Sainsbury’s lifts ban on The Oxford Academy pupils

The Sainsbury’s at Heyford Hill in Littlemore temporarily banned The Oxford Academy pupils from the supermarket, if they were without an adult.

The one-day ban was lifted last week, with the school’s headteacher Nora Ward telling the Oxford Mail: “We recognise and accept the concerns that Sainsbury’s had and we worked really hard to support the store in its goal of being accessible to everyone in the community that it serves.

“We are very grateful to Sainsbury’s that we have found a solution that addresses its concerns but that allows our children and young people to shop for essentials on their way to school or on the way home.”

The Oxford Academy headteacher Nora Ward. Picture: River Learning Trust (Image: River Learning Trust)

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson added: “Pupils were limited to entering with a parent for one day, while we worked with Oxford Academy to address anti-social behaviour.”

One parent told this newspaper that their 15-year-old daughter had been asked to leave the store, adding that it wasn’t the message that should be sent to young people.

Sainsbury’s emailed the parent to say school children had been caught ‘stealing vapes and selling them to other pupils’.

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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.

Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice