Deepings School parent accuses staff of 'unnecessary bullying' and increasing daughter's anxiety over uniform crackdown

The parent of a pupil facing punishment for wearing earring retainers says the school’s uniform crackdown is making her daughter’s anxiety worse.

Kate Barham said her 12-year-old daughter Holly was told she faced spells in isolation after the half-term holidays if she continued to wear the clear plastic retainers which prevent her piercings from closing up.

The tightening up on school uniform at The Deepings School is part of a wider behaviour code brought in this term by interim headteacher Alun Ebenezer to change the school’s culture and improve behaviour, aspiration and results.

Jewellery, including earrings, is not allowed under a uniform policy which has been enforced with temporary exclusions and isolation and drawn protests from some parents.

Kate believes the action is ‘unnecessary bullying’ which is making her daughter’s anxiety worse.

“She has extremely sensitive ears and, although she has had them pierced for a few years, she has to keep earrings in or they close up within days and become painful and inflamed when trying to reinsert them,” she said.

“They are not jewellery and do not show or even hint at social class, they have no negative effect on health and safety, and considering they are nearly invisible they have no impact on the overall smartness of Holly’s attire.”

Holly has been advised to remove the earrings before school and replace them at the end of the day, but Kate believes this is ‘impractical’.

“As a 12-year-old who is sleep deprived from insomnia, remembering to do this daily is not going to happen,” she said.

“She is too scared to put them in at night in case she forgets in the morning and gets remanded to isolation for the day, not to mention that all of the in-and-out of the earrings causes further pain, discomfort and inflammation.”

Kate now hopes to get a doctor’s note so her daughter can continue to wear the retainers.

She said it had all added to the stress of bullying her children had suffered from other pupils.

It prompted the single mum to try and move her two daughters to Bourne Academy, but no places were available.

She said this had left her daughter with the choice of having painful inflamed ears every weekend or losing more education and more anxiety.

Mr Ebenezer said the school was ‘understanding of exceptional circumstances’, but could not comment on individual cases.

He said: “Students can wear clear plastic retainers if they have recently had their ears pierced and are waiting for their ears to heal, or if there are medical reasons backed up by a doctor’s note.”

Mr Ebnezer added: “The whole school now is in the correct uniform and appearance, and the difference in attitude and behaviour, and the pride pupils have in their lessons, is tangible.”