South Norwood school accused of taking hard-line on uniform

7:40am Thursday 17th May 2012 in News By Nick Hitchens

Sophie Roberts with her kids Lamel 13 & Ayla 12 Sophie Roberts with her kids Lamel 13 & Ayla 12

An academy is accused of forcing pupils to use permanent marker on their shoes to meet strict school uniform regulations.

Sophie Roberts, who has two children at the Harris Academy, in South Norwood, is furious after her 12-year-old daughter Ayla was pulled from class on Thursday May 10 after arriving with black Kickers shoes with pink stitching.

She said: "I got a call at 9am to say Ayla was being held in a referral room because she was wearing pink shoes.

"They wanted her to wear these community plimsolls, but I don’t know where they have been."

She took Ayla home, and used mascara to cover the stitching so she could return to sit an afternoon test.

Miss Roberts revealed her son Lamel, 13, has also had trouble with his footwear, when in February he was forced to use black permanent marker to cover white lining at the top of his school shoes.

She said: "It is ridiculous. I was in hospital at the time and found out they had bullied him into ruining his own shoes. It is vandalism. They are not cheap shoes."

Miss Roberts, who lives just five minutes walk from the school, said: "There are other children who have been told to colour in their shoes too. It just seems arbitrary and completely over the top."

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A spokesman for Harris Academy said they would not comment on the allegations.

She said: "We would never comment on an individual student but it is important to the Academy, and to other students and staff, that everyone looks smart and wears their uniform correctly.

"It is important to be consistent in how school rules are applied and parents and carers are very supportive of this."

Comments(13)

lordofzombies says...
7:57am Thu 17 May 12

just a thought, but, maybe she shouldn't have sent them to school in trainers?

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SarahOX14 says...
8:46am Thu 17 May 12

"It is ridiculous. I was in hospital at the time and found out they had bullied him into ruining his own shoes. It is vandalism. They are not cheap shoes."

Perhaps she should have bought him some cheap shoes which did comply with the rules.

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Farbinny Foil says...
9:23am Thu 17 May 12

Photo says it all really... Hospital or Rehab?

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MrsGee says...
12:29pm Thu 17 May 12

*sigh* really?? You know the rules...your own fault. Bit sad to go crying in the newspaper...

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Ketsuban says...
2:41pm Thu 17 May 12

Diddums. Maybe she should send her kids to school is proper shoes, not the latest fashion.

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Ketsuban says...
2:42pm Thu 17 May 12

Diddums. Maybe she should send her kids to school in proper shoes, not the latest fashion.

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bobby1956 says...
3:17pm Thu 17 May 12

When these children started at Harris Academy they did so having agreed to the uniform code, so if the mother is not happy by the way they have been supposedly treated, well then perhaps she should consider sending then to a school which allows kids to wear what they like. Stop winging and get on with it!

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suziequest says...
3:58pm Thu 17 May 12

As in all schools where there is a strict dress code i.e.school uniform it is expected that parents comply with the school rules. Shoes should be black with no obvious coloured stitching labels or tags, including the soles. Kickers usually have these so are not regarded suitable for school. May I suggest a trip to the local shoe shop and purchase suitable footwear for both children.

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mamalump says...
6:41am Fri 18 May 12

my children go to this school and was send there wearing good quality Clarks shoes, they was told to color the small bootleg logo with black marker, because of the small shiny label could still be seen they was told to cut it off.. Two weeks later one of there shoes came apart and i was told because i had cut the label off i could not change them. I have never been so cross. so i sent her to school in her own plimsolls only to be told because they was lace up's she could not wear them..I understand the school has rules.. but some of it is madness!

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ANNE MILES says...
10:01am Fri 18 May 12

Scruffily dressed children who have nothing better to do than make trival complaints. Croydon's future.

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HerbyBear says...
4:35pm Fri 18 May 12

Harris should be grateful some kids actually attend that pit

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Vezz says...
8:33pm Fri 18 May 12

HerbyBear, my son attends this school and it is heavily oversubscribed, therefore hardly fitting of the term "pit".

My son wears shoes from Clarks, which are plain black lace-ups. I ensure my son adheres to the dress code even down to his hair, and it makes my blood boil when parents try to adapt the rules to suit themselves. Why not apply to a school that has lax rules regarding uniform, behaviour etc?

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CMMNSENSE says...
9:51am Sat 19 May 12

My child is in Year 11 and loves it. The help they give is unbelievable. Where is the common sense in all this? Has that mother seen the results the Academy gets and how happy the children are there? How she can have the front to embarrass her own kids when the rest of us follow the rules is beyond me. My child tells me that most of the kids are furious that a parent has done this to the Academy. Sounds to me that the Academy would be better off without the three of them. The two kids have no loyalty either.

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