A large inner-city school gave parents just three days' notice it was closing to allow staff to celebrate a religious festival.
Chobham Academy in Newham, east London, is partially closed on Monday due to a "high number of staff requesting leave for religious observance" for the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha.
Eighteen-hundred pupils aged three to 18 attend the independent mixed academy, but families were given just days to find alternative childcare arrangements.
Mark Elms, the primary principal at the school, offered parents his "sincere apologies".
Chobham has been closed to nursery, reception, Y1 and Y2 pupils, leading one father to claim parents had been "penalised".
Pedro Martin, a Spanish teacher and tutor in London, said:
Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar.
As the exact day is based on lunar sightings, the date can vary between countries and the date of this year's festival was only announced by religious leaders ten days ago. [The Telegraph] Read more
