A HAMPSHIRE pupil’s new haircut is at the centre of a row after he was suspended from school.

Curtis Hallman was sent home from Testwood Sports College after turning up sporting his new-look short haircut, complete with the Adidas sportswear brand shaved into the back.

The 14-year-old has been told he has breached strict rules banning “extreme”

hairstyles.

He hadn’t even made it into his first morning class before being spotted by a teacher, and told his new look – including the three stripes logo coloured red and white, as well as tramlines in yellow – was unacceptable.

The Year 10 pupil said he was told he would have to spend time in the school’s exclusion unit, but after refusing was sent home.

Curtis, from Burnett Close in Hythe, said he had recently had his fairly long blond hair cut off, and wanted to individualise his style.

He said: “My mate’s got tramlines and I thought I got my hair shaved quite short so wanted them too.

“When I went in I saw these designs on the wall and picked out the Adidas badge.

“I like the make and I saw a picture of it on someone else and thought it looked quite smart.”

Curtis’s mum, Theresa Hallman, 42, said she offered to shave his hair off to remove the logo, but was told he would not be allowed in with a bald head.

“Who are they to be judge and jury over what someone has in their hair?” she said.

“He’s in an important year at school and they haven’t offered to send home any homework for him.”

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Head teacher Ian Appleton said Curtis was suspended for “a blatant flouting of the school rules” and he would be welcomed back to classes when he had the logo removed.

“Rules are there for a reason, without them we would have anarchy,” he said.

“It’s about having reasonable standards and educating young people to fit in with society, and that people have to go to work and we prepare them for that.”

Mr Appleton added that he would be “open to discussion” if Curtis wanted to return to school with his head shaved but said if Mrs Hallman did not like the rules “there are other schools in her catchment area”.

Additional reporting by Corey Stephenson