Shropshire school's uniform policy 'breaches human rights'

A Shropshire mother today called for a school to change its uniform rules amid claims they breach children's human rights.

Nichola Mountford, from Ellesmere, claims her 15-year-old son Daniel and about 40 other Year 10 children at The Marches School in Oswestry were "humiliated" by allegedly not being allowed to wear the distinctive Year 11 uniform because their behaviour was deemed not good enough.

She said the school's policy was to allow well-behaved pupils in Year 10 to wear their new Year 11 uniform of black V-neck jumper and tie this term, once the year's Year 11s had left.

But those pupil whose behaviour had not reached the required standard were forced to remain in the lower school's navy blue uniform, she said.

Today the school's headteacher said the policy had not been changed and it was "working to resolve" the matter. But it would not comment on individual cases.

Mrs Mountford said today that after arguing with the school about the policy, she had been told Daniel could now wear the black uniform.

Discriminatory

But she has called for the policy to now be scrapped for every child.

Mrs Mountford said: "It is discriminatory and humiliating for those children, making them stand out, and under the Children's Human Rights Act they should not be humiliated in such a way.

"The school has a duty to protect children from degrading and humiliating behaviour.

"I wrote to the school about it and was called in to a meeting at the school on Tuesday and told Daniel is welcome to wear the black Year 11 uniform now.

"They said most of the other children affected by this will also be allowed to wear the Year 11 uniform. I got the impression that they had just not considered the consequences of the policy.

"I have won the right for Daniel to wear the black uniform but other children might have to go through this."

The mother said she had investigated the Children's Human Rights Act and then wrote to the school, the school's chairman of governors and to Shropshire Education Authority about her concerns.

School headteacher Sarah Longville said the policy had not been changed.

By Iain St John

She said: "Our policy on uniform remains the same as it has for many years and while we are working to resolve this particular matter we are unable to comment further on individual cases."

Shropshire Council spokeswoman Felicity Roberts said that school uniform policy was a matter for each individual school in the county.