Primary schools are where we send our children to learn reading, writing, arithmetic…and some discipline. But what are the rules that children are made to obey, and should schools have the power to impose these on pupils and their parents alike?
This question was highlighted when a boy from Essex was reprimanded because his short haircut was ‘showing too much scalp’.
I asked a head teacher and a parent about who should rule on school rules.
Helen Bates is head teacher for a primary school in East London, and she maintains that schools have rules in place for a reason. Accordingly, Helen explained, when rules are broken there are bound to be consequences: ‘Our school is not that extreme, we will bring the parents in for an informal meeting and explain about our rules. It’s only when they do not take any action that we have to resort to drastic measures.’
For the parent’s view, I spoke to Rubina Nahar whose son Amin (5) was suspended from school due to his haircut not conforming to school policy. Amin attends Branches Academy, a private school in East London. Rubina said: ‘I find it strange that schools will make a child feel bad because of the way their hair is cut. Why alienate a child, or affect their confidence? He’s there to learn, so focus on that instead his haircut’.
From a young age we are taught that you should be yourself. So why do schools punish a child simply for being themselves? School rules are good to an extent, but when they make children feel isolated or miss out on vital education, then they should be scrapped.
