Dad hits out at daughter's school for reaction to her outfit for 'culture day'
A dad has criticised his daughter's school after she was removed from lessons for wearing a Union Jack dress to celebrate being British at an organised culture day.
Courtney Wright, 12, wore the dress similar to the one worn by the Spice Girls' Geri Halliwell, and wrote an accompanying piece about history and traditions as part of the themed day at Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire, on Friday, July 11.
Her dad Stuart Field then received a call telling him to pick his daughter up. He later arrived at the school to find she had been kept in isolation all morning.
The 47-year-old said: "Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn't understand what she'd done wrong. She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. She shouldn't be punished for celebrating being British - nobody else I've spoken to can quite get their heads around it."
The school has since apologised over the incident, stating it "could have been handled better" and will learn from the experience, the Mirror reports.
Stuart added: "Somebody at the school has politicised a Union Jack dress even though that was clearly not Courtney's intent. Courtney didn't do anything to be political. It's about being British, the Spice Girls and even the freedom at being able to wear a dress. This is just what being British means to her."
An information letter sent home regarding the celebrations said the culture day was "designed to promote inclusion, understanding, and appreciation of different backgrounds, traditions and heritages".
However, Stuart said the way the school approached things on the day went against what was said in the letter, and pupils holding St George's and Welsh flags were also reprimanded.
He continued: "It's the school who have made it political and it went against everything the event was being held for. She chose the dress and wrote the piece off her own back. They day was to celebrate everyone's cultures and Courtney chose this Union Flag dress so she could celebrate hers.
"She also wrote this speech to go with it and was very proud of what she'd done. The next thing I get a call at work at around 9am to say she's not allowed in school dressed like that and that it was unacceptable.
"I wasn't able to get away from work until about midday. They made her sit in reception all morning in front of the receptionists and kept her in isolation.
"She's a straight A student, one of the brightest in her year and she's never been in trouble before so she was really upset. All the kids there are British in my eyes, I like to think I'm a tolerant person but this was just not right.
"I wanted an answer as to why they thought this was acceptable - and nobody could give me a straight answer, I wanted to know how they had justified it.
"I spoke to her head of year, and he said he wasn't the best person to talk to about it, so I can only assume he didn't really agree with it either. It obviously came from above him but I don't know for sure who made the decision.
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"I was fobbed off and told that I'd get a phone call and I took Courtney straight out for a nice meal to cheer her up. If anything I was extremely proud of what she chosen and what she had written in her speech.
"She wanted to celebrate being British, she couldn't understand what was wrong with that. She wasn't the only kid picked out either - one child from a farming background was turned away at the gates for wearing traditional flat-cap and checked shirt.
"Another with a St Georges flag and another with a Welsh flag were not allowed in either. It was ridiculous. It just seemed anything that was remotely British wasn't allowed. Others were allowed in burkas, niqabs or traditional Nigerian clothing.
"They didn't even read or listen to her speech which actually celebrates inclusivity and other cultures. It was just like British culture could not be celebrated.
"The school backtracked and eventually apologised, I think once the school governors became involved. But the damage had already been done, Courtney should not be have been made to feel that way.
"I put a post on Facebook and I've had messages of support from all over the world really, from Poland to Australia. Everybody is saying how ridiculous it is that any young person cannot celebrate where they are from."
The school got in touch with Stuart over the weekend and have since issued an apology. A spokesperson for Stowe Valley Trust said: "At Bilton School, we are proud of the diversity of our students and the rich heritage they bring to our community. We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included.
"On Friday 11th July, an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family, and members of the wider community.
"We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies. We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better.
"We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage.
"As a school, we are reviewing our policies and strengthening staff training to ensure our practices reflect our values of inclusion, respect, and understanding for all."
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