Pupils in 'wrong shoes' sent home from Birmingham school

Baverstock Academy said parents had been given enough time to prepare for changes to the school clothing rules

Pupils have been forced to leave school after teachers said they were wearing the wrong kind of shoes.

Baverstock Academy, in Druids Heath, Birmingham, sent out a letter six weeks ago informing families of new rules making plain black shoes compulsory.

Parents said the expulsions were harsh and confusing, but the headteacher said they should have been aware of changes.

The school would not say how many pupils were sent home, but one parent reported a number in the hundreds.

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Sharon Manders, from Kings Norton, whose daughter Holly was one of the pupils affected, said cracking down on uniform should not be a target for the school which is in special measures.

"With the school going through all the problems as it is I don't think that footwear should be a priority," she said.

"I think it's a bit hypocritical when it's the school failing and not the children."

'Chaotic' scenes

Anne-Marie Alder, from Druids Heath, had two of her four children sent home, with a third kept in an isolation unit from other pupils while she sat exams.

She said the "ridiculous" decision had led to "chaotic" scenes and about 300 children being sent home.

"The new headteacher's not even a permanent member of staff, but she's coming in and banning everything halfway through the year," she said.

"I said at a meeting I had no problem with it happening in September, but it's too disruptive doing it now because it's not fair on parents."

Defending the school's actions, interim executive principal Sylvia Thomas said enough notice of the changes had been given, adding parents had given their support to her over the new rules.

"We subscribe to a set of traditional values here at The Baverstock Academy which include a clear dress code for all, expectations of good attendance and punctuality and of course courtesy and respect," she said.