Mum says girl 'treated like a dog' in school row over Vivienne Westwood shoes
One mother has claimed her daughter was "treated like a dog" by staff at her secondary school all because of her designer shoes.
Melissa Pope said her 11-year-old daughter Layla Thomson was put into isolation on her very first day at Grace College, in Gateshead, all for wearing Vivienne Westwood black pumps. The alleged incident shook the youngster so badly, her mum claims, that she is now refusing to send her back to school.
The 37-year-old mum from Carr Hill, Gateshead, claims that the school staff subjected the year seven pupil to harsh treatment, forcing to sit on a hard wooden floor for four hours without being allowed to use the toilet or have a drink. This has sparked outrage among parents, with many criticizing the school for sending pupils home for wearing branded shoes like Vivienne Westwood and Nike, ChronicleLive reported.
The Vivienne Westwood shoes (Chronicle Live)Melissa claimed Layla was forced to wait until last for her lunch and forced to write out rules. She said: "She was very upset yesterday. It was a horrible experience for her, it was just awful. They made her sit on a hard wooden floor for hours. She wasn't allowed to go to the toilet and she wasn't allowed a drink.
"There were 41 other people and basically she wasn't allowed to leave. They made her write down rules saying why it was her fault she was in isolation - because she hadn't followed the rules. She had to watch the year nine (pupils) have their lunch - they had to go last.
Male teachers 'inspect schoolgirls' skirt length' as tears shed over uniform row
"She was only allowed a pudding or a drink, she couldn't have both - even though I gave her the money for her school lunch. She got her lunch and pudding and realised she wasn't allowed to have a drink. She was treated like a dog and that's not acceptable."
Melissa, who works as a phlebotomist, also revealed that her daughter Layla was told she couldn't wear her Vivienne Westwood slip-on shoes due to health and safety reasons, as the shoe didn't cover the top of the foot. The child spent most of Tuesday in isolation before being picked up by her grandmother and now does not want to return to the school.
Melissa said: "She was wearing them for the last two years of primary school and she didn't have any problems. I think it's just a power thing. It's a school, it's not a camp. They're getting treated like they're in the Army and they have got to do this and that and wear this and that."
Melissa has decided that her daughter won't be returning to Grace College due to the harsh treatment she received on her first day. "It got to the point where it wasn't even about the shoes. I have not sent her to school today, I'm going to try and get her transferred to a different school," she added.
Grace College, on the other hand, insists that pupils wear plain black school shoes devoid of fashion logos to ensure consistency across the college, protect students from pressure to follow trends, and maintain safety.
In a statement released by the school, they said: "Our students and staff are enjoying a productive first week back at college and integrating into school life as we would expect. However, at the beginning of the new term there may be a small number of issues to address in any school.
"We reiterate the importance of applying our rules consistently on issues like uniform, not least for the vast majority of families who have sent children to school properly attired this week, and to ensure that all students feel welcome, safe and free from any pressures.
"When students need to put a uniform issue right, they are given an opportunity to do so. We have a supply of high quality new and nearly new uniform in college that we can share with students to support them to put this right. When it is not possible to put things right, we always contact parents to seek their support in doing so. The college maintains a policy of not commenting on individual cases publicly, dealing with these in line with their complaints policy where issues can be dealt with fairly and with appropriate privacy."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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