning.

‘Overall, the messages are still positive. We want disruption-free learning, we want the best possible outcomes, you need to try your hardest – none of that has changed.’

But sixth-form student Liam Backhurst criticised the approach, saying the reasons behind some suspensions were ‘outrageous’.

‘The most upsetting thing about it is that it has affected them mentally. These are new year nines which are coming up, excited to start a new chapter with school, and they now feel really unmotivated to carry on learning,’ he said.

Another student, Sam Shearman, added: ‘It sounded like teachers are stepping in expecting to give punishments, and I definitely don’t agree with that.’

Mr Jeffries said the number of suspensions should be considered in the context of the school’s overall pupil population.

He said: ‘We have 1400 children at the college, we had a total of 20 days’ worth of suspensions last week – that’s with some children receiving more than one day.

‘It wasn’t a wide-scale number, it wasn’t a particularly large-scale event. It is safe to say a number of children did find returning to school more complicated, and that does happen some Septembers.’

Mr Jeffries added that upholding school rules allows teachers to be ‘more consistent with behaviour’ so students feel ‘safe to learn’ – something he said was requested by parents in a recent survey.

He concluded: ‘All children deserve to have interruption-free education and where we have a very small minority of pupils who are disrupting the learning of others, it’s important that we support as much as we can, but we don’t allow that to affect everyone else’s education.’

• Is YOUR child a pupil at Frome Community College, or do you know “Jaff” from his rugby days? Email eleanor.mann@dailymail.co.uk 

A dog-walking dispute in Canterbury escalated into violence when a woman allegedly seized another walker by the hair and repeatedly punched her in the face after their pets became involved in a confrontation.

The incident began when two dogs belonging to Lucie Marsh lunged at a German shepherd being walked by Lisa Wood.

Ms Wood tried to protect her dog by kicking out at the animals, prosecutors said. Marsh then ran towards her, struck her several times and spat in her face.

CCTV from the bridge in Canterbury, Kent, captured the aftermath, showing Marsh laughing before leaving the scene.

Ms Wood, who works as a midwife, suffered a black eye and was forced to take four weeks away from work. She has since said the attack has left her feeling “scared of my own shadow” whenever she takes her dog outside.

Marsh was charged with assault by beating and received a six-month community order.

She also admitted being the owner of a dangerously out-of-control dog and was fined £50. Marsh was additionally ordered to pay the victim £300 in compensation.

Prosecutor Lucie Fish showed magistrates the CCTV recording from the March 2 incident.

The court heard that Ms Wood had her German shepherd on a lead and under control as she crossed the bridge when she spotted two dogs approaching.

‘One, a cane corso, lay on the floor as if to look at her, but the second dog [a mastiff called Enzo] ran and attacked her dog, and the other dog then formed the pack mentality and also attacked her dog,’ the prosecutor said.

Ms Wood ‘kicked out at both to try and get them off her dog’ and also pulled the German Shepherd away as it was still on the lead.

Marsh then grabbed Ms Wood by the hair, with the force causing her to ‘almost fall back’.

The prosecutor said: ‘Her AirPods were pulled out as she was yanked, and then she was pushed and punched in the face, and the defendant was shouting, ‘You kicked my dogs’.

‘She then hit her a further two times and then spat in her face, and it landed on her cheek. This offence was aggravated by the spitting in her face.’

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The court heard Ms Wood also suffered scratches during the incident, as well as slight whiplash from being yanked backwards. The dog was uninjured.

Her victim impact statement was read to the court, in which she said: ‘It was the first time I felt like a victim, and now I am scared of my own shadow when taking my dog for a walk.

‘I had to have four weeks off work, and it’s set me back.’

Marsh, 25, was later charged with assault by beating and being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control.

She admitted both offences when she appeared in court in August. A pre-sentencing report was ordered, and she returned to Margate Magistrates’ Court on September 9.

JPs heard Enzo was not seized by police and magistrates could make a contingent destruction order if they chose to.

The bench was told Marsh has a significant attachment to her pet, which she acquired after the death of her sister, and that he was an emotional support for her.

They also heard she sprang into action that day to ‘defend her dogs’, as they remind her of her sister.

Marsh was said to be deeply regretful and ashamed of her actions and had phoned her mother in tears after the attack because she was horrified by her actions.

The court also heard she had suffered significant trauma as a child.

Since the incident, she has addressed her behaviour through therapy and undertaken training with the dog, which is now only walked with a lead and muzzle.

Magistrates decided to follow the recommendations in the pre-sentence report and placed Marsh on a six-month community order for the assault offence, requiring her to complete 15 rehabilitation sessions.

