School sparks row by making false eyelashes 'part of its uniform'
1 March 2024, 09:48 | Updated: 1 March 2024, 09:51
A school has sparked a row by allowing fake eyelashes under its uniform rules.
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Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, Kent, has made the decision after students began missing school to have their lashes removed, or refusing to attend classes without them.
The move has sparked an angry backlash from parents.
One mother said: “There is a lot of peer pressure at the school. The next thing would be that they're going to announce false nails and then where does it end?”
Parents were sent a letter informing them of the decision after attendance numbers were being affected.
The letter said: "We are increasingly seeing attendance affected by students taking time off to have false eyelashes removed or refusing to attend school through mental health considerations.
"Having students in school is the most important consideration and therefore... we shall allow false eyelashes to be worn as long as they are discreet.
"We review out school rules on a regular basis and make amendments when changes in society make a previous standpoint redundant or untenable.
"We are increasingly seeing attendance affected by students taking time off to have false eyelashes removed or refusing to attend school through mental health considerations.
"We need to balance this against having a standard of dress which helps to create a work ethos and sets parameters for behaviour.
"In this case, having students in school is the most important consideration and therefore, from Monday 19 February, we shall allow false eyelashes to be worn as long as they are discrete."
