A 10-year-old girl was booted out of school because her hair was deemed “distracting”.
Believe it or not, Evie Smith didn’t plan on channelling her inner Cruella de Vil with her half bleached barnet, but rather pop sensation Melanie Martinez.
Evie had the blonde and brunette do to match her idol at her Manchester gig but it’s fair to say it hasn’t gone down quite as well at Kincraig Primary School in Blackpool, Lancs., where she’s excluded until its ‘fixed’. But her mum, April Smith, is adamant Evie’s hair stays put until after Martinez’s show on September 21.
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Year six pupil Evie said: “It makes me feel really disappointed in the school. They’ve singled me out because of my hair. It wasn’t distracting, it was in a ponytail and nobody was touching it. All my friends think it’s really cool, but they don’t think it’s distracting.”
(Image: internet)
“I like my hair because it means I can express myself freely. I love her songs and what she means in them lyrically because she tries to turn bullying words into compliments. I’m over the roof excited for it and all of the songs are my favourite.”
The school has informed Evie’s mum, April, that her daughter can return to school if she reverts her hair colour to its natural shade but April says she’ll just home-school her for the next couple of weeks.
April fumed: “She’s a smart girl, she’s hitting all of her targets, gets good school reports and is never late and never has any time off. We’ve never had any complaints about Evie, all of her friends love her.”
(Image: Blackpool Gazette / SWNS)
April believes in the importance of self-expression for children in today’s world. She said: “Being a child in this day and age, I think it’s really important for them to express themselves. Evie is so quiet so it was a big thing for her to have her hair dyed.”
She concluded by saying: “I thought it was great and I’m proud of her for not being different and for not following the child.”
(Image: No credit)
Headteacher Karen Appleby stated: “Kincraig Primary School, like all schools in the country, has a clear uniform policy that we expect our pupils to follow. On occasion, pupils do arrive at school with hairstyles or uniform that don’t meet our policy.”
“When this happens, parents are contacted and we ask them to make the necessary alterations. In regards to this case, it is important to clarify that Evie has not been suspended.”
“Our priority is to have our pupils learning in class with their friends. We will continue to work with Evie’s mother to ensure this happens as soon as possible.”
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