She was fined £50 for having a dog that was dangerously out of control and ordered to pay £300 compensation to Ms Wood.

Magistrates also told her she had to pay a victim surcharge of £115 and £85 in court costs.

The bench decided not to make a contingent destruction order on Enzo.

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A British wildlife campaigner has helped rescue five bears from cramped cages at one of South Korea’s last remaining bile farms, flying them 5,500 miles to a new life in the UK.

TV farmer Jimmy Doherty played a key role in freeing the Asiatic black bears, which had spent more than 20 years confined behind rusting metal bars.

The bears — Bara, Rumi, Saebit, Yong-gi and Huimang — have since arrived at Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park near Ipswich in Suffolk.

Announcing their arrival on social media on Wednesday, Jimmy said: ‘Six months ago, I stood in South Korea and met these bears for the first time.

‘I saw the cages they had lived in and made them a promise: I would do everything I could to bring them home.

‘Today, that promise has become a reality.’

The operation is the first relocation of moon bears to the UK.

After being removed from the farm, the animals recovered at a specialist veterinary facility and were declared fit enough to make the journey.

‘This is the beginning of the end of their long life in those terrible conditions on that terrible bile farm,’ said Jimmy, who is a patron of the wildlife charity Space for the Wild.

‘I can’t tell you how overjoyed we are. It’s been a long, long journey.’

The bears were transported in specially designed crates under the supervision of vets and experienced animal handlers.

They will now live in a purpose-built woodland reserve known as Moon Bear Islands, containing trees, grass, running water and pools.

The enclosure will allow the animals to forage, climb and swim after spending much of their lives standing on concrete.

Moon bears are Asiatic black bears named after the distinctive pale, crescent-shaped markings on their chests.

The five bears were reportedly taken from their mothers as cubs before being confined at the bile farm.

Bara, the oldest of the group, arrived there in 1998 and remained in the same filthy metal cage for 27 years.

He had reportedly never encountered a pool of water before his rescue, but began exploring a bath while recovering at the veterinary centre.

Siblings Yong-gi and Rumi spent almost two decades sharing a single barren cage, while Saebit was said to have protected the smaller Huimang during their years in captivity.

Jimmy said: ‘Seeing them trapped in tiny cages after decades on a bear bile farm was heartbreaking.’

Bear farming began in South Korea in the early 1980s, when animals were imported from Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

They were bred and kept for their bile and gallbladders which were used in traditional medicine and products believed to improve vitality.

The bile contains ursodeoxycholic acid, which can be used to treat some liver and gallstone conditions, although synthetic alternatives are widely available.

The industry grew significantly before falling out of favour amid concerns over animal cruelty and declining demand.

Around 1,000 bears were still being kept on South Korean farms in 2014.

A landmark agreement was reached between the government, farmers and animal welfare organisations in 2022 to bring the trade to an end.

Breeding bears, possessing them for farming and extracting their bile were formally banned from January 1, 2026.

The five bears relocated to Suffolk are among the first to be offered a permanent home overseas.

Jimmy warned: ‘There’s still much more to do.

‘There are still 200 bears left here in South Korea that need help.

‘We’re working with our counterparts here in South Korea to hopefully find more homes for those other bears.’

Space for the Wild and Jimmy’s Farm launched the Bears Behind Bars campaign to fund the animals’ release, veterinary care, transport and new reserve.

The appeal has raised more than £90,000 from around 3,700 donations.

The bears will initially be given time to settle away from visitors while their health and behaviour are closely monitored.

Members of the public will eventually be able to see them once keepers are satisfied they have adapted to their new surroundings.

Nearly four decades after Young Guns first brought Billy the Kid’s story to the big screen, a lineup of beloved 1980s stars sent fans into a frenzy with a reunion photo.

Emilio Estevez, a defining member of the Brat Pack generation, led the 1988 Western as the notorious outlaw. He was joined by an acclaimed ensemble that included his brother Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland.

The film follows Billy the Kid and the Regulators, a deputized posse in the American West, amid New Mexico’s Lincoln County War of 1877-78.

Several members of the hit movie’s cast came together at Fan Expo in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday. Dermot Mulroney, 62, shared photographs from the gathering and wrote: “38 years later… Young Guns rides again.”

Fans were quick to praise the actors—now in their 50s, 60s and beyond—for looking remarkably youthful.

Can you identify every star in the reunion lineup?

Mulroney was joined in the photos by fellow original Regulators Charlie Sheen, 61, Estevez, 64, Lou Diamond Phillips, 64, Casey Siemaszko, 65, and Sutherland, 59.

Also attending was Terry O’Quinn, 74, who portrayed lawyer Alex McSween in the film.

In the years since, the brigade of actors have experienced varying degrees of success.

Mulroney, who played ‘Dirty’ Steve Stephens, starred in the blockbuster romantic comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding with Julia Roberts in 1997.

The actor has continued his romantic comedy career with such titles as The Wedding Date, Must Love Dogs (both 2005) and last year’s Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell.

The movie also reunited Mulroney with My Best Friend’s Wedding co-star Rachel Griffiths.

Sheen, who played Richard ‘Dick’ Brewer, is best known for his role in popular TV shows like Spin City, Two and a Half Men and Anger Management – as well as his colorful private life.

The youngest son of famed actor Martin Sheen, he expressed an interest in acting and filmmaking at a young age, making amateur films with his brothers and friends and future Hollywood stars Sean Penn and Rob Lowe. 

He got his big break in 1984’s Red Dawn and later went on to appear in other movies like the 1986 Vietnam War film Platoon and the 1987 drama Wall Street. 

After appearing in other films like Eight Men Out, Major League, Hot Shots! and Three Musketeers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he replaced Michael J Fox in the sitcom Spin City from 2000 to 2002, garnering critical acclaim for his performance.

He soon went on to find huge critical and commercial success in the TV show Two and a Half Men starting in 2003 but was terminated from the program in 2011 after a well-publicized battle with the show’s creator Chuck Lorre. However, this turned out to be only a temporary setback for Sheen, as he later starred in the popular sitcom Anger Management from 2012 to 2014.

In addition to his commercial success, Sheen has also found critical acclaim, earning wins and nominations for prestigious accolades like the Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, SAG Awards, People’s Choice Awards and others.

Despite all of his critical and commercial success over the years, Sheen has often struggled publicly with drug and alcohol abuse and allegations of marital problems. He was also terminated from his role on Two and a Half Men in March 2011 following derogatory and controversial public comments about the show’s creator Chuck Lorre.

In November 2015, he finally revealed to the public that he was HIV positive after first being outed by the National Enquirer, and had been battling the disease for the previous four years. 

Estevez was credited with being the leader of the Brat Pack that also included the likes of Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Andrew McCarthy and Judd Nelson.

His break came in 1983 when he was cast in The Outsiders, which was a massive success and skyrocketed him into the spotlight.

He then starred in The Breakfast Club as Andrew Clark and St. Elmo’s Fire as Kirby ‘Kirbo’ Keger back-to-back in 1985, cementing his status in the Brat Pack.

After that, it seemed there was no slowing down for Emilio, and he landed a slew of roles including the drama That Was Then… This is Now, the horror flick Maximum Overdrive, the crime film Wisdom, the cop movie Stakeout, the sports drama The Mighty Ducks, as well as its follow-up flicks, the 1993 action movie Judgment Night, and the 2006 drama Bobby.

He also went on to become a successful director and screenwriter, spending more recent years behind the camera rather than in front of it.

But in 2018, he returned to the big screen for the movie The Public, which he wrote, directed, and starred in alongside Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, and Jena Malone.

He also reprised his role as Gordon Bombay in the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers from 2021 to 2022. 

Sutherland, 59, who played Josiah Gordon “Doc” Scurlock, and whose father is late cinema legend Donald Sutherland, found Hollywood fame in his own right in the late 80s.

His career flourished, but along with his dozens of starring roles, the actor had alcohol issues.

His antics have landed him in trouble before and, back in 2007, he pleaded guilty to his fourth DUI charge, according to the Daily Telegraph. In 2008, he spent 48 days in jail on a drunk-driving charge.

At the beginning of his own career, he had 11 hit movies on the bounce. Stand By Me, The Lost Boys, Young Guns I and II, Flatliners.

He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series 24 from 2001 to 2010, for which he won an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Phillips rose to fame playing Ritchie Valens in the 1987 biopic La Bamba.

He later starred in Stand and Deliver, Young Guns and its sequel, Courage Under Fire and The Big Hit.

In 2018, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was sentenced to two years’ probation.

Siemaszko’s first film role was in the Rob Lowe vehicle Class (1983), which also featured John Cusack, Andrew McCarthy, and Alan Ruck.

He appeared with Sheen and Chad Lowe in Silence of the Heart (1984) and, the following year, in Secret Admirer (1985) with C Thomas Howell and Back to the Future (1985) with Michael J Fox.

He starred in Stand by Me (1986) alongside John Cusack, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix, Sutherland and Wil Wheaton. 

Siemaszko appeared in the Michael Mann film Public Enemies in 2009.