Post by fretslider on Oct 21, 2011 12:05:54 GMT -5
When the novelist and journalist Toby Young declared plans to set up a free school he promised "zero tolerance of disruptive behaviour". In its first half-term the school he founded has confirmed that pledge by sending a boy home because his haircut is 3mm too short. Kai Frizzle (yes I know!), 11, was ordered out of the West London Free School on Monday morning and spent Tuesday being taught in isolation. His hair is a number two on top and 1.5 at the sides. School rules state boys' hair must be no shorter than a number two and no longer than collar length.
His mother Tania Scott said the school failed to understand that African-Caribbean hair needs to be kept short. She said: "When afro hair gets longer it is harder to manage. It gets dry and picks up lots of dirt and foreign objects. Kai does sport five times a week, and when his hair's wet it's very hard to control. Most black boys or adults have their hair in plaits or a very short hairstyle." Scott said her son sometimes wore his hair long, in cornrows, but that this also contravened the school's rules.
She compared his cut to the clipped hairstyle of the soldier Johnson Beharry, who won a Victoria Cross for his service in Iraq. "Just because your hairstyle is of black origin, it doesn't mean you're going to be breeding street culture. It's like the soldier who fought for England and got the VC. He has the same haircut." Aside from its inflexible approach to her son's hair, Scott described the school as "excellent". "He's loved going to school. He does rugby, karate, Lego club. He does after-school activities every night apart from Friday. I can't fault the school."
There is no legislation relating to pupils' uniform or appearance, which is left up to governing bodies to decide. However, schools frequently ban "extreme" haircuts as part of a broader uniform policy. That has led to pupils being admonished over tramlines, ponytails, and in one recent case – a variant on the Mohican. In addition to its prescriptions on hair length, the West London Free School's uniform policy adds: "Parents must ensure that their child avoids unconventional styles. The school reserves the right to insist on re-styling if it considers the style inappropriate. Shaved patterns in hair or eyebrows are not permitted."
Young said the board of governors had discussed the case on Wednesday and concluded that the rule on length was reasonable. "I don't think you can have a different set of rules for black boys than for white boys. My view is that the way to get the best out of every pupil is to hold them to the same high standard. Not to make an exception – regardless of ethnicity and background. "One of the problems in some state schools is that African-Caribbean boys are held to a lower standard. That's one of the reasons they under-achieve."
I'm with Toby on this one.
Hard to manage...
Believe you me, you sweat on stage.
His mother Tania Scott said the school failed to understand that African-Caribbean hair needs to be kept short. She said: "When afro hair gets longer it is harder to manage. It gets dry and picks up lots of dirt and foreign objects. Kai does sport five times a week, and when his hair's wet it's very hard to control. Most black boys or adults have their hair in plaits or a very short hairstyle." Scott said her son sometimes wore his hair long, in cornrows, but that this also contravened the school's rules.
She compared his cut to the clipped hairstyle of the soldier Johnson Beharry, who won a Victoria Cross for his service in Iraq. "Just because your hairstyle is of black origin, it doesn't mean you're going to be breeding street culture. It's like the soldier who fought for England and got the VC. He has the same haircut." Aside from its inflexible approach to her son's hair, Scott described the school as "excellent". "He's loved going to school. He does rugby, karate, Lego club. He does after-school activities every night apart from Friday. I can't fault the school."
There is no legislation relating to pupils' uniform or appearance, which is left up to governing bodies to decide. However, schools frequently ban "extreme" haircuts as part of a broader uniform policy. That has led to pupils being admonished over tramlines, ponytails, and in one recent case – a variant on the Mohican. In addition to its prescriptions on hair length, the West London Free School's uniform policy adds: "Parents must ensure that their child avoids unconventional styles. The school reserves the right to insist on re-styling if it considers the style inappropriate. Shaved patterns in hair or eyebrows are not permitted."
Young said the board of governors had discussed the case on Wednesday and concluded that the rule on length was reasonable. "I don't think you can have a different set of rules for black boys than for white boys. My view is that the way to get the best out of every pupil is to hold them to the same high standard. Not to make an exception – regardless of ethnicity and background. "One of the problems in some state schools is that African-Caribbean boys are held to a lower standard. That's one of the reasons they under-achieve."
I'm with Toby on this one.
Hard to manage...
Believe you me, you sweat on stage.