Fifteen minutes after dropping her son off on his first day of school, a mom got the shock of her life when the faculty phoned her, ordering her to immediately pick him up for breaking the school’s dress code.

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For many parents, the first day of their kids’ school sets the alarm off to return to their routine of making breakfast, checking for neatly pressed uniforms, tidying backpacks, and waving goodbye at the school bus. But for one Bristol mom, it turned out to be a nerve-wracking first day of her son’s school.

Around 15 minutes after dropping the boy off the campus, the mother got a disturbing call from the faculty. She thought they had phoned to let her know that her son had settled in fine. But to her horror, they told her to pick him up and take him home immediately for wearing the wrong outfit.

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A SCHOOL THAT STRIVED FOR PERFECTION 

In September 2020, Hayley Dainton dropped her 11-year-old son Oliver at Hanham Woods Academy. The school never compromised its pupils’ smart appearance and always expected them to dress up exceptionally well.

The staff then escorted Oliver to a store to put on someone else’s castoff uniform. But after he objected to it, they phoned his mother.

However, this is where Hayley’s son Oliver was caught off guard after he was spotted wearing mismatching outfits that attracted negative attention.

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THE ODD ONE OUT 

The grade 7 student was dressed crisply, and nobody could tell that he hadn’t worn the official uniform with the school’s badge. All was well until Hanham Woods’ staff noticed the peculiarity in Oliver’s dressing.

Just minutes into his first-ever day at secondary school, the boy was caught wearing a sweatshirt that wasn’t the official school attire. The staff observed Oliver from top to toe and noticed he was wearing a pair of white trainers instead of dark-colored smart shoes.

The house system at Hanham Woods Academy required students to wear only the official school uniform and a tie in the colors of the house they belong to. But Oliver stood out with his mixed-up outfit, and they didn’t take it lightly.

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Sad boy looking down. | Source: Pexels

Sad boy looking down. | Source: Pexels

FEELING CRUSHED 

The staff then escorted Oliver to a store to put on someone else’s castoff uniform. But after he objected to it, they phoned his mother.

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Since the only outlet that sold the official uniform had closed to customers since March due to the pandemic, Hayley had to order Oliver’s uniform online.

With 10 days left for the uniform’s delivery, the mom had no choice but to send her boy to school dressed in an outfit closely resembling Hanham Woods’ official attire. So, when she got the distressing call from them, she was furious and crushed. 

Woman on a phone call. | Source: Pexels

Woman on a phone call. | Source: Pexels

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DELAYED ONLINE ORDER 

Hayley claimed that it was a genuine struggle for economic parents to be able to afford expensive school uniforms and shoes. Although she had saved enough to buy Oliver’s new uniform, the delay in delivery had got in her way. She said:

“Oliver was very smart, and I really tried to get him looking the part. He had a shirt, he had a black sweatshirt, and he was able to borrow his big sister’s tie as she’s not back in till next week.”

Several thoughts of anxiety and anger piled up in Hayley’s mind. She surmised that it could’ve been Oliver’s trainers that first caught the staff’s attention. But it was the quirky black sweatshirt that made him the odd one out.

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Emotional woman in tears. | Source: Pexels

Emotional woman in tears. | Source: Pexels

VENTING OUT 

Hayley was seething with anger after being asked to take her son home mere minutes after dropping him off at school. She stated:

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“I am disgusted with the school’s expectations… My son has not got off to a good start at all, and it’s all down to being picked on about uniform.”

The mom of five was deeply hurt after her boy was turned away from his school, even without peeping into his new classroom. Meanwhile, Hanham Wood Academy’s principal Steve Keller jumped in defense, saying that the school had always supported parents that needed help getting uniforms.

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JUMPING IN DEFENSE 

“Where families ask us for support with uniform, we do, of course, ensure that we offer support, including providing a uniform for those most who need it,” Keller said.

He also expressed his warm welcome to the remaining students returning to school. “We are genuinely excited to see them!” he stated.

As for Hayley, she was left with no choice but to vent her frustrations on the faculty for ousting her son and wait until the delivery of the official uniform she had ordered.

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Have you ever been in Hayley Dainton’s shoes where you were notified to take your child home for breaking the school dress code or policy? What would you do if you were in a similar scenario? Do you think it was fair on the school’s part to oust a pupil to preserve their expectations and policies?

Click

here

to read about how a mom was horrified after discovering her little boy was being put in a box as punishment by school for over a month.

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