Girl, 12, who’s too ‘tiny’ to fit into £22 school uniform skirt is punished by school for wearing £3.50 supermarket alternative

• Mother Katie said she purchased an Asda dupe, at a cheaper price of two for £7
• School pupils ‘roam streets’ after being sent home for wearing wrong clothes 

A pupil who is too small to fit into her school’s uniform skirt has been punished for wearing an alternative from Asda.

Furious parents of 12-year-old Lilly, have slammed Holderness Academy in Hull for placing her in isolation after she wore the £3.50 dupe, instead of the £17.99 to £21.99 version by brand Rawcliffes Schoolwear, reports Hull Live.

Mother Katie said her daughter has spent time in isolation – a separate place in school where pupils are not allowed to talk or interact with their peers – since last week, as punishment for the offence. 

Her and husband Wayne explained that due to their daughter’s ‘tiny’ physique, they were unable to find a skirt by Rawcliffes small enough to fit, and so instead opted for a supermarket alternative.

Katie explained: ‘We originally did try to get her the right skirt but Lilly is tiny, it kept falling off her. The skirts are between £17.99 and £21.99 each from Rawcliffes, but we managed to find black pleated skirts from Asda, which cost £7 for two.

Becky Richards says her daughter Toni-Leigh Dunn, 14, was also placed in isolation for wearing an unbranded skirt (both pictured)

Furious parents of 12-year-old Lilly, have slammed Holderness Academy in Hull for placing her in isolation after she wore the £3.50 dupe, instead of the £17.99 to £21.99 version by brand Rawcliffes Schoolwear, reports Hull Live

‘Teachers have been asking pupils to lift up their blouses so they can see the label in the waistband. When Lilly was found to have an Asda skirt, she was put in isolation and came home very upset’.

The mother added that what made things even more bizarre, was that Lilly had worn a Sainsbury’s skirt to school last year without incident.

She also questioned why pupils were being punished when dupes were available for much cheaper and even looked identical to the original. 

The academy’s policy has also affected another pupil, to the point where her mother decided to change schools. 

Becky Richards says her daughter Toni-Leigh Dunn, 14, was also placed in isolation for wearing an unbranded skirt.

Speaking on her reasons to remove Toni from the school, she said she was unable to afford £20 ‘every couple of months’ for a new skirt. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Education seems to echo parental concern: ‘We have been absolutely clear that uniform should be affordable and costs for parents should be kept down by enabling them to choose high street and unbranded options.

‘Our statutory guidance is that cost and value for money for parents should be the most important consideration by schools when deciding how to source uniform and we expect schools to follow this’.

Furious parents of 12-year-old Lilly have slammed Holderness Academy in Hull for placing her in isolation after she wore the £3.50 dupe, instead of the £17.99 to £21.99 version by brand Rawcliffes Schoolwear (Here, Lilly is pictured with the Asda dupe)

The news comes after another mother – who said she is forced to spend £200 a year on branded school uniform items – has demanded a change in policy to make buying clothes more affordable.

Gill Long, from Merseyside, was fed up with splashing out on branded blazers, trousers and PE kits – only to have to replace them a year later as her child grew.

The mother realised she was shelling out between £150 to £200 a year on the bare essentials at Heckmondwike Grammar School, saying she could save more than £100 by buying unbranded items.

The government states that ‘parents should not have to think about the cost of a school uniform when choosing which school to apply for’.

However, Gill, who works as a project facilitator, claimed that some schools do not follow this guidance and has started a petition to reform school uniform policies.

The mother has so far gathered 1,203 signatures from disgruntled parents, hoping to reach 10,000 soon and bring it to the attention of the government. 

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