'It's the child they educate – not piercings or hair'

Two families are considering taking their children out of school after they were punished for their uniform.

Alex started in Year 7 at Thomas Middlecott Academy in Kirton, Boston, on 3 September, and was taken aside after about 10 minutes and told her shoes were not suitable.

KC started in Year 9 at the same Lincolnshire school on 4 September, and said she was taken straight to an isolation room for having a clear nose stud and some hair dye that had not fully come out.

A spokesperson for the academy said it encouraged parents to contact them directly to discuss concerns, and it said its uniform guidelines were shared with families at the end of the summer term.

Both Alex, 11, and KC missed school on Monday, and their parents said they were not sure about sending them back.

Donna, KC's mother, said teachers should "educate the child" rather than focusing on other things.

She said: "It's the child they educate – not the piercings, not the hair. Not shiny shoes or a little bit of flare on the child's trousers."

Despite the shoes being labelled as school shoes when they were bought, according to Alex's parents, she was told to remove them and given a replacement pair to wear, which were too small.

When she was pulled to the side regarding her shoes, Alex said she "felt really self-conscious", and has lost the excitement she first felt in joining the school.

Steve, Alex's father, said: "It's the soles apparently which are wrong. You walk on the soles – you never see them. So I don't understand why that is a problem."

He added that they had received a phone call saying the shoes were inappropriate, along with information about how to get financial help to buy new ones.

"We don't think it's right [to have] to buy new shoes," Steve said.

"We weren't the only parents there having the same problem, taking their children out. It's happening for shoes, trousers, hair."

He said the school was "nit-picking" and that parents "pay out a lot of money for these clothes", and he had spent about £200 on uniform for his two daughters.

"They can't expect us to go out and spend another £30 on shoes just for the sake of it," he added.

Alex was kept off school by her parents on Monday over the issue.

Steve said: "It's a horrible start to be taken out of school because they won't let her wear the shoes we bought. She's missing out on making friends and starting new classes."

KC, 13, who has just started Year 9, was allowed to dye some of her hair over the summer holiday and get her nose pierced.

Her parents believed that if she wore a clear nose stud, that would be acceptable.

By the time KC started the new school year, some of the hair dye had not fully come out, despite her parents trying to wash it out.

KC said: "I felt excited to see my friends again but I was going into a lesson and the teacher said, 'Why is your hair like that, and why have you got a clear nose stud in?'"

She said she was taken straight to an isolation room.

"I want to go to school, but I don't go there to get shut inside a building and not be allowed to see anyone," she added.

Donna, KC's mother, said she thought the school had not punished students before for hair colour or piercings, apart from banning hoop earrings.

She said she went to the school on Monday to speak to teachers, but claimed they were left to wait for an hour and a half with nobody talking to them, so she took KC home.

A new law coming into force this school term means parents in England should have to buy fewer branded items of uniform, which the government has said will save them money.

Uniforms will be limited to three items with a school logo, such as a blazer, a jumper or sportswear, plus a tie for secondary schools.

The government said the change would save some families up to £50 a child.

A spokesperson for Thomas Middlecott Academy said: "We always welcome feedback from parents, and listening and working together with families is hugely important to us.

"While it would not be appropriate to comment on individual instances, our uniform guidelines were shared with families at the end of the summer term, and this included families of both current students and new students joining TMA.

"We continue to encourage parents to get in touch with us directly so that we can arrange a time to discuss any feedback or concerns and work together to resolve any issues."

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