COWLEY Language College has robustly defended its policy towards anti-smoking, after a worried mum claimed that gangs of up to 60 pupils regularly congregate to smoke outside the school gates.

The woman, who wishes to remain nameless, has recently moved back to St Helens after 12 years away and said she was shocked by the number of pupils smoking outside the cemetery facing the school on Hard Lane.

On the day her 11 year-old son went in for his first day at the school she insisted: "It is supposed to be one of the best schools in the town, but my son was worried about going in because he said it looked really rough.

"He is at an influential age and I worry about what pressures he will be under. I drive past the school every morning with my daughter and they are there every day."

But deputy Head Alan Dickinson refuted the claims: "Before 8.30 in the morning there are hundreds of children in school.

"I have no doubt that some go into the woods (near Hurst Special School). We go into the woods about once a week, but they see us coming.

"It's not that we don't recognise there are pupils smoking, it's a question of manpower.

" I can't believe there is a head teacher in the country that doesn't believe smoking goes on.

"We try our best to discourage them. There was a school nurse and anti-smoking groups in here only last week helping students stop smoking."

The woman replied: "That's fair enough, but they should be doing more to protect the reputation of the school."