Bigger picture emerges amid Tyneside parents’ anger at ‘draconian’ school uniform punishments
Written by Kaitlyn Ashby on 27th September 2024
Parents are angry and concerned about the way in which some schools have been enforcing their uniform rules.
Parents in the North East are among parents across the country to be outraged by what they claim are “draconian” school uniform punishments.
One mother, whose daughter attends Grace College in Low Fell, Gateshead, told the BBC that her 11-year old was placed in isolation for breaking uniform codes.
She said her daughter, along with “dozens of other pupils”, was made to sit on a hard gymnasium floor for four hours, unable to get a drink or remove her blazer, and had a delayed lunch – because her shoes did not match school regulations.
She criticised the way Grace College handled the issue, while other parents compared the school to ‘an army camp’, some saying they were considering removing their children. One grandmother told the BBC “education is more important than a pair of shoes”.
A representative of Grace College told the BBC: “When it is not possible to put things right, we always contact parents to seek their support in doing so.”
But parental anger over the enforcement of school uniform rules isn’t confined to the North East – with similar cases around the country.
At Outwood Academy in Brumby, Lincolnshire, families were outraged after about 20 girls were removed from lessons for having school skirts “a bit above the knee”, according to the grandmother of one 12-year-old.
One parent told the BBC they weren’t aware of a change to the skirt-length rule, saying: “To me, it’s just draconian, being ostracised because your skirt is a bit above the knee.”
A spokesperson for the school said “incorrect uniforms” could be “easily fixed by taking items loaned from school for the day, or by working with parents to rectify uniform on the same day where possible.”
They added: “We ask that all students wear their uniform as outlined by the uniform policy, and wear it with pride.”
Another student at Hull’s Trinity House Academy, was reportedly threatened with a full day’s isolation for wearing shoes which her mother said she had worn the previous year without issue.
A spokesperson for Trinity House said the school made “no apology for the high academic, behaviour and uniform standards”.
Parents and guardians say they are concerned that the disciplinary action will have a negative impact on students’ mental health and education.
