PARENTS are furious that a former opera singer is trying to stop children starting the day with a Wake and Shake session.

They say complaints about the five-minute musical exercise activity at Loders Primary School are ‘unbelievable and petty’.

Pupils have been joining in the sessions before classes each day to such artists as Lady GaGa to get their bodies and brains in gear.

Trish Symon, who moved opposite the school from Surbiton a year ago, called in environmental health officers about the noise.

She said that she had no problem with the everyday noise of a school but that the music was offensive and that she was not the only person to feel that way.

She said: “We chose this village because I have a lot of stress-related illnesses, which means I wanted a nice quiet environment.

“At a quarter to nine of a morning I was assaulted by the noise of something I can only assume was like Lady Gaga-type music blasting through the walls.”

Mrs Symon said joint head Mike Kite replied to her complaint offering to turn the speakers in another direction.

She added: “I applaud anything that is for the benefit of the children but I cannot see how annoying the neighbours is going to improve community relations. It is offensive and I have to stop it.

“It shatters the peace of the quiet village and becomes something that you dread, every morning I know this noise is going to start and it is like Japanese dripping water torture.”

Joint head Shirley Gibbs said most schools do wake and shake and that parents join in as well as staff.

She said: “It is part of our school routine as it is with most schools across the country. With the agenda for obesity and the government’s way of tackling things, wake and shake contributes to the national agenda as well.

“The complaints were a complete surprise, as far as I know there are two complainants. It starts at 9am and lasts for on average three minutes 20 seconds.

“It is a slightly unbelievable picture. We are a Victorian school but we are in the 21st century.”

Mrs Gibbs said it was not just about exercise but was for cross lateral brain development.

West Dorset District Council sent an environmental health officer to monitor the noise last Thursday and say no action is being taken.

Parents backed the school.

Mum Lucy Chant, who lives next door to the school, said: “I think it is delightful and I would be really upset if my kids stopped doing it because of a complaint from one neighbour.

“You can hear how much enjoyment they get out of it and I have actually taken part in it. It is 80 kids and a couple of parents and all the teachers.”