Dad claims pupils told to recreate horrific Hillsborough scenes in school drama lesson
A dad claims that pupils at a Wigan school, including his daughter, were told to recreate horrific scenes in an incident that Liverpool West Derby MP has described as “disturbing”.
The Liverpool Echo reports that a 12-year-old pupil at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Wigan came home from school on 2nd February and told her dad she had been learning about the Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 Liverpool supporters were unlawfully killed.
She told him they had re-enacted scenes from the tragedy in drama class, with pupils being told to shout "don't crush me" and some pretending to be dead.
The dad told the ECHO he was "furious" when his daughter told him this. He said: "When she first said they were learning about Hillsborough, I asked her about what part, expecting it to be about everything that happened afterwards. "When she told me they were being told to recreate the crush shouting 'don't crush me, stop crushing me' and some of them being told to 'die', I was shocked. I thought it was disgraceful.
The dad said he was aware that the Hillsborough Disaster is going to be added to the curriculum in Liverpool schools, and that its anniversary will be marked with a dedicated ‘Hillsborough Day’, thanks to the work of Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne.
Mr Byrne was at Hillsborough and is currently spearheading The Real Truth Legacy Project, a campaign to educate future generations about the injustice and comprehensive establishment cover-up of Hillsborough and to ensure that they know the truth about what really happened at Hillsborough and afterwards.
When informed by the ECHO of the dad's claims, Mr Byrne said: “This very disturbing incident shows exactly why The Real Truth Legacy Project is so important and why carefully planned and accurate and appropriate learning resources for schools across the country are required.
"This is exactly the type of incident that could be avoided by having education about Hillsborough added to the National Curriculum. I extend an open offer to the teacher and headteacher of the school involved to meet with me about our project.”
The ECHO understands the school does not accept the claim that pupils were asked to re-enact elements of the disaster.