Schoolgirl in tears after being put in isolation when teacher spotted her skirt was from Asda
Topics: UK News
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: Donna Clifford/Hull Live
Topics: UK News
A schoolgirl ended up going home in tears after she wore a skirt from a supermarket as part of her uniform and was allegedly put in isolation for it.
Parents of children at Holderness Academy, Hedon have said the school has a 'ridiculous' policy on uniforms.
They claimed their daughters were made to line up at the beginning of term and and have the waistbands on their skirts inspected to check if they'd been bought at the official uniform provider, Rawcliffe's Schoolwear.
Parents say they can buy other skirts elsewhere which look identical and cost much less money, and claim their children have been punished for not wearing the more expensive one.
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12-year-old student Lilly spent time in isolation, where students have to sit in silence and work through questions from a textbook instead of being in normal lessons, after she went into school wearing one of the skirts from a supermarket.
Lilly's mum Katie told Hull Live they couldn't find a skirt which fit her daughter from the approved retailer and found a much cheaper one on sale at Asda.
The mum also explained that they'd bought a skirt from a supermarket last year and hadn't run into any issues about it back then.
She said: "We originally did try to get her the right skirt but Lilly is tiny, it kept falling off her.
"The skirts are between £17.99 and £21.99 each from Rawcliffes, but we managed to find black pleated skirts from Asda, which cost £7 for two.
"She wore a Sainsburys skirt last year and had no problems but this year, teachers have been asking pupils to lift up their blouses so they can see the label in the waistband. When Lilly was found to have an Asda skirt, she was put in isolation and came home very upset."
Lilly's dad Wayne said his daughter 'shouldn't be punished' for her uniform and that most of the pupils who are put into isolation are 'good kids that don't deserve to be there'.
He said the school should have contacted the parents if there was a problem with the uniform instead of punishing his daughter.
Lilly said isolation was 'boring and stressful', and that it's harder to learn in there than it is in the classroom.
Her family aren't the only ones who have said that Holderness Academy punished their child over the school uniform.
14-year-old Toni-Leigh Dunn was pulled out of the school by her mum after being isolated for two days, with her mum Becky Richards claiming her daughter's form tutor 'instructed her to lift her blouse up in front of her whole class and male teachers'.
A spokesperson for the Consortium Trust, which has Holderness Academy as part of it, said they would be sticking by their uniform policy.
They said: "The start of the academic year is a key period in which standards and expectations are set.
"We work respectfully with our learners to support good habits and adherence to key policies; this is in the best interest of all members of the school community. Our schools’ uniform expectations foster equality and encourage a sense of pride and belonging in the community."
"We are working through a small number of concerns that have been raised by parents and will continue to work with them to overcome any barriers. We work respectfully with our students, demonstrating our school values at all times."
They would appear to be on a different page than the Department of Education, which made a statement saying that 'costs for parents should be kept down by enabling them to choose high street and unbranded options' when it comes to the uniform.
Tyla has contacted Holderness Academy for further comment.