My daughter was punished for having shoes that are ‘too shiny’ – then put in isolation over her ‘tight’ trousers
FUMING parents have slammed an ultra-strict school who punished a child for having shoes which were “too shiny” before putting her in isolation over “tight” trousers.
Disgruntled mums and dads voiced their concern at the use of punishments at King Edward VI Academy in Spilsby, Lincolnshire.
Kids at the school have also allegedly been suspended for going to the toilet without permission.
Angry parents today attacked the school’s draconian rules, claiming they are damaging children’s mental health and their education.
More than 70 letters have been sent by parents to the schools watchdog Ofsted.
A parent, who did not wish to be identified, told how she pulled her child out of school at the end of July.
She said her daughter had been punished for her shoes being “too shiny” and put into isolation for her trousers being “too tight”.
She claimed the school humiliated her daughter by giving her a pair of adult size 12 trousers to wear instead.
“She looked like a clown,” her mother told the BBC’s Look North programme.
In another incident, she said her daughter was placed in isolation as a punishment for not completing her homework.
She said her daughter had weak eyesight and had been unable to read the “small” text on the worksheet.
A Facebook group of concerned parents has more than 160 members.
One mum, Gemma, said her daughter was suspended for going to the toilet without permission, despite having a medical pass.
She said: “It’s against basic human rights.
“She’s got a medical toilet pass for a reason.”
Guidance from the Department for Education allows schools to adopt a policy where disruptive pupils can be placed in isolation from other pupils for a limited period.
As with other disciplinary penalties, schools must act lawfully, reasonably and proportionately in all cases, the guidance says.
Two parents, Charlie and Emma, who set up the Facebook group said putting children in isolation for minor breaches of school rules was wrong.
Emma said: “When you look at the number of children in the school there is a large amount of people who are unhappy.
“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.”
A former pupil at the school said isolation was for the “worst of the worst” behaviour when he first started.
However, he said: “Towards the end of Year 11 it was just where they put people because they felt like it.”
Part of one letter sent to Ofsted read: “The school needs to stop concentrating on punishing students for very minor infringements.
“This is unrealistic, and so far removed from the real world they need to concentrate on de-escalating situations and press on [with] the very important job of educating our children.”
In a statement, the school said suspensions were used “proportionally” to help keep the academy calm and safe, and as “behaviour has improved the number of these has fallen significantly”.
A spokesperson for KEVI said: “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. More broadly, we can see that improved behaviour has contributed to greater achievements for our students, with this summer seeing the strongest GCSE results in the school’s history.
“We welcome feedback from parents and listening to our families is hugely important to us. We have made changes in response to recent feedback, including for example, by stopping after-school detentions after families raised the issue of difficult transport links in the local community.
“Everyone at KEVI is committed to supporting our students in every way we can, and working in partnership with parents and carers is key to that.”