School at centre of Union flag dress row closes early over 'extremist threats to staff'
A school which put a 12-year-old girl into isolation for wearing a Union flag dress to ‘culture day’ has closed early for summer due to ‘extremist abuse’ and ‘personal threats to staff’.
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A letter sent to parents yesterday states the school is closed earlier than normal for the summer holidays today “in the interests of student and staff safety.” It had been due to stay open for a half day.
“Over the last week the school has been the target of extremist abuse online and via our telephone systems, which deeply saddens us," the letter states.
“The nature and tone of this abuse has escalated in recent days including personal threats to staff.
“Our primary responsibility remains the safety and wellbeing of every child and member of staff.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly… the safety of our school community must come first.”
Read more: Schoolgirl, 12, 'punished' for wearing Union flag dress to school culture day
Earlier this week, the school apologised after 12-year-old pupil Courtney Wright was put into isolation for wearing a Union flag dress to ‘culture day’.
Courtney wore the sequinned union flag dress as part of the school’s celebration last week.
But she was told her choice of clothes was ‘unacceptable’ and was hauled out of lessons and made to sit in isolation in reception until her father was able to collect her. She was also given the option of wearing a second-hand uniform.
Her father Stuart Field, 47, said his daughter was left ‘embarrassed’ and had no idea what she’d done wrong.
He said: “Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn’t understand what she’d done wrong.
“She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British.
“And she shouldn’t be punished for celebrating being British – nobody else I’ve spoken to can quite get their heads around it.
“Somebody at the school has politicised a Union Jack dress even though that was clearly not Courtney’s intent. Courtney didn’t do anything to be political.
“It’s about being British, the Spice Girls and even the freedom at being able to wear a dress. This is just what being British means to her.”
In a letter to parents, headteacher Jayne Delves said: "This incident caused upset for the student and the family as well as members of our wider community.
"I have spoken directly with the student and her family to offer our sincere and heartfelt apologies.
"However, I also want to extend that apology to everyone else who may have felt hurt, uncomfortable, or unsettled by what happened.
"As a school, we recognise that we don’t always get things right. When mistakes happen, it is important that we are open, transparent, and reflective. We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage.
"I have shared this message with students through assemblies, making it clear that everyone should feel proud of who they are, their identity, their culture, and their heritage. That pride is not only welcome at Bilton School, but it is also what makes our community so vibrant, diverse, and special."
She added: "I understand that recent events may have been unsettling for some of our students, but I am confident that, by continuing to work together with honesty, empathy and mutual respect, we will emerge stronger as a community."
Grade-A student Courtney also planned to read a speech celebrating Shakespeare, fish and chips, and the royal family, her father added.
In a letter to parents, the school said culture day was “designed to promote inclusion, understanding, and appreciation of different backgrounds, traditions and heritages”.
Mr Field added: “It’s the school who have made it political and it went against everything the event was being held for.
“All the kids there are British in my eyes, I like to think I’m a tolerant person but this was just not right.”
Mr Field said another mum at the school told him her son was banned for wearing a farmer’s outfit.
A spokesman for Stowe Valley Trust said: “At Bilton School, we are proud of the diversity of our students and the rich heritage they bring to our community. We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included.
“On Friday 11th July, an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family, and members of the wider community.
“We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies.
“We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better.
“We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage.
“As a school, we are reviewing our policies and strengthening staff training to ensure our practices reflect our values of inclusion, respect, and understanding for all.”
The piece Courtney was going to read for 'culture day'
"Today I want to talk about my culture — British culture — and why it’s important to me.
In Britain, we have lots of traditions including drinking tea, our love for talking about the weather and we have the royal family.
We have amazing history, like kings and queens, castles, and writers like Shakespeare. It's also modern, diverse and always changing - with music fashion and food from all around the world blending into daily life. And let’s not forget fish and chips!
Its also the way we speak, our humour, our values of fairness and politeness, and the mix of old traditions and new ideas
But sometimes at school, we only hear about other cultures — which is great because learning about different countries is interesting and important. But it can feel like being British doesn’t count as a culture, just because it’s the majority.
I think culture should be for everyone — not just for people from other countries or backgrounds. Being British is still a culture, and it matters too. It’s part of who I am.
So let’s celebrate all cultures — whether they come from far away or right here at home."