Chaos at Serlby Park Academy after dozens of pupils allegedly sent home or put into isolation for wearing wrong uniform

Serlby Park Academy, in Bircotes, sent an alleged 56 children home on the second day of the new academic year after they wore shoes with embellishments on, which are banned under the uniform policy.

Parents are now concerned that shoes are being chosen over their children’s futures and what impact this will have on their mental health.

Serlby Park Academy, managed by Delta Academies Trust, has the policy for shoes on its website and in letters to parents, which states ‘plain black, flat polishable shoes without embellishments, logos, bows’ should be worn,

One member of the trust told a parent that this regulation is to prevent bullying in the schools.

Michael Stuba said his daughter, who was ‘desperate’ to go to school over summer, has just spent her first two days in Year 7 in isolation because her shoes had a bow on.

“You can see in her face it's traumatised her. She doesn't want to go to school now,” he said.

“She's got a knee-length skirt, there's nothing wrong with her uniform. She got a tie on, she's got a blazer, and they're picking on a bow on a shoe.

“Instead of teaching her, they put her in isolation for a full day and not even informed us.”

A number of parents also alleged pupils have been told to deface their own property, by cutting tassels off their shoes and colouring in bags and coats if they were not black.

Michelle Burns, said both of her daughters were put in isolation and threatened with exclusion because of their shoes.

“My daughter who has just started there rang me crying as a teacher had stopped her about her shoes,” she said.

"They have white stitching on the sole and they were trying to make her colour it in with a sharpie pen.

“Her learning manager rang me and asked if they could colour them in, I said not unless you pay me for the shoes, so she was put in isolation for the day.”

Michelle sent her eldest daughter back in last year’s school shoes, and like some other parents, was given a pair of shoes for her other daughter by the school with a £15 bill.She has refused to pay the bill because she has already purchased shoes for her daughter.

It is understood two women in the area are helping struggling parents to buy news shoes in line with the uniform policy.

In a statement, Serlby Park Academy said: “Clear information on our uniform policy is provided on the academy website and in letters to parents.

"This explains that plain black, flat polishable shoes without embellishments, logos, bows should be worn.

“We would always ask any parent with a query or concern to contact us to discuss it.

"We are working with parents who have done this to resolve any queries they may have.”

The school did not comment on the children being sent home or in isolation, or defacing property.