Staff at a school targeted by anti-vaccination campaigners have been sent threatening calls and emails, amid reports of protesters also targeting students.
The abuse of school staff has prompted the headteacher of of Chilwell School in Beeston, Nottingham, to contact police about the campaigners’ actions, which he has condemned as being “reprehensible”.
Headteacher David Phillips said he is making preparations for possible protests outside the school after receiving threatening phone calls, emails and a "poster attack" in just 48 hours.
His comments come hot on the heels of a minister insisting teachers should not face "unacceptable" pressure from anti-vaccination protesters amid the rollout of the Covid-19 jab to children aged between 12 and 15.
On Thursday, Conservative frontbencher Alex Burghart condemned "dreadful anti-vaccination protests" taking place outside schools.
The schools are primarily the sites where vaccines are being offered to children.
Meanwhile, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has urged campaigners to stop targeting schools amid reports of protesters leafleting students.
Chilwell School pupils were handed out campaign leaflets near to the school in the summer term and posters were put up in the car park accusing the school of "treating children like experimental animals".
And in the last week, when the school began seeking consent from parents for the Covid-19 vaccination, the headteacher said incidents involving anti-vaccination campaigners have become "more frequent".
Mr Phillips said he has "every confidence" that the harassment is not from parents or students.
"In the last 48 hours I can now count up one poster attack, two voice messages, either left on the answering machine or directly to reception, I've had about five or six email contacts from people, and [yesterday] also an unwelcome visitor onto the school site and into our reception."
He added that the voicemail message used "obscene language" and mentioned him personally.
Mr Phillips said the campaigner who had walked into the school reception area handed him an alleged "cease and desist" letter while filming the incident.
He said he had been in fairly frequent communication with the police through the week, logging the various incidents and run-ins with protesters, in order to give the force a “full picture” of the kind of activities taking place.
Mr Phillips said: "I don't feel that actually they have rocked my boat at all, but their behaviour remains reprehensible."
Recent guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggests headteachers should contact police if they believe protests could be held outside their buildings.
Mr Phillips said school staff were “very conscious” about needing to make sure students were kept safe upon their arrival and departure from school grounds.
When asked whether the school is making preparations in case protests are held outside the gates in the future, he replied: "Indeed. Yes we are."
The head added: "It's important that we have something in place that would mean there would be minimal impact for any of our students who attend school and I'm reassured that our dialogue with the police means there would be immediate action."
Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, said it was a “particularly nasty” turn of events to hear of threats being made against a school leader.
"Most anti-vaccination activity has taken the form of letters threatening schools with legal action, and we have recently heard reports of protesters leafleting outside schools,” Barton said.
"This is extremely unhelpful and unsettling and we urge campaigners to stop targeting schools.
"The vaccination programme for 12 to 15-year-olds is aimed at reducing educational disruption and seems to us to be in the best interests of young people.
"But it is an offer of vaccination and ultimately a matter for pupils, along with their parents or carers, to decide whether or not to take up that offer."
Earlier this month a school was forced to go into lockdown after a group of anti-vax protesters descended and refused to leave in order to reportedly harangue students.
The group of around nine people turned up at Chrisleton High School in Chester on September 13 protesting about children in sixth form getting vaccinated.
They didn't access the building and the students were kept secure, away from the protesters, some of whom were reportedly filming.
There were also reports of the group approaching students in the village in an attempt to "harangue" them and "engage them in debate".
