Pupils to be treated as truants if they join in fees protest

Thousands of young people are expected to be involved in demonstrations around the country against students' tuition fees being trebled, university budgets being slashed and the education maintenance allowance being scrapped by the Government.

The National Union of Teachers' national executive member and Leeds branch secretary Patrick Murphy is urging teachers to support pupils who want to take part and to protect them from disciplinary action afterwards.

"We are planning our own similar action next year about the attack on our pensions and I just don't think it would be consistent if we did not support the young people who will be the primary victims of these funding cuts to education."

But education bosses in Yorkshire expect school lessons to go ahead as normal. A Sheffield Council spokesman said none of its schools were authorising pupils to take part in the event while Education Leeds' chief executive Chris Edwards wrote to the city's schools urging them to remind pupils that "good school attendance is vital." Pupils at one Yorkshire secondary school have been warned that taking part in the protest will be treated as truancy.

The protests have been organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. Students Unions at Leeds and Sheffield University have organised marches to coincide with the national day of action. Students in Leeds will march from the Parkinsons Steps to Victoria Gardens from 12.30pm while in Sheffield students will walk from the students union building to the town hall.

Sheffield Students' Union president Josh Forstenzer said: "We will be taking our campaign out of campuses and to the public in Sheffield."