What Planet Do These Parents Live On?

[youngmafbog]

Rules are there for a purpose, this is plain ridiculous and as for spending that much on a kids hair just what are they teaching the child?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3877806/Father-s-fury-daughter-13-sent-home-school-having-140-waist-length-bright-white-DREADLOCKS.html

[Bazile]

errm - that's not dreadlocks

[andy-hughes]

Indeed it's not Bazile - it's woven plaits.

But semantics aside, the issue as I see it is that the school have a declared uniform policy, and this hairstyle does not conform to it.

The difficulty is - as with any case that makes the media - the parent gives his child and others an inappropriate message by confirming that flouting school rules is acceptable because he says so.

As far as Jamaican children having dreadlocks - which may or may not be the case - no photographic evidence, there is the additional aspect of cultural and religious tradition to call upon - which doesn't equate with looking like villains in a sci-fi film!

[Mamyalynne]

School rule - no extreme hairstyles. If that isn't extreme Mr Benson I don't know what is.


Dreadful.

[naomi24]

Stupid man.

[Old_Geezer]

In two minds about this one. Whilst it all looks daft I should say I don't see why the rules are used/interpreted in order to ban it. Rules are rules but should cover reasonable needs rather than enforcing preferences. I can see the white is a little unnatural but it'd grey up after a bit. The girl concerned would get £140's worth of ribbing and mocking in the first few days and would probably reconsider anyway. But it was a daft thing to pay for. I wonder if the marriage has split up and the father was trying to buy his daughter's affection. But I'm probably just being cynical.

[andy-hughes]

It's human nature to become blind to things that don't fit in with our view of the world - and on this occasion, this parent has acceded to his daughter's wishes without taking a minute to think about the consequences.

The school will be keen to enforce its policy - to fail to do so would be to open the floodgates to similar rule-breaking.

The parent appears equally keen that his outlay should not be wasted.

This could run and run.

[andy-hughes]

Old_Geezer - you state that you don't know why the rule was enforced?

Just take a look at the pupil concerned - she is a walking distraction combined with a health and safety nightmare!

No school is going to tolerate something as outrageous and dangerous as this.

[Mamyalynne]

It won't grey up OG, trust me.

[Bazile]

//Mr Benson, 39, said: 'It cost £140 and will stay in her hair for a year so it won’t be coming out.//

Even if there were no objections - he is being a tad optimistic - it lasting for a year ( unless you didn't mind the look, when it begins to fray and unravel )

[Old_Geezer]

Outside of the playground she is a five minute distraction.

[andy-hughes]

Old_Geezer - She may be a five minute distraction outside the pavement, but inside the playground it's the school's domain, and they don't do distraction, 'five minute' or otherwise.

[jno]

rules are there for a purpose... sometimes they are, sometimes they're just there to satisfy the rulers' personal preferences, as this one seems to be - unless she's working with machinery?

[fiction-factory]

If she were allowed to return I think you could find other pupils trying to outdo her and come up with something at least as outlandish. I lose any sympathy with parents when they go to the press and put their children in the public eye. She is losing out. He should either arrange for it to be cut and perhaps dyed back to a more natural colour or he should look for another school which allows such styles

[Bazile]

Careful now OG .

Remember what can happen when you are the one opinion against the majority ( ship's boom boom - and little girls - and all that :-) )

[andy-hughes]

jno - I think my point about safety is more pertinent here than any personal attitudes of the Head and staff.

if this girl is doing P.E. and slips off apparatus and strangles herself with her own hair, the school would have some tall questions to answer.

And there is always looking ahead - if they allow this style, what do they say to the pupil who comes in with metal charms woven into his or her extensions, and blinds a pupil swinging the hair around?

These are the things schools must consider, and they are partly the reasons why extreme styles are not accepted.

[andy-hughes]

Bazile - Let's not mix it, shall we? It's not helpful.

[Bazile]

let's not mix what ?

[jno]

andy, they've said nothing about health and safety (imagine the derision on AB if they did), but they also don't allow anything less than a number 3 cut, which indicates that strangulation, and the blinding of fellow pupils, aren't uppermost in their minds. I think they just want all kids to be alike. Which is fine, but they'd be better saying so in their rules and explaining it to Jamaican parents.