‘Snowflake’ school permits fake eyelashes in its uniform

A SCHOOL has changed its uniform rules to allow students to wear fake eyelashes owing to “mental health considerations”.

Parents were sent a letter about the change after attendance was affected by youngsters taking time off because of lash appointments and their mental well-being.

David Collins, the headmaster of the Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, Kent, said students were missing school to have their lashes removed or refusing to attend school without them.

The letter continued: “Having students in school is the most important consideration and therefore, from Monday February 19 we shall allow false eyelashes to be worn as long as they are discrete.”

He added that they made changes to a uniform “when changes in society make a previous standpoint redundant or untenable”.

But one furious mother whose 13-year-old daughter attends school said: “It’s making my daughter do it, which is causing me a problem because I’m literally having to peel them off her in the morning.

“There is a lot of peer pressure at the school. We’re a society being run by children which I’m not going to stand for.” She also said that in allowing eye- lashes, the school were making them part of the “uniform”.

Knole Academy has more than 1,300 pupils aged 11 to 19 and sent the letter out earlier this month.

Under a subtitle of “eyelashes and earrings” 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.

“We need to balance this against having a standard of dress which helps to create a work ethos and sets parameters for behaviour.”

The parent is concerned the decision could lead to a slippery slope of other concessions.

“I thought I might have been a bit crazy because I’m a lot more strict about it,” she continued. “It’s like they’re snowflakes. They don’t really care or is it because everyone’s going down the mental health route now?”

She is concerned youngsters at the school could also receive attention from men as the lashes make them look older. She said: “It’s quite worrying because are they going to start getting the attention of older men?”

The school’s letter said that rules will also allow one set of small silver, pearl or crystal studs – rather than just gold.