A thirteen-year-old Leeds schoolgirl claims she has been excluded for wearing ankle-revealing trousers that a staff member said could prove ‘distracting’ to her teachers and pupils.
Schoolgirl Olivia Harrison was initially sent to isolation by the staff member at Leeds’ John Smeaton Acadamy, having been told to change her socks and trousers because her ankles were showing.
In addition, she was also told by the same staff member that the trousers showed her figure “too much.”
However, it transpires that the offending trousers weren’t actually new – according to her mum, Karen Harrison, they are from Debenhams and the same ones she’s worn to school before with “no problems.”
In spite of this, during her lunch break on Monday Olivia was ordered to dig out some replacement items from the school’s lost property bin. When she objected, she was sent into isolation as punishment.
After refusing to comply, she was then sent home and excluded for two days – and told that she’d have to complete a further three days in isolation when she returns.
Speaking to Leeds Live, Olivia recalls: “I said, ‘are you saying they’re going to get turned on?’ And [the staff member] said, ‘well I wouldn’t put it like that.’
John Smeaton Academy was taken over by The Gorse Academies Trust at the start of term, and according to Olivia’s mum Karen it has been “really bad” these past couple of weeks – with lots of kids being pulled up for uniform infractions.
On The Gorse Academies Trust website, it states: “Our central mission is to ensure that we play a significant role in removing the stubborn link between poverty and academic underperformance.
“We hope that anyone spending time in any of our schools would come to appreciate and understand the values that we hold dear, and which for us are not open to negotiation.”
This is not the first instance in which parents have complained about stringent school uniforms being enforced at Leeds schools, with many parents complaining online about their experiences since starting the new term.
Parents at Benton Park Comprehensive School in Rawdon also made headlines this week after claiming that their children were lined up “as if they were in the Army” for uniform inspections.
Many local parents have been left exasperated, saying their children have been left feeling “humiliated, embarrassed and intimidated” by repeated checks, claiming that frequent infringements include trousers being “too stretchy” or “too short.”
Many feel that, after the year that everyone has just had, pupils should be cut some slack – with one parent saying: “All [our kids] want is to be allowed to study to the best of their ability and become the best they can in this mad world we live in.”
Another said: “Some families simply cannot keep up with buying new clothes every few weeks [or] months and what kind of impact is this having on these families?”
A spokesperson from Benton Park School said: “We want every pupil to be proud to belong to the Benton Park community and taking pride in their uniform will help achieve this.
“We communicate our uniform expectations clearly with all parents and carers before the start of the school year to ensure they have plenty of time to prepare.
“If a family is struggling to access the correct uniform due to personal or financial reasons, we would urge them to let us know so that we can help.
“Parents with more general concerns or questions about our uniform policy are more than welcome to contact us to discuss them with a member of staff.”
Feature image – John Smeaton Academy.
