Furious parents have claimed their children have been warned to remove bows from their shoes - or face punishment.
Walbottle Campus in Newcastle has been criticised by some parents who say it has been overly strict.
Several parents told ChronicleLive their kids have been threatened with "isolation" unless they remove bows.
On Walbottle's website , the dress code does prohibit "shoes with bows or other extraneous adornments".
But not all parents have been convinced, as one branded the saga "a joke".
The secondary school admits "names were taken" of pupils they believe fell foul of the strict dress code, before warning texts were sent to parents.
It has previously sparked parent anger over its crackdown on uniform - specifically shoes - but insists it is to maintain "high standards".
“The full school uniform was checked as students arrived in school today and the vast majority of students had the correct uniform," confirmed a school spokesperson on Wednesday.
"Those students who did not have the correct uniform or other items as set out in the policy were sat in the gym until names were taken and then went to their lessons.
"We are currently working with parents to remind them of the school uniform policy and it is anticipated that any incorrect items will be replaced by Monday."
Mum-of-two Stacey Keltie claims her daughters were spoken to by staff over their £40-a-pair black shoes topped with what she feels is a tasteful bow.
"Because they have the bow on, the school want me to buy them new shoes by Monday and if not the school said they will provide them," said Stacey, who forked out almost £200 kitting her kids for the new term.
"There is nowhere to buy plain black shoes that don’t have anything on, and for them to expect me to pull out more money is ridiculous.
"Shoes do not affect my children’s ability to learn."
Another claimed their child's name was taken - who had a Vivienne Westwood design on their feet.
On Walbottle's website , the school's dress code prohibits "shoes with bows or other extraneous adornments" while brands like Adidas, Nike and Converse are also black-listed.
Some parents say they received a text message when their kids returned to school stating their shoes "do not comply" with the policy.
"Any adornment such as bows or strings will need to be removed," it reportedly warned.
One mum told ChronicleLive she vowed to keep sending her daughter to school in the banned shoes - branding the saga "a joke".
"I for one will not be purchasing a new pair," raged the mum, who hasn't been named.
"My daughter will be wearing the shoes she has as I found it very difficult to purchase a pair of plain black school shoes, as not even the smallest string bow is acceptable.
"I've spoken to another parent who has been asked to cut the bow off - it is a joke and also extremely difficult to find a pair of shoes that a teenage child would actually wear as most shoes have detail on them in most shops we went in too."
Another mum, who wouldn't be named said she was particularly "annoyed" - as her child wore her offending shoes last year without question.
"What difference does it make to their education and learning?" she stated.
"Their uniform costs enough without having to pay for another pair of shoes, just so my child won't be put in isolation."
A spokesperson for Walbottle Campus said: “We advised all parents by letter that some items within the uniform policy were being amended prior to the summer holidays and a reminder text was sent last week.
“The school is keen to ensure that we are able to support all our parents to achieve the correct uniform and we would like to thank everyone for their cooperation as we ensure our high standards are met.”
The 1,590 pupil school was branded inadequate for the first time ever in a damning Ofsted report earlier this year - after inspectors heard 'racist and homophobic language'.
However, head teacher Kerry Lord insisted staff were working hard in "addressing issues".