Schoolgirl, 13, ‘excluded after refusing to change figure-hugging trousers’
A 13-year-old girl says she’s been excluded from school after refusing to sit in isolation following a dispute about her ‘figure-hugging’ trousers.
Olivia Harrison, 13, claims a staff member at John Smeaton Academy told her to change her trousers and socks as her ankles ‘were distracting for other pupils and teachers’.
The Year 9 pupil recalled: ‘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.”
‘She said my trousers showed my figure too much as well.’
When Olivia refused to wear trousers from lost property, she was allegedly sent to isolation after lunchtime on Monday.
The Leeds schoolgirl says she rejected this punishment, so was excluded for two days and will spend a further three days in isolation when she returns today.
Her mum Karen Harrison says staff ‘should be more interested in education and not what pupils are wearing’.
She claims a number of other pupils have not met uniform standards since the school was taken over by The Gorse Academies Trust at the start of term.
Karen said: ’It’s got really bad the last two weeks. Olivia’s trousers are from Debenhams, they’re the ones she wore before with no problems. Now I’ve got to order more trousers.’
The family says they’ve tried to contact the school several times but have received no reply.
A spokesperson for The Grove Academies Trust wouldn’t comment on Olivia’s case – but added that they make ‘no apologies for high standards’.
They said: ‘We have the highest standards across all areas of school life, whether that is in the classroom, in terms of behaviour and with regard to uniform.
‘We make no apologies for this and are pleased that the majority of students abide by these standards.
‘However where students do not meet them, we have clear policies in place.
‘We do not comment on individual cases but can say we have not received a parental complaint on this matter.’
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