Mother outraged by school’s ‘outdated policies’ after her son, 14, is suspended over a ‘simple, short haircut’ which boosted his confidence
An outraged mother whose son was suspended for his new hairstyle has blasted its ‘outdated’ uniform policies and called for an apology.
Kirsty Sabin, 37, said her 14-year-old son had a ‘simple, short haircut with a single shaved line on the side’ done at his local barbers in Bulwell, Nottinghamshire.
But soon after the Year 10 pupil went into school with his new style, he was scolded by teachers, before being handed a suspension ‘until his hair grows out’.
The teenager, who has ADHD, had his confidence ‘boosted’ by the new style, according to his mum.
Kirsty Sabin, 37, said her 14-year-old son was punished by his school for a ‘simple, short haircut with a single shaved line on the side’
But he turned up to Bulwell Academy the day after his trim on December 7, where he was told he would be given isolation.
He refused to accept the punishment ‘out of principle’, which his mum said she supports him for, and was then suspended by the school.
Speaking of her anger to the Nottingham Post, the mum slammed the co-educational Academy’s policy as ‘ridiculous’ and insisted her son ‘did nothing wrong’.
Ms Sabin, who is a nurse, also spoke of the impact the punishment had on her son, who she said wrote a letter to the school to tell them how the incident left him feeling.
She said that because of the toll the pandemic had on his cohort, the school should relax its rules.
‘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,’ she said.
A spokesperson from the school 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’
‘This is a very crucial year for him with GCSEs coming up as well.’
Ms Sabin said that she stands by her son’s decision and is waiting for an apology from the school, which she feels should ‘address their outdated policies’.
A spokesperson from the school told MailOnline: ‘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.’
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