Teacher tells schoolchildren to re-enact Hillsborough disaster by shouting ‘don’t crush me’ and pretending to die in drama lesson
- Pupil attends St John Fisher Catholic High School in Wigan, Greater Manchester
- She told her father they were told to re-enact the disaster during drama lesson
- 97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed as a result of the crush in April 1989
- School said students are taught about other events including Aberfan disaster
- The school insisted the subjects were approached with the ‘utmost respect’
A father has spoken of his fury after his daughter claimed she was told to re-enact the Hillsborough disaster during a school drama lesson.
A 12-year-old pupil at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Wigan, Greater Manchester, said her class acted out the crush which resulted in 97 Liverpool supporters being unlawfully killed during an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium in April 1989.
The youngster said students in the drama class, who were being taught about Liverpool, were told to shout ‘don’t crush me’ with some, she claimed, pretending to be dead.
The school said students were taught about Hillsborough and ‘other tragic events such as the Aberfan mining disaster’ in which 116 children and 28 adults were killed when a massive coal waste tip crashed down the mountainside of the Welsh mining village.
The school insisted the subjects were approached with the ‘utmost respect’.
It did not provide a comment addressing the claims about re-enacting the disaster, though the school is not thought to accept that students were asked to act out elements of the crush.
A pupil at a school in Wigan said her drama class was told to act out Hillsborough disaster which resulted in 97 Liverpool supporters being unlawfully killed during an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium in April 1989
The father, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was ‘furious’ with what his daughter told him.
He told the Liverpool Echo: ‘When she first said they were learning about Hillsborough, I asked her about what part, expecting it to be about everything that happened afterwards.
‘When she told me they were being told to recreate the crush shouting: “Don’t crush me, stop crushing me” and some of them being told to “die”, I was shocked. I thought it was disgraceful.
‘I thought they would do something about court and have half of them on one side and the other half arguing, and doing the fight for justice.’
He said he was aware the Hillsborough Disaster was going to be added to the curriculum in Liverpool schools, and its anniversary would be marked with a dedicated ‘Hillsborough Day’, but added: ‘There’s a right way to do it.’
Liverpool West Derby’s Labour MP Ian Byrne, who was at Hillsborough on the day, is currently spearheading a campaign called The Real Truth Legacy Project which aims to educate future generations about the disaster and its aftermath.
He said: ‘This very disturbing incident shows exactly why The Real Truth Legacy Project is so important and why carefully planned and accurate and appropriate learning resources for schools across the country are required.
‘This is exactly the type of incident that could be avoided by having education about Hillsborough added to the National Curriculum.
‘I extend an open offer to the teacher and headteacher of the school involved to meet with me about our project.
‘I am delighted to say that Greater Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham is already fully behind our campaign.’
The Hillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans who were unlawfully killed during an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium in April 1989
A spokesperson for St John Fisher Catholic High School said: ‘The Hillsborough disaster was a tragedy that left an indelible mark on this country, particularly here in the North West.
‘Our pupils learn about Hillsborough – and other tragic events, such as the Aberfan mining disaster – as part of a drama project, focussing on how communities came together in response, and have done for a number of years.
‘Pupils learn about the social and societal context, exploring texts and poems – including The Ballad of Hillsborough – and we ensure this important subject is treated with the utmost respect.
‘We note that Liverpool City Council recently voted in favour of including Hillsborough in the curriculum for schools and we support this approach.’
TIMELINE OF A TRAGEDY: HOW THE HILLSBOROUGH DISASTER UNFOLDED ON THE AFTERNOON OF APRIL 15, 1989
Beginning of the day: South Yorkshire Police asked both clubs to ensure their fans arrived between 10.30am and 2pm for the game.
2pm: The Leppings Lane turnstiles began operating smoothly, but after 2.15pm the volume of fans increased.
2.30pm: The road was closed. Fans were asked over the PA system to move forward and spread out in the space. Officers considered delayed the kick-off but did not.
2.40pm: Large crowds had built up outside the turnstiles.
2.44pm: Fans were asked to stop pushing, though crowding was already bad and the turnstiles were struggling to cope.
2.47pm to 2.57pm: Some external gates were opened to relieve pressure on the turnstiles – which caused fans to rush forward and crowd the pens even more. Pressure built up, and narrow gates in two of the pens were opened. Officers thought fans were deliberately invading the pitch.
Liverpool and Nottingham Forest players are escorted from the field as the seriousness of the crush in the stands begins to emerge
Fans in the top tier of the away end help those in the crowded lower tier as the crush unfolds
3pm: Kick-off. By this time the crush at the front of the pens was intolerable.
3.04pm: Liverpool player Peter Beardsley struck the crossbar of the Nottingham goal, causing fans to rush forward again. The huge pressure caused one of the crush barriers to break, making the situation even more dire for those pressed against it.
3.05pm: Ambulance staff began investigation.
3.05pm to 3.06pm: Police Superintendent Roger Greenwood decided the match had to be stopped and ran onto the pitch.
3.06pm to 3.08pm: Police called for a fleet of ambulances.
3.07pm to 3.10pm: South Yorkshire Police called for all available resources to come to the stadium.
3.08pm: Ambulance officers, under Mr Higgins, returned to the Leppings Lane end to treat a fracture victim. There were more spectators on the pitch. Some were distressed, some were angry.
3.13pm: An ambulance from St John Ambulance, the volunteer force, was driven around the perimeter of the pitch at the north-east corner. It was mentioned that there may have been fatalities.
3.15pm: The secretary of Sheffield Wednesday and the chief executive of the Football Association, Graham Kelly, went to the police control box to ask for information. Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield said there were fatalities and the game was likely to be called off. He also said that a gate had been forced, that there had been an in-rush of Liverpool supporters. This later transpired to not be correct.
Horror: Fans carrying one of those injured in the disaster using a makeshift stretcher
3.29pm: By this time fire engines and more ambulances had arrived. One ambulance was driven onto the pitch.
3.56pm: Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, broadcast a message to all fans. He asked them to remain calm. The police had asked him to do so.
4.10pm: The match was formally abandoned and many fans returned home.
4.30pm: By this time, some 88 people had been taken by ambulance to the Northern General Hospital and some 71 to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield by 42 ambulances.
5pm: The South Yorkshire coroner, Dr Stefan Popper, gave instructions for the bodies to be kept in the gymnasium until they had been photographed and identified. By the end of the evening 82 people had been declared dead at Hillsborough. 12 more were declared dead in hospital.
Another person, Lee Nicol, survived for two days on a life support machine before he, too, died. The 96th victim of the Hillsborough disaster was Tony Bland. He survived until 1993, but with severe brain damage.
Andrew Devine, from Mossley Hill, became the 97th victim of the Hillsborough disaster when he died last year at the age of 55, more than 30 years after suffering his horrendous injuries.
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