Parents furious after head teacher kicks out 50 students in one day for wearing wrong socks
LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND: Deepings School head teacher Alun Ebenezer has introduced extreme disciplinary measures as he was 'determined to raise standards' at the Lincolnshire school which Ofsted inspectors have twice rated as 'requiring improvement'. Ebenezer has shown no remorse regarding the strict set of rules he has introduced and has refused to back down after kicking students out of classes for wearing the wrong sort of black socks.
50 children were put into isolation on Monday, September 26, for violating the school's strict uniform code. These included students who wore the wrong kind of black socks, with some told they were too short, although no skin was visible in pictures taken by one father. Ebenezer was accused of being 'heavy handed' and running a 'police state' and the concerned parents lashed out at the school. However, the head teacher defended the zero-tolerance policy, saying any slip in discipline 'leads to carnage'.
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Ebenezer previously ran Fulham Boys School where a Rastafarian boy was asked to shave off his hair if he wanted to attend lessons, according to Daily Mail. "The school requires improvement and I'm determined to raise standards and make it one of the best schools in the area. I believe passionately in standards around uniform, behavior, appearance and attitude", he told the outlet. "The policy says pupils should wear clear black socks or black tights and I'm now enforcing that. I sent this out in a letter at the start of term, and we gave them the first few weeks to get it sorted, then sent a couple of reminders. I invited parents to come and talk if they wanted and around 100 came along. Ninety-six per cent of the school are In immaculate uniform, but four per cent are not and we put them in isolation. We have to enforce these standards."
He continued by saying, "Teachers are saying it's fantastic the way pupils are responding, but obviously you're going to get a minority who don't engage. Little things matter and I'd argue if a pupil is wearing bright or white socks, you do notice. We've got people at our school from vastly different backgrounds and I want a uniform that everyone identifies with and not one where you can tell who is more well-off." "The difference in behavior and attitude when having these standards is tangible. It translates to pride in school and more aspiration. I don't want pupils with an array of multi-coloured socks making them look scruffy", he added. "You might think the little things – like the type of socks or a pair of trousers – don't matter, but when you put it all together, pupils look immaculate and it's a better experience for everyone."
One father who did not want to disclose his name said that he was 'baffled' by the decision to exclude his daughter. "Apparently her plain black ankle socks and long trousers did not conform with the rules. The rules apparently state that socks must not be ankle socks and must sit above the ankle", he said. "The actions taken are completely unreasonable and have served only to disrupt my daughter's education. This is the last thing that is needed at a critical point in her schooling, especially after the disruption of the Covid pandemic. I know there has to be standards but the punishment needs to be proportionate. Uniform is a minor infringement - they should just have a word with the pupil and then escalate the matter if it continues."
"My son was hauled out of lessons for having non-regulation socks on. It's crazy. They're black socks with a very faint line in the design but apparently they weren't 'plain enough' despite being hidden under trousers" said another father who did not want to be named. "It's not just heavy-handed - it's like some kind of police state." Another said, "My son, who is really doing his best to improve his grades, was sent out of lessons when the teacher said his socks were 'too short'. Apparently socks must sit above the ankle and no skin must be showing under the hem of the trouser. It really would be laughable if it wasn't true. The excluded pupils at the school, which caters for 1,449 children aged 11-18, were ordered to spend the day in the 'behavior inclusion center'".
"We had our best-attended open evening ever this week because people are attracted by these high standards. It was the same when I was at Fulham, we had pupils who could have gone to Eton but they came to us", Ebenezer said. "We are talking about 1,500 pupils, and the overwhelming majority want high standards, that's why people feel safe and happy and can thrive at our school. Of course there will be some that don't want to do that but we've tried to engage and point out that if it's an issue with money, we can help."
Ebenezer said he is also determined to improve standards in students' manners, posture, speech, and body language. "I have excluded quite a lot of pupils so far, just for a day, and they come to school the next day with their parents and we have a chat. At the start it felt like I was excluding a pupil every half-an-hour just to get the point across. If I'm still doing that after half-term there will be a problem, but I don't think that will happen", he said. "I have told the teachers that the first half-term will be tough, but the culture will have changed by the time the school opens after the holidays. Then it will just be a hardcore left. There are just pockets of bad attitude which we are trying to change. With a significant number there is this idea that 'I won't do anything that I don't want to do'. The most serious thing is open defiance because if everyone did that there would be carnage."