A mum has accused a school of letting her son down after he was ordered into isolation over his haircut. Kirsty Sabin, a nurse from Bulwell in Nottingham, said the school's policies were "outdated" and said she was waiting for an apology.
Ms Sabin, 37, described how her 14-year-old son went to a local barber on Tuesday and got a "simple, short haircut with a single shaved line on the side". She said that her son, who has ADHD, gained confidence from the haircut.
But when he turned up at his school, Bulwell Academy, the next day he was told he would have to be sent to isolation because it was against the rules. Ms Sabin said it was "ridiculous", but the school said in a statement that the policy had "been in place for a number of years and makes clear that shaved patterns and unnatural hair colouring are not allowed".
Ms Sabin told the Nottingham Post: "My son refused to go into isolation out of principle. He did nothing wrong and I supported him in doing that."
Because her son, who is in year 10, would not isolate, the school instead suspended him "until his hair grows out", Ms Sabin said. Now she is hoping the school will reconsider.
"He wrote a letter to the school to tell them how it all made him feel like," 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."
She continues to stand by her son's refusal to isolate, saying she wants the school to apologise and "address their outdated policies".
"On Thursday I have had a meeting with the headteacher," Ms Sabin added. "I feel like they have failed my son.
"He is a confident boy but they did not respect that. Why can't my son have the hair he wants?
"While I was waiting to pick up my son, I have noticed that other girls had their hair bleached - so why don't the same rules apply to everyone? It is 2022.
"There is no study showing that a hairstyle has any impact whatsoever on education. But my son missed out on education, he was punished over his hairstyle, he thought he did not deserve to be punished and I support him."
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.”
