In Bradford, West Yorkshire, the Hanson Academy asked 152 of it's students to return home this past Tuesday while a further 63 were sent back on Wednesday for breaches in the school's uniform policy.
Both boys and girls are expected to be dressed in a black blazer, a white shirt buttoned to the neck, a 'correctly positioned tie' and 'black full-length tailored trousers' along with black socks during the entirety of the school day. The school's website even hosts pictures of what they consider to be the correct and incorrect uniform.
TEACHER 'ORDERED DYING GIRL TO REMOVE WIG' BECAUSE IT WAS THE WRONG COLOUR
In terms of jewellery, only a single pair of plain gold or silver ear studs is allowed but no other facial or body piercing. A wristwatch is fine and if religiously required, hijabs. Hair can be dyed but only in natural colours but funky hairstyles such as tramlines and shaved head designs are completely banned.
Anything from swapping trainers for proper shoes and replacing drainpipes with the prescribed trousers led to children being refused entry in the morning. Irate parent's left posts on the school's Facebook page, protesting the harshness with which the staff treated some of the students in question.
Julie Fowler wrote: “My daughter was sent home yesterday for no tie, which I accidentally put in the wash in the morning, so not even her fault ... I sent her to school with £6 for a tie and a note and they wouldn’t even listen to her or read what is written. All she had to do was walk a few meters to buy a tie! No common sense again!”
“Some of our children are wearing the shoes that were perfectly in keeping n fine n dandy last term ... Tell you what ... provide my son with the perfect shoes n he can then have the education he has a legal right to ... How’s about that??? Single parent of 2 and can’t afford to be pandering to whims.” was what Linzi Stansfield has to say.
While another pointed out that the black dress shoes her child had been wearing were completely approved of last term, but "the worst thing is he has ASPERGERS and should not have been sent home on his own.”
Principal Elizabeth Churton defended the school’s stance, elaborating that adequate warning time had been given before hand.
**WATCH: MOST DISTURBING ADVERT EVER WARNS KIDS TO STAY IN SCHOOL **
“To ensure that parents and students were fully aware of the high expectations that we would have this academic year we communicated clearly our expectations with parents and students at the end of the summer term, during the school holidays and at the start of this term; we were clear that we would be diligent with monitoring school uniform."
Churton has occupied her post for the last two years, coming in to a educational establishment which is one of the largest in the Bradford zone with over 1,700 pupils.
She was quick to point out that the "152 students (sent) home,… represent 8% of our whole school community. They were sent home to change and the majority rectified this immediately and returned to school ready to learn. This means that 92% of our school community supports our drive in standards of dress code."
Hanson Academy is not the first school to take extreme measures in enforcing their uniform policy. Ryde Academy on the Isle of Wight, singled out 250 girls due to their skirts being too short, while some boys were had their pants deemed as 'too tight'.
Its headteacher, Rory Fox, applied the same tactic during his previous engagement at Basildon Academy in Essex, sending home more than 100 pupils.