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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Liam Buckler & Gwyn Wright & John Nurden

Boy, 13, forced to sit in 'prison' isolation room for wearing shorts during heatwave

A 13-year-old schoolboy was forced to sit in 'prison' isolation room as punishment for wearing shorts during the sizzling heatwave.

Harrison Utting, 13, was disciplined for turning up to Westlands School in Sittingbourne, Kent, in shorts on Monday morning.

His dad, Terry Utting, took him out of school and the following day, when the schoolboy turned up in shorts again.

The vape shop boss claimed his son was taken into the school’s Pastoral Support Programme room which is “like a prison”.

Terry has slammed the school for taking action against his son and questioned why shorts are banned in the classroom at a time when the country is hit by record high temperatures.

He added: “I don't think it's right the way the school is treating its students.

The teenager was put in isolation (Terry Utting / SWNS)

"There is a blanket ban on shorts but there is no air-conditioning in the classrooms and the pupils are roasting in 30C heat.

"At least the girls can wear skirts.

“I read that in another school all the boys ended up wearing skirts as that was the only way they could keep cool and follow the dress code.”

This week parts of Kent saw temperatures hit 26C, with other areas of the UK, including London, reaching 32C.

Terry said his son was taken into the school’s Pastoral Support Programme room which is “like a prison” (Terry Utting / SWNS)

The Met Office yesterday extended its amber warning over the "extreme heat" until next Tuesday as temperatures are expected to rise again this weekend, hitting the high 20s and could reach as high as 35C.

The school stood by its strict uniform policy, but said this may change if the searing heatwave engulfing the country continues, as is expected by forecasters.

His dad Terry Utting has slammed Westlands School, Sittingbourn for their actions (Google Maps)

Head teacher Christina Honess said: "We have a clear policy on uniform that all parents are made aware of before they send their child to our school and it is published on our school website.

"We review all of our policies on a regular basis and will do so with our uniform policy in due course.

"The overwhelming majority of our parents are supportive of our current policy.

"In the event of the extreme temperatures that are currently being forecast for next week, we would be willing to make reasonable adjustments."

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) advises that steps such as closing classrooms can be taken if it becomes unacceptably hot and classes can be moved to cooler locations, or even pupils being sent home.

The union safety briefing states that 26C should be used as the trigger for these measures and that "dress codes can also be relaxed".

Many schools that need blazers and trousers to be worn to allow shorts, skirts and the removal of jackets.

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