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Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Schoolgirl, 12, ‘punished' for wearing Union flag dress
A 12-year-old girl was put into isolation for wearing a union flag dress to her school's culture day, her father has said. 'Straight A' student Courtney Wright wore the Spice Girls-esque dress and wrote a piece about British history and traditions as part of the celebrations on Friday. She was later told the dress was 'unacceptable', and was hauled out of lessons and made to sit in reception until her father collected her. Her father Stuart Field, 47, said he was surprised to learn she had been segregated from her peers due to her choice of attire at Bilton School in Rugby, Warks. Mr Field, who works in marine restoration, 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 Mr Field 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. He added: 'It's the school who have made it political and it went against everything the event was being held for. 'All the kids there are British in my eyes, I like to think I'm a tolerant person but this was just not right. 'I wanted an answer as to why they thought this was acceptable - and nobody could give me a straight answer, I wanted to know how they had justified it. 'I spoke to her head of year, and he said he wasn't the best person to talk to about it, so I can only assume he didn't really agree with it either. 'It obviously came from above him but I don't know for sure who made the decision.' 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.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
We let homeless friend live in our flat for £30 a week – when he finally left we were shocked at what he'd done
A TENANT from hell left his home waist-deep in rubbish including 3,000 beer cans. He was a friend in need let the two-bedroom flat by Chris and Sandra Considine in 2018. 3 3 But he blocked access, refused to leave and paid rent only once in seven years, the couple say. When he eventually fled the property in Nuneaton, Warks, they were greeted by scenes of utter squalor. Stomach-churning photos show thousands of lager cans strewn across the floors of almost every room — with dozens more stacked up on the window sills and shelves. Former DPD worker Chris, 70, said: 'We just couldn't believe it.' And grand-of-three Sandra, 58, called the smell 'horrendous'. She added: 'The rubbish was waist-high when he left in January — it was shocking.' The kind-hearted couple agreed to help the pal, who was about to be made homeless. They moved him into the flat, which they originally bought for daughter Rose, and asked for only £30 a week to cover the service charge and ground rent. Sandra said: 'We were trying to be kind but in the end we just feel utterly exploited.' Rose, 25, has set up a GoFundMe page to help her parents pay for professional cleaners. 3
