Elena Grice thinks the punishment is out of proportion to the protest

A teenager from Essex has been suspended from school for organising a peace protest.

Elena Grice skipped school to go on the anti-war demonstration and has been excluded for six weeks.

Since the start of the conflict in Iraq hundreds of school pupils across the region have turned out during lesson time to take part in demonstrations.

But 16-year-old Elena's support for the anti-war movement now means she stays behind in the village of Rayne while her classmates leave for school.

"I want to go to school - all I was trying to do was give the children of our school a voice and I have been punished for it," she said.

The Helena Romanes School in Dunmow has told Elena she has been suspended for inciting other pupils to break the rules by leaving school for the demonstration.

The majority of parents and students would reasonably expect me to take such action against any behaviour which undermined the disciplined environment in school Head teacher Stephen Smith

The suspension lasts for 30 school days.

Her father Peter Grice said the suspension was going to have a significant impact on Elnea's studying.

"It actually goes into the time when she is taking her exams, which is going to cause additional problems," he said.

In a statement the head teacher Stephen Smith said: "The majority of parents and students would reasonably expect me to take such action against any behaviour which undermined the disciplined environment in school."

Elena said she was genuinely worried about her education.

"I can't work very well in a non-learning environment. At home I'm not that good at working."

She also believes the punishment is out of proportion to the scale of the protest she organised.