Pupils at ANOTHER school 'are punished for wearing Union Jacks on culture day'

Daily Mail​

23-07-2025

Pupils at another school appear to have been punished for sporting Union Jacks on the institution's culture day.
Dozens of children were placed in isolation at Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy in Oldbury, West Midlands for wearing the flag just days after a 12-year-old girl was stopped from donning one at Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire.
The students were asked to choose outfits which reflected their heritage but Leanne Wehrle told The Sun that when her daughter Isobelle, 15, turned up with a Union Jack over her shoulders, she was held in a meeting room.
When the teenager argued with the decision, things got even worse and she was slapped with a five day suspension.
Ms Wehrle, 39, said: 'Lots wore their flags over their shoulders, and others opted to wear them around their waists as skirts.
'Isobelle was put into an isolation room almost immediately, as were about 30 other kids. Yet many other children wore flags from the countries where their families originated, such as Jamaica and Spain, and had no problem.'
The bar owner insisted that this was the first time her daughter had got into trouble and the head teacher failed to give sufficient reasoning as to why she had been suspended.
Jenny Priest claimed her daughter Scarlett, 13, was also placed in isolation for sporting a white t-shirt with a Union Jack pattern on it.
The 38-year-old mother said Isobelle had, in fact, tried to defend Scarlett landing her in more trouble.
The school told The Sun that students were allowed to wear Union Jacks but added: 'We have clear guidelines on non-uniform days. No student was suspended due to their choice of outfit on the day.'
MailOnline has approached Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy for comment.
Last week, Bilton School was forced to close early for the summer after staff received threats and 'extremist abuse'.
It came after Courtney Wright was stopped at the gates and told to change because the patriotic outfit was 'unacceptable'.
She was made to sit in the school's reception all morning until her father could come and collect her.
The school has told parents it is closing earlier than normal for the summer holidays in a letter, citing 'extremist abuse online and via our telephone systems'.
'The nature and tone of this abuse has escalated in recent days, including personal threats to our staff,' the letter continued. Ranjit Samra, CEO of Stowe Valley Multi-Academy Trust and headteacher Jayne Delves said staff had been threatened.
It said: 'The nature and tone of this abuse has escalated in recent days including personal threats to staff.'
The letter continued: 'While we have been working closely with our multi-agency partners to address the situation, our primary responsibility remains the safety and wellbeing of every child and member of staff.
'This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We understand the disruption this may cause to your families and your child's education, but the safety of our school community must come first.'
The letter ended by thanking parents and guardians for their understanding and continued support during a 'very challenging time'.
'Straight A' student Courtney, 12, wore the Spice Girls inspired dress and wrote a speech about history and traditions as part of the celebrations.
She was stopped at the school gates by a member of staff and ordered to change after picking it out for Culture Celebration Day.
Courtney's father Stuart Field, 47, said he was 'gobsmacked' to learn his daughter had been segregated from her peers due to her choice of attire.
Mr Field, who works in marine restoration, 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. And she shouldn't be punished for celebrating British culture and history; nobody else I've spoken to can quite get their heads around it.
'Another with a St George's 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.'
Courtney said after the ordeal: 'I felt really embarrassed. I wad made to sit in reception all day. All my friends were getting angry at why the teachers were doing that because my dress was wonderful.'
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appeared to support Courtney's choice of dress after his spokesperson said he had always been 'clear that being British is something to be celebrated'.
The PM's official spokesperson added: 'You can see that from everything this government has done. We are a tolerant, diverse, open country, proud of being British.'
Mr Field previously told MailOnline: 'The 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.'
He added: '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.
'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.
A spokesman 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.'