A furious mother has slammed her son's school for their 'outdated' and 'ridiculous' uniform policies after her 14-year-old was punished for his new hairstyle, the Mirror reports. Kirsty Sabin said her child's confidence had been 'boosted' after he was given a 'simple, short haircut with a single shaved line on the side' at his local barbers in Bulwell in Nottinghamshire.
However, his teachers at Bulwell Academy were not pleased with his new look when he turned up to school the following day on December 7 and he was informed he was going to be isolated for his haircut. The 14-year-old pupil refused to accept the harsh punishment and the school suspended him as a result 'until his hair grows out'.
A spokesperson said on behalf of the school that the uniform policy clearly states that students are banned from having 'shaved patterns and unnatural hair colouring'. Kirsty has now gone public with her rage as she branded the school's policy as 'ridiculous'.
The 37-year-old fumed: "My son refused to go into isolation out of principle. He did nothing wrong and I supported him in doing that." She added her son, who has ADHD, had been negatively affected by the matter.
Kirsty also suggested the school should loosen their policies after the effects of the Covid pandemic on children. She said: "I think they are at such a vulnerable age right now.
"And they had a long time out of school because of the pandemic - it was hard for them. This is a very crucial year for him with GCSEs coming up as well."
Ms Sabin said she supports her son's decision and is waiting for an apology from the school as she wants staff to 'address their outdated policies'. The mother collected her son from the school at around 8.35am on Wednesday after the incident unfolded and said she was expecting a meeting with the headteacher about the matter the following day.
Responding to the mother's criticism, a spokesperson for Bulwell Academy said: "Our uniform policy has been in place for a number of years and makes clear that shaved patterns and unnatural hair colouring are not allowed, and we work hard to ensure that this is made clear to our pupils and their families. We continue to work collaboratively with pupils and their parents so that that all pupils are supported to reach their full potential".
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