A MUM is outraged after claiming her son was pulled out of lessons on the first day of school for having dyed hair.

The teenager set off for his first day at school at Avonbourne Academy last Tuesday, after spending months undertaking home-schooling during lockdown.

During that time, the 14-year-old decided to experiment with his hair colour but covered up the remnants of the bright colours, such as blue, with a mahogany for his return to school.

But he, along with many other students, were shortly stopped by staff for allegedly breaking school rules.

According to the youngster, students were made to line up outside the building and some were pointed at, moved to the other side of the playground then later relocated to an isolation room together.

The boy counted over 30 students in the room, 10 to 15 of which were apparently there due to the colour of their hair.

His mum Stacey Johnson said: “The whole thing is ridiculous. We were given two options: we could dye it again or have it cut.

“However, the school said that if his hair was cut below a grade two, he would be put in the isolation for six weeks, meaning he would be doing no work. I was worried that if we dyed it again, his hair would fall out.

“We dyed his hair so he could return to school and he was accepted back on the grounds.”

Stacey is not impressed with the way her son and his fellow students have been treated on their return to school after months away.

She added: “Kids need to have nurturing and feel safe when they return to school, but the way Avonbourne has treated them is appalling. They have had so much time off; the school needs to be more caring on their return. I totally understand the policy, but there’s extreme and there’s extreme.”

In response, a spokesperson from Avonbourne Academy said: “Like any good school, the academy has a strict uniform code which it expects students to adhere to and which is communicated to parents frequently. Likewise, as with any good school, students who are rude to staff or who break other rules may be subject to internal exclusion for all or part of a day.

“No student has been sent home for having dyed hair. With support from the school, a very small number of parents have chosen to collect their children from school to address issues linked with hair colour immediately. But this was their decision, not the school’s.”