Knebworth mother’s anger after daughter sent home from Hatfield school in hair row
Sarah Manning with daughter Harley Manning 13 - Credit: Archant
A mother has expressed her anger after her daughter was sent home from school – for having dyed hair.
Harley's original hair colour which caused the row - Credit: Archant
Speaking to the Welwyn Hatfield Times, Sarah Manning told how she received a call on Tuesday, April 28, saying her eldest daughter, Harley, had been sent home from Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School.
The 13-year-old was sent home after an attempt to dye her hair brown left her with a “very slight purple colour”.
Sarah was called to come and collect her and told that Harley would not be allowed back until her natural hair colour returned.
She said: “I just think it’s ridiculous, I was so angry.
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“Surely she’s got a right to express herself within reason. She’s had her hair dipped dyed for around six months and the ends are bleached blonde.
“No-one said a thing and so I didn’t think anything of it [when she asked to dye her hair].
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“It was a wash-in, wash-out dye. It was meant to be brown but where it was blonde it has gone a slight shade of purple.
“My argument was, be it right or wrong, staff have their hair dyed shouldn’t they lead by example if it’s against school rules?
“Their reply was ‘we are adults and they are children’. I was just fobbed off.”
However headteacher, Theo Nickson, defended the school’s decision.
She said: “The bottom line is that we’re an educational establishment, they shouldn’t be coming here concentrating on fashion.
“We have very strict rules regarding appearance.
“Teenage girls being teenage girls, they will always try to push the boundaries, but parents sign an agreement saying they agree with our policies.
“If they allow their daughters to do things against our policy, then action will follow.
“This is the first time I’ve had someone complain about this. More often than not the parents are cross with their daughters for breaking the rules.”
Harley returned to school last week.
