A RESPECTED Scout leader who has withdrawn her two sons from one of Southampton’s newest schools is to join other disgruntled parents in a meeting with city MP John Denham.

Marie Slade, 40, said she moved her son Liam, 16, and is in the process of transferring Jack, 13, to Chamberlayne Park School because she had lost all her confidence in Oasis Academy Mayfield.

“I did not take my children out of the school because of the merger but because of the lack of teaching,” said Mrs Slade who also has an 11-year-old daughter at Sholing Technology.

She said she and her husband, Peter, also a Scout leader, felt so concerned about timetabling and discipline issues that they had no choice but to move their sons.

“My youngest son has learning support which has been withdrawn. He has double English twice a week which is not enough and his grades have gone down in just half a term.

“We are just a normal family and our children are our top priority.”

Mrs Slade said she withdrew her eldest son following the pupil riot on the Woolston campus just before half term.

“I withdrew him straightaway because he was not safe. He was not taught anything because the teachers were not there.”

Now Mrs Slade hopes that by outlining her concerns to Mr Denham, alongside other parents, future generations of children might have a better experience.

Mr Denham will hold the meeting with parents at St Mark’s Institute, Victoria Road, Woolston, tonight at 6pm.

The Southampton Itchen MP said: “A number of people wrote to me to see whether they could come and see me.

“It’s a private meeting with parents. I am due to see the head teacher a few days after that.”

Mr Denham previously described Oasis as a “very inexperienced organisation” as it is only the second year it has been responsible for any schools.

A spokesman for Oasis Academy Mayfield said that there were now “no timetabling issues”.

Concerning discipline the spokesman added: “We have a behaviour policy which all the academies adopt.

“It is based upon the mutual respect of the whole academy community.

“This policy is being outworked by the high-quality staff and leadership teams and we have every confidence that this will continue.”

Oasis was last year chosen by the council to open Oasis Academy Mayfield – an independent, state-funded school – following a city review of secondary school education.