Teenage Girl Sent Home From School Because 'Her Trousers Were Too Tight'
It's the start of a new school year - which means it's also the time of year where controversy over school uniforms starts to appear across the UK.
Take the case of one teenage girl who was sent home from school on the second day of the term, after teachers told her that her trousers were too tight. Scarlett O'Donoghue, 14, was pulled to one side by staff and told to change her pants or go home.
The Year 10 pupil's mum, Claire, had bought the trousers as well as two more pairs from Asda's Back to School range for £27 ($35). Claire was contacted by Forge Valley School in Sheffield, on Wednesday to be told her daughter was not allowed into class.
She said: "Scarlett was so excited about starting her GCSEs - I was livid. What I cannot get over is what right does one teacher have to say my child's trousers are too tight?
"Scarlett thinks she's too fat, like a lot of teenage girls - for someone in authority to 'say your clothes are too tight' is disgusting.
"A lot of girls also have issues about their weight and their body image.
"So if you have an adult telling you the skirt is too tight, it's going to hugely harm your self-esteem.
"What is that saying to teenage girls about their self-confidence when they are already worried about their weight?
"They're sexualising young girls who should be allowed to wear whatever they want to wear.
"Scarlett has been very upset and angry about the whole thing. We spent over £50 ($65) on new school uniforms and the school are not going to give me that back."
Scarlett had been pulled up over her uniform the day before after staff said her skirt was 'unacceptably tight'.
After receiving so much support on social media, Claire has started an online petition to relax the uniform policy, which has gained more than 500 signatures.
However, the mum-of-two was told by the school's headteacher, Dale Barrowclough, there would be 'no relaxation or review on the policy'.
"Parents are always given adequate warning about next year's uniform in my end-of-summer-term letter which says that full uniform must be worn for the start of September."
Mr Barrowclough said that a 'small number of pupils' were sent home from school on Wednesday but said he could empathise with parents over buying uniforms.
He said: "A number of suppliers that sell school uniforms don't comply with our policy. Parents have been given adequate warnings and today all pupils came in dressing impeccably.
"I believe we are consistent but with any policy, some sense of judgement needs to be made. But tight trousers verging on leggings is not school uniform."
Source
Take the case of one teenage girl who was sent home from school on the second day of the term, after teachers told her that her trousers were too tight. Scarlett O'Donoghue, 14, was pulled to one side by staff and told to change her pants or go home.
The Year 10 pupil's mum, Claire, had bought the trousers as well as two more pairs from Asda's Back to School range for £27 ($35). Claire was contacted by Forge Valley School in Sheffield, on Wednesday to be told her daughter was not allowed into class.
She said: "Scarlett was so excited about starting her GCSEs - I was livid. What I cannot get over is what right does one teacher have to say my child's trousers are too tight?
"Scarlett thinks she's too fat, like a lot of teenage girls - for someone in authority to 'say your clothes are too tight' is disgusting.
"A lot of girls also have issues about their weight and their body image.
"So if you have an adult telling you the skirt is too tight, it's going to hugely harm your self-esteem.
"What is that saying to teenage girls about their self-confidence when they are already worried about their weight?
"They're sexualising young girls who should be allowed to wear whatever they want to wear.
"Scarlett has been very upset and angry about the whole thing. We spent over £50 ($65) on new school uniforms and the school are not going to give me that back."
Scarlett had been pulled up over her uniform the day before after staff said her skirt was 'unacceptably tight'.
After receiving so much support on social media, Claire has started an online petition to relax the uniform policy, which has gained more than 500 signatures.
However, the mum-of-two was told by the school's headteacher, Dale Barrowclough, there would be 'no relaxation or review on the policy'.
He said: "We have the uniform policy because it promotes a professional ethos in the school and it allows pupils who can't afford branded clothes to avoid bullying.
"This is something that was raised by parents and which is why they wanted the uniform policy and it would be unfair to change it now.
"I'm not prepared to relax our high standards. It's why Forge Valley is oversubscribed and we could not say that when the school opened.
Mr Barrowclough said that a 'small number of pupils' were sent home from school on Wednesday but said he could empathise with parents over buying uniforms.
He said: "A number of suppliers that sell school uniforms don't comply with our policy. Parents have been given adequate warnings and today all pupils came in dressing impeccably.
"I believe we are consistent but with any policy, some sense of judgement needs to be made. But tight trousers verging on leggings is not school uniform."
Source
