'One of UK's strictest schools' punishing pupils if their shoes are too shiny
Parents have accused a school, dubbed 'one of Britain's strictest', of punishing students for having too shiny shoes.
At King Edward VI Academy (KEVI) in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, pupils are reportedly punished for having shiny shoes and given oversized trousers if theirs are too tight. One mum said her child was told off for her shoes being too shiny, while another was made to colour in a white Nike tick on her socks with a black marker.
Another parent claimed her daughter was suspended for going to the loo without permission, even though she had a medical pass. A girl was put in isolation because her trousers were 'too skinny' and was given adult size 12 trousers to wear instead, making her 'look like a clown'.
Charlie Rich, 45, and his wife Emma, 35, started a Facebook group in June to see if other parents had similar concerns about the school's use of sanctions. In just a few weeks, they had 140 parents in the group sharing their own stories, and a complaint letter to the school was signed by 70 parents.
Charlie, a sales director and father of three, agreed that the school could be one of the strictest in Britain. He said: "Our kids are not bad kids but their school life became miserable. I started the discussion group because I thought we can't be the only parents going through this. Our kids are not bad kids but their school life became miserable.
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"I knew our children were not difficult children at home they were not naughty children. We believe in discipline but it needs to be proportionate and fair," one parent said.
"We moved one of our daughters from a grammar school and within a few months of being at this school she had been suspended 17 times and put it isolation 30. The reasons just seemed extreme so we started a Facebook page and in no time we had 140 people sharing their stories," the parent added.
"All of our sudden what was happening to our kids looked minor in comparison. We fully support a reasonable behaviour policy but the school has taken it beyond the realms of reasonable," the parent continued.
"We've had girls being refused access to the toilet at times of the month they shouldn't be refused, which is a breach of their human rights. One girl was forced to colour in the white Nike tick on her socks. The teacher even offered to take her to a shop to buy new ones there and then," the parent revealed.
"It's just so over the top. The correct response would be to send a letter home or say 'if you wear those tomorrow, then you'll be put in isolation'," the parent suggested.
"When they made one girl forcibly change her trousers as they were too tight, that is just degrading. And the ones they gave were ridiculously baggy, like clown trousers. Again a polite request to not wear them again would suffice. We are not against the uniform policy or the behaviour policy - it is just not being implemented properly," the parent said.
"Discipline is being handed out disproportionally and unfairly in a lot of cases and over used for minor misdemeanours. Things have slightly improved this term but there's still a long way to go," one parent said.
Hairdresser Emma added: "It's just go out of the classroom to isolation - and that can't be the answer every time. Seeing your children being broken down - you are sending them everyday to somewhere where you know they are going to have the worst day. And that's horrible as a mum."
Another mother, Gemma, shared her daughter was suspended for using the toilet without permission, despite having a medical pass. She told the BBC: "Unfortunately, the school take it beyond the realms of reasonable and it's detrimental to the kids' mental health. It's against basic human rights. She's got a medical toilet pass for a reason."
In another incident, she said her daughter was placed in isolation as a punishment for not completing her homework. She explained her daughter had weak eyesight and had been unable to read the "small" text on the worksheet. She added: "It angers me because it's not a behavioural issue. Every phone call from their number makes my stomach turn. No children are perfect especially not teenagers but there are ways to handle this and battles to pick."
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Another parent, Alex, expressed his frustration on social media: "When they gave my daughter the school trousers she had to wear them over her trousers as they were too short her. They are humiliating the kids."
A spokesperson for KEVI stated: "At KEVI, we work hard to create a respectful and purposeful culture in which students can learn and reach their full potential. This begins at the start of the school day when pupils are met by staff and offered welfare support and replacement uniform if they have incorrect items.
"We have high expectations for pupils' behaviour and always seek to reward pupils' good conduct, with positive reinforcement far outweighing any sanctions. Pupils are taken out of class where they are disrupting others from learning.
"These pupils are offered restorative conversations to help them learn how to improve their behaviour after which they continue their education under supervision. Suspensions are used proportionally to help keep the academy calm and safe, and as behaviour has improved, the number of these has fallen significantly."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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