A mum has been left seething after her 14-year-old daughter was suspended from school for wearing black leather designer shoes. Lilly Issitt, from Lancashire, was removed from classes for a day and a half after she wore £70 Vivienne Westwood slip-ons, as the school said the footwear violated their dress code, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The decision comes after other dozens of pupils were also allegedly put in isolation for failing to stick to the dress code at Ormskirk School. The Endeavour Learning trust, which sponsors the school, said that it introduced the dress code back in May, but Lily's mum Rachel, 39, claims she was in the dark about the new regulations, as she insists that she wasn't notified of the requirements before the new school year started last month.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo she said: "After they came back in September, the school issued a list of things the children could and couldn't wear. There have been children suspended for wearing charcoal grey trousers instead of ordinary grey. But they only did this after the children had gone back - so everyone had already bought their uniforms.
"I specifically bought Lilly black leather shoes because I thought they were appropriate. Every morning the teachers make the children stand outside for 15 minutes while they inspect their uniforms, and if their uniform isn't to their liking, they get sent straight to isolation."
Lilly spent a week in isolation before a teacher suggested Rachel should fork out for another pair of school shoes. But the mum has refused to budge, explaining that in her view, Lilly already has school shoes that are perfectly suitable.
"They're black shoes," she said. "They're school shoes. It's not as if she's wearing high heels or trainers. If that was the case, I would totally understand.
"I think it's absolutely disgusting. I've already sent two emails to the school - Lilly suffers with her mental health and my other daughter has a liver disorder so I wanted to be reassured that she would be allowed to go to the toilet when she asks. But I've heard absolutely nothing back.
Describing her daughter as a 'model student', Rachel continues: "I completely stand by my daughter. Wearing these shoes is not affecting her education, being put in isolation is".
A spokesperson for Endeavour Learning Trust said: "We and the school have been working extremely hard to raise standards in all areas of school life so that we can make the positive progress that students, parents and the community deserve.
"Ensuring that students are well turned out and in the right uniform is an important part of that. It should not a matter of debate that a school, like society, has rules.
"We first wrote to families to let them know of the higher uniform expectations in May and then sent numerous reminders before the start of this term. We also delayed the introduction to give a further month’s grace so that families had as much time to prepare as possible.
"Where parents said they could not afford any items of new uniform, we paid for them, with no questions asked. The vast majority of students are very smartly dressed now and the same proportion of parents agree with us.
"The school is on a very positive upward trajectory and we are determined to maintain it."