A mum has expressed her fury over a new rule at her daughters’ school that bans branded shoes – including their flats from Vivienne Westwood.
Kelly, who was only identified by her first name, hit back at the “hypocritical” decision at Yorkshire’s Wolfreton School in the UK, after it implemented a “ridiculous rule” to stop allowing students to wear name-brand shoes, according to HullLive.
Her daughter and stepdaughter – who are in years 7 and 11 respectively – have been wearing the designer flats for years and “never had a problem”, the New York Post reported.
But come the new school year, they were threatened with detention when they showed up in the shoes.
“It is just ridiculous – the Vivienne Westwood shoes are just plain black shoes, they’re comfortable and they’re good quality so they last a long time,” Kelly told the outlet.
“I know schools want kids to dress smartly but I would consider these shoes smart.”
Kelly’s son attends a different school, which has the same rule, and she finds herself replacing his kicks every “three to four months because the quality just isn’t the same”.
The Vivienne Westwood flats retail for $US107 ($167).
Though name-brand shoes are a no-no, branded coats and bags are allowed, the outraged mum-of-three pointed out.
“Why does my daughter in branded shoes but a Primark bag and coat deserve to be punished, but other kids can walk around with designer bags and coats but unbranded shoes? It’s hypocritical,” she said.
Plenty of students had their uniforms inspected, according to Kelly, and the school had to schedule an assembly to remind students of the new dress code rules.
“[It was a] huge waste of learning time,” she told HullLive.
She believes the school should spend more time focusing on stopping “bullying, smoking and trouble causing”, rather than worrying about well-made shoes.
Kelly said that, in addition, students shouldn’t be punished if their parents can’t meet the school’s demands by the start of the new week and is willing to go up to bat for her kids.
“I have told my children not to go to detention, and I am happy to be pulled into meetings because I won’t be buying them new shoes,” she declared.
Wolfreton School said it warned parents about the new rule in July “prior to the summer holidays”, and there was “clear communication of our expectations with regards to uniform for September”, a spokesperson told The Sun.
“As a school, we are keen to work with families and, as such, have asked that any incorrect uniform is rectified by Monday,” the spokesperson said.
“We always encourage any parents with specific concerns to get in touch with the school directly, so that we can work in partnership to resolve any issues.”
But Kelly doubled down.
“It’s a huge waste of learning time,” she said.
“I’m not sure how which brand of shoes you wear affects your ability to learn.”
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission