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Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Fury as girl, 12, put in isolation at school for wearing Union Flag dress on culture day
A schoolgirl was thrown into isolation just for wearing a Union Flag dress to celebrate being British at her school's culture day. 'Straight A' student Courtney Wright, 12, was left feeling devastated after she wore a Spice Girls -esque dress and wrote a piece about history and traditions as part of the celebrations last Friday. She was told the dress was "unacceptable" and she was hauled out of lessons and forced to sit in reception until her dad collected her. Stuart Field, 47, said he was stunned to learn that his daughter had been segregated from her friends due to her choice of attire at Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire. The marine restoration worker said: "Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn't understand what she'd done wrong. "She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. And she shouldn't be punished for celebrating being British - nobody else I've spoken to can quite get their heads around it. "Somebody at the school has politicised a Union Jack dress even though that was clearly not Courtney's intent. Courtney didn't do anything to be political. "It's about being British, the Spice Girls and even the freedom at being able to wear a dress. This is just what being British means to her." In a permission letter sent to parents, it said the day was "designed to promote inclusion, understanding, and appreciation of different backgrounds, traditions and heritages". But Stuart said the school's actions went against the message and other pupils with St George's flags and Welsh flags were also turned away from the school gates.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Something must change now after my daughter, 12, was embarrassed by her school'
Courtney Wright was removed from the Culture Celebration Day at Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire "without saying a single word," a move which has outraged dad Stuart Field A furious dad has demanded "something must change" as his 12-year-old daughter was taken out of a diversity class after wearing a Union Flag dress. Stuart Field, 47, believes "people have had enough about being told what they can and can't do" after the school's decision to put Courtney Wright into isolation upset the family and the wider community. Although Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire, has since apologised, a spokesperson for Keir Starmer has insisted "being British is something to be celebrated." Pupils with St George's flags and Welsh flags were also turned away from the school gates, Mr Field added. In a new video, the dad said: "What happened on Friday should not happen to any child in the UK. It has caused a lot of upset in the UK, I think people have had enough about being told what they can and can't do when they are being proud to celebrate their own culture and own history. I don't think this is going to end anytime soon, unless something changes." Mr Field, who works in marine restoration, did not state what exactly he feels needs to change. However, he stressed he is confident the backlash the school has faced reflects fury across society at the issue. The school, rated as Good by Ofsted, had billed the day as a opportunity for pupils to wear attire reflecting their nationality or family heritage, rather than a school uniform. Not long after Courtney arrived in the Spice Girls-esque dress, the youngster was booted out classes "without saying a single word" and was not allowed to make her inclusive speech about the importance to her of being British, which referenced drinking tea, fish and chips and values of fairness and politeness. "Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn't understand what she'd done wrong. She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. She shouldn't be punished for celebrating being British culture and history - nobody else I've spoken to can quite get their heads around it," dad-of-five Stuart, from Coventry, West Midlands, said. "Somebody at the school has politicised a Union Jack dress even though that was clearly not Courtney's intent. Courtney didn't do anything to be political. It's about being British, the Spice Girls and even the freedom of being able to wear a dress. This was her interpretation of British culture and what it means to her." A statement issued on behalf of the school by the Stowe Valley Multi Academy Trust said: "On Friday 11th July, an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family, and members of the wider community. "We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies. We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better. "We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage." The statement, which said the school was proud of the diversity of its students and the rich heritage they bring to the community, added: "As a school, we are reviewing our policies and strengthening staff training to ensure our practices reflect our values of inclusion, respect, and understanding for all. We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included."
Daily Mirror
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer responds after girl, 12, put in school isolation over Union Flag dress
Courtney Wright, 12, was punished after celebrating culture day at her school by wearing a Union Flag dress and now she has had a show of support from PM Keir Starmer A schoolgirl thrown into isolation just for wearing a Union Flag dress to celebrate being British at her school's culture day has been backed by the Prime Minister. Straight A student Courtney Wright, 12, wore a Spice Girls -esque dress and wrote a piece about history and traditions as part of the celebrations last Friday. But she was told the dress was "unacceptable" - and was then hauled out of lessons and forced to sit in reception until her dad collected her. Her dad Stuart Field, 47, said he was stunned to learn that his daughter had been segregated from her friends due to her choice of attire at Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire. In a permission letter sent to parents, it said the day was "designed to promote inclusion, understanding, and appreciation of different backgrounds, traditions and heritages". The decision to punish her caused fury and PM Keir Starmer's spokesperson appeared to side with the schoolgirl and her family. They said: 'I think the school has put out a statement on this so I'm not going to comment further, but the Prime Minister has always been clear that being British is something to be celebrated.' Dad Stuart said the school's actions went against its message and other pupils with St George's flags and Welsh flags were also turned away from the school gates. He said: "Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn't understand what she'd done wrong. It's the school who have made it political and it went against everything the event was being held for. She chose the dress and wrote the piece off her own back. "They day was to celebrate everyone's cultures and Courtney chose this Union Flag dress so she could celebrate hers. She also wrote this speech to go with it and was very proud of what she'd done. The next thing I get a call at work at around 9am to say she's not allowed in school dressed like that and that it was unacceptable. "I wasn't able to get away from work until about midday. They made her sit in reception all morning in front of the receptionists and kept her in isolation. She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. And she shouldn't be punished for celebrating being British - nobody else I've spoken to can quite get their heads around it. "Somebody at the school has politicised a Union Jack dress even though that was clearly not Courtney's intent. Courtney didn't do anything to be political. It's about being British, the Spice Girls and even the freedom at being able to wear a dress. This is just what being British means to her." The school contacted Stuart over the weekend and have since apologised for the move. A spokesman for Stowe Valley Trust said: "At Bilton School, we are proud of the diversity of our students and the rich heritage they bring to our community. We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included. "On Friday 11th July, an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family, and members of the wider community. We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies. "We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better. We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage. "As a school, we are reviewing our policies and strengthening staff training to ensure our practices reflect our values of inclusion, respect, and understanding for all.'
Metro
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Girl, 12, sent home from school after wearing Union Jack dress
A 'straight A' pupil was hauled out of lessons at Bilton School and put into isolation after wearing a Union Jack dress to her school's culture day. Courtney Wright, 12, wanted to celebrate being British with the Spice Girl-reminiscent dress during the celebrations at the school in Rugby on Friday. But school officials told the Year 7 student her outfit was 'unacceptable' and she was chucked of out class until her dad to collect her. Her dad, Stuart Field, 47, told Metro he has received dozens of messages from parents at other schools saying they had also faced similar issues. He described how his daughter felt after she refused to change into a second-hand uniform and instead sent home: 'Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn't understand what she'd done wrong. 'She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. 'Somebody at the school has politicised a Union Jack dress even though that was clearly not Courtney's intent. Courtney didn't do anything to be political.' Courtney had also written a speech about history and traditions for the day, but was never allowed to deliver it. In it, she celebrated how Britain is 'modern, diverse and always changing', while speaking fondly of tea, Shakespeare, fish and chips and the royals. The school had said the day was 'designed to promote inclusion, understanding, and appreciation of different backgrounds, traditions and heritages' in a permission letter sent to parents. But Stuart said the school's actions went against this message and thatother pupils with St George's flags and Welsh flags were also turned away. He added: 'It's the school who have made it political and it went against everything the event was being held for. 'She chose the dress and wrote the piece off her own back. 'They day was to celebrate everyone's cultures and Courtney chose this Union Flag dress so she could celebrate hers.' The school have now 'completely u-turned' according to the dad. He told Metro the school now want to do a charity run with Courtney in her Union jack dress. The board of governors and the headteacher also personally said sorry to the 12-year-old, who he says had never been in trouble before. While Stuart is glad her daughter has now had an apology, he is concerned that what happened to her daughter is not a one-off in the UK. He told Metro: 'I must have had 30 people across the UK saying this has happened to them. 'It has woken up the people about what has been happening to their children. 'Courtney has also received so much support – hundreds of people have messaged her from Poland, the US, Australia and beyond.' The dad said supporters have also flooded Bilton School with complaints, claiming it has caused the school's servers to go down. Bilton School was rated Good in an Ofsted inspection in 2021. It had previously been rated inadequate in 2019. A spokesman for Stowe Valley Trust said: 'At Bilton School, we are proud of the diversity of our students and the rich heritage they bring to our community. We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included. 'On Friday 11th July, an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family, and members of the wider community. More Trending 'We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies. 'We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better. 'We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage. 'As a school, we are reviewing our policies and strengthening staff training to ensure our practices reflect our values of inclusion, respect, and understanding for all.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Pupils hold 'wearing shorts matters' protest in sweltering heatwave MORE: 'I watched my classmate tear down my Pride poster – so I made an LGBTQ+ club' MORE: Sixty children miss dream trip to Europe after coach crashed into school gates
Scottish Sun
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘Going to be hard' – Luke Humphries reveals what he'll do if German crowd rile Luke Littler at World Cup of Darts
Humphries also reveals what role he'll take in their pairing this year LUKE AFTER HIM 'Going to be hard' – Luke Humphries reveals what he'll do if German crowd rile Luke Littler at World Cup of Darts Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LUKE HUMPHRIES will act as a reassuring big brother to Luke Littler if the German crowds pipe up during World Cup duty. Littler's past two visits to Germany – a Premier League night in Berlin and Euro Tour in Munich – proved to be ear-splitting ones as he received the wrath of the fans. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Luke Humphries has vowed to protect Luke Littler at the World Cup of Darts in Germany Credit: PA 4 World champion Littler is frequently booed and jeered by German fans Boos and jeers greeted the world champion's presence on stage and there could be a repeat if England go far in the four-day World Cup of Darts, which starts on Thursday in Frankfurt. But Humphries – who won the title with Michael Smith 12 months ago when they smashed Austria in the final – is there to provide support as they chase international glory. Cool Hand Luke, 30, said: 'It's just about not getting involved in the crowd isn't it? 'We've just got to make sure that if they're on his back, I'll be there to say: 'Don't worry about what they're doing, focus on your game.' READ MORE DARTS NEWS DOUBLE TROUBLE Bristow was pain in the a**e but his death at 60 hit me hard, says George 'And if we play against Germany, that's going to be hard but I think he'll learn from the occasions of playing against crowds that are hostile. 'I've been there, I've had it a little bit before and you just have to focus on the game and not worry about what is going on behind you.' Humphries beat Littler in the Prem final in London last month but their rivalry will be put to one side as they wear the St George's flag on their chest for the first time together. England will be parachuted into the second round on Saturday along with the other top seeds – Wales, Scotland's Dartan Army and Northern Ireland – and the format is doubles play. 4 Humphries won the World Cup of Darts with Michael Smith last year Credit: PDC CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis were World Cup champions four times between 2012 and 2016 but until last year, it had been a barren spell for the English tungsten throwers. Humphries, the world No1, said: 'It will be me that probably decides but I might put Luke first to be honest because you play to your strengths. Luke Humphries apologises to fans after hilarious nine-darter fail leaves even rival Nathan Aspinall laughing 'I think he's definitely the best scorer in the world. That's not a lie, it's obvious. 'So, you're going to put your strengths forward. You put him first, he is probably better at going for the bullseye than I am, getting the throws. Only if he's comfortable with it. 'If not, I'll go first but I played the anchor role last year. I could have said I'll go first last year because I was the highest-ranked player. 'But I said to Michael, 'you're a fantastic scorer, you've done it before, you go ahead and set the standard and I'll follow you'. And it worked. Littler is definitely the best scorer in the world Luke Humphries 'I felt really good going second, so maybe that's my role for this year as well. 'Of course it's going to feel special for him and it did for me. As you saw when we won last year, the emotion that comes out of you. 'You don't expect it but it does because you're just so buzzing. It's really special and he will understand it. 'He may even feel a little bit nervous at the start, or for the first game we play, because all eyes are on us. 'Everyone will be expecting us to be powerful every game we play but I did say to him, it doesn't matter how we play. 'As long as we win the trophy, that's what really matters. It will be a special feeling for him, as it was for me.'
