A DAD was left furious after his daughter was sent home from school on the hottest day on record – for “wearing the wrong shorts”.
Andrew Longden, 39, said 13-year-old Kaitlyn turned up for class in her PE kit on Tuesday after teachers gave pupils the go ahead to cope with the heat.
The year-nine pupil at Blackpool Aspire Academy in Blackpool, Lancs., arrived wearing her school's branded PE shirt along with a pair of plain black shorts.
But despite claiming she had worn the shorts to lessons "for months" problem-free, Kaitlyn was told they were not school policy – leaving her dad baffled.
"It's crazy," he told The Sun Online.
“She got sent home saying she was wearing the wrong type of shorts, even though she’s been wearing the same thing since September.
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“She was wearing some black shorts, an Aspire shirt and that’s what she was advised to wear.
“These are plain and black, there's no names, nothing. I was told she should wear shorts, well I said 'she's wearing shorts, what else can I do?'”
According to the school's uniform policy, girls should wear a pair of Aspire Black shorts or skort for sports, while boys should wear the school's branded shorts.
Kaitlyn's head teacher also said pupils were specifically warned not to wear cycling shorts on Tuesday in a message sent out the previous evening.
Her dad, however, assumed kids were fine to wear plain black shorts – and insisted teachers should be more flexible.
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"It’s scorching," he said.
"They should be able to give or take a bit on a day like today.
“I sent her back to school wearing a different pair of shorts that’s not school uniform. She should be in school."
Kaitlyn returned to lessons in the afternoon wearing a pair of different khaki shorts from home.
Although they were not on the school's prescribed uniform list, teachers allowed her to wear them for the day.
Kaitlyn told The Sun: “Because of the heatwave we came in in our PE kits – because everyone was allowed to.
It's scorching. They should be able to give or take a bit on a day like today.
"I came in shorts down to my knees, but when the teacher found out he told me I couldn’t wear them.
“They’re just plain Primark shorts you can get. Me and the girls in my PE class have been wearing them for the last three or four months."
John Woods, headteacher at Blackpool Aspire Academy, explained a text was sent out to parents on Friday which said students could come to school in their Aspire PE kits due to the predicted high temperatures for Monday and Tuesday this week.
He said: "The vast majority of students arrived [on Monday] in their normal PE – or in some cases – normal uniform, however a small number arrived in cycling shorts as opposed to the school shorts/skort/leggings, which are not on the prescribed list.
"After gaining permission from all parents/carers these students were sent home to change. They then returned to school and completed the school day."
Mr Woods said a second text was sent on Monday evening re-stating that students could wear their PE kits again on Tuesday.
It reiterated that non-school uniform items including cycling style shorts were not allowed.
The headteacher added: "Kaitlyn, who was absent on Monday with sunstroke, arrived to school on Tuesday in cycling shorts, despite the text on Monday evening. Therefore, permission was sought from her parents to send her home to change.
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"She returned to school later that morning in shorts and completed the school day. I spoke with Father who was frustrated as he felt she had been singled out.
"I explained that all students in cycling shorts were sent home to change or placed in isolation if permission could not be sought."
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