'Years at strict school's sixth form were worst of my life'

"The two years I spent there were the worst years of my life."

Ruby Greensides joined Mossbourne Community Academy's sixth form in 2017, but the experience has stayed with her far longer than her time in the building.

"The system enables emotional abuse. It creates an atmosphere where harmful behaviour goes unnoticed, from teachers and students, and it makes school an incredibly hostile environment," she told BBC London.

Ruby is not alone. She and two other former pupils from school in Hackney, east London, said the academy's strict "zero tolerance" culture had left a lasting mark on their wellbeing.

Together, they are calling for a national inquiry. A petition they have organised now includes 20 testimonies from former students.

Their accounts follow earlier BBC reports into the academy trust, which uncovered allegations of toxic and humiliating behaviour towards pupils.

Those reports prompted a safeguarding review, focused on one of the trust's schools, Victoria Park in Hackney, as well as an independent review by the Mossbourne Federation itself, costing almost £400,000.

The safeguarding review was led by Hackney's former director of children's services, Sir Alan Wood.

Published in December, it found shouting, humiliation, and a lack of support for children with special educational needs.

It concluded that the school's disciplinary culture was not just strict, but actively harmful for some pupils and in need of systemic change.

The Department for Education (DfE) said the Mossbourne Federation had yet to publicly endorse Sir Alan's findings.

Ruby, now 23, said of her experience: "I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and later on developed serious physical health issues.

"I was eventually diagnosed with diabetes, which I was told was stress‑related, and it had a huge impact on my life.

"Learning should never feel like that."

She said she felt "angry because so many people went through this".

"It's validating to finally see some of it acknowledged, but a huge part of the evidence and people's experiences have been ignored," she said.

"They publicly humiliate you. If you're in trouble, you're made to stand outside the classroom so everyone passing can see you, and it becomes a spectacle.

"It feels less like punishment and more like being shamed for who you are."

Chloe Amia Rohleder-Cook is now 26 and works for a non-profit organisation in Hackney.

She said her experience at the school triggered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"When I arrived at the school, I was a happy child with some undiagnosed mental health issues, but the environment made everything worse. The shouting triggered what I now know is complex PTSD," she said.

"I don't want to say the school was the only cause of my diagnosis, but it contributed significantly. Feeling that level of stress every day takes a toll."

She added: "The damage is done. Individual teachers caused much of the harm, even if we talk about the school as a whole, and maybe I would want an apology from them.

"It's long‑term damage. I genuinely believe I would have had a better start in life if this hadn't happened.

"We're talking about serious mental health issues, so an apology alone wouldn't undo it.

"But yes, my time there absolutely contributed to my diagnosis of complex PTSD."

Michael Gibson, 22, currently at university, was at the academy's sixth form in 2019.

He said his time there got him into a "horrible state where you are so self‑critical and so self‑doubting, because that's kind of all that they've taught you".

He said it led him "into real perfectionism, and not in a healthy way".

"I really struggle to relax, and this feeling like constant bracing for criticism and judgement, because it did feel like when you were getting in trouble, you didn't always know what you were getting in trouble for. So it felt like things like mistakes and emotions were punishable," he said.

"They say Mossbourne's discipline is rooted in the zero‑tolerance policy, but it should be rooted in respect and compassion."

Sebastian Wray, 31, a former pupil who is now a mental health worker, said academies such as Mossbourne needed "more independent oversight".

"We're not trying to remove the good parts of academies. But the bullying of students and the harsh disciplinary systems need to be examined properly, and I'm glad there's a petition and a review happening," he said.

"It's important to understand the impact these practices have on students. Good grades matter, but the way you achieve them matters too, and harming children's mental health is never worth it."

A DfE spokesperson said the findings of the Mossbourne Safeguarding review were "serious and deeply concerning".

"Every child deserves to learn in a calm classroom, and school behaviour policies should promote safety, respect, and a positive environment for both staff and pupils, tailored to the needs of their pupils and wider community," they said.

"We will continue to engage with the trust to ensure that it implements the changes needed in response to these findings."

Mossbourne Community Park Academy has not responded to the BBC's requests for response to any of the testimonies of the former pupils in this article, the petition or the reviews.

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line website.

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