Slap happy! Top school’s make-up lesson for girls
IT HAS traditionally been banned, alongside short skirts, high heels and too much jewellery.
But make-up has been granted a reprieve at one leading private school, with experts being brought in to teach pupils how to apply it.
The lessons at £ 18,000- a- year Immanuel College in Hertfordshire are believed to be the first t of their kind in the country.
They have been introduced after one 15- year- old pupil revealed that she was suffering anxiety y over a skin condition and wanted to learn how to use beauty products.
The co-educational school, which has 570 pupils, has also lifted a ban on make-up for under-16s.
The 40- minute sessions with a qualified make- up artist cover good skin care, hormones and diet, as well as how to apply products. Deputy head Beth Kerr said: ‘The lessons start with a bit about good skin and taking care of yourself with sleep and good hydration.
‘Then there are tips about how to apply cover-up products as too much can be bad for the skin.’
The modules are part of personal, social and health education lessons (PSHE) at Immanuel, which is part of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference that includes Eton and Harrow.
Ms Kerr said she had been affected by the pupil’s account of how her self-confidence had been undermined by her spots.
And she claimed that the rise of smartphones had increased pressure on teenagers desperate to be accepted by their peers. Pupils had welcomed the lessons, and parents had been supportive of the change in policy, she added.
‘ Social media has