IT all started with a 15-year-old pupil skipping class to protest outside the Swedish parliament, accusing her country of not following the Paris Climate Agreement.

The idea has now become a global act of action as school children across the world are taking up the fight to protest against what they see as the inaction by governments to an impeding climate disaster.

So far Monmouth has only seen protests in school yards, but the fight is now spilling out onto the streets as pupils at Monmouth Comprehensive School are planning a youth strike for the climate on 12th April.

They are assembling outside the school at 9am and marching on to the Shire Hall for 9.30am and aiming to be back in school by 11am.

Wearing school uniform, they will be carrying banners and placards to show their solidarity with the world-wide movement to bring about a change in attitude towards carbon and nitrogen emissions.

Governments have already begun to make changes as human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth’s temperatures over the past 50 years.

However, at a local level, there are concerns that taking action on a Friday has an element of disruption and goes against the policies of the local education authority and Welsh Government guidance.

Safeguarding issues are high on the Welsh Government’s educational agenda and once a child has been registered in the morning, they become the responsibility of the school.

Welsh Government guidance on school attendance states: “For health and safety and safeguarding reasons, schools need to be aware of where pupils are, particularly those leaving or arriving on the premises during a session”.

Estyn, the schools’ inspection watchdog, takes into account absences in school, whether authorised or unauthorised, in categorising a school’s level of achievement.

Cllr Richard John, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said that he agreed that politicians of all levels must do more to tackle climate change and ensure that our way of life has a minimal impact on the wellbeing of the natural world. 

“I celebrate the fact that younger people in Monmouthshire are ethical and informed citizens, rightly concerned about the impact modern living is having on our natural environment. 

“However, I do not support school pupils being encouraged to truant, however principled their intention, just weeks before major examinations and would urge pupils to make their voices heard in a way which doesn’t disrupt their own education.”

Vaughan Davies, Headteacher of MCS said he was delighted that young people across all communities throughout the world want to take responsibility for creating a better future.

“At MCS, it is at the heart of our school ambition in supporting young people  to “Learn to Lead their Lives”, he added.

“Our programmes of learning at MCS, especially our Integrated Curriculum, are  based on our students exploring, researching and investigating current issues and problems that face our world and how we can solve them. Education is the tool, as we all know, that can make the difference in the future.

“As a  school, of course, we can always  do more to support young people in creating that future.   The new curriculum for Wales has, at its heart, the Four Core Purposes which are all focused in creating ambitious and confident learners who will be active citizens.

 “School should be the focal point and key agency of change for young people rather than being the very thing which is used as a tool to protest. Education can, and will, make the difference,” he added.

•Trellech School’s Reception Class will be leading the way this Friday, 29th March when they descend on Monnow Bridge at 9.30am with the placards they have made in school. Dee Miles, class teacher said: “The children have been learning about penguins in the Antarctic and are passionate about helping to save their habitat and raising awareness of how everyone can help reduce global warming”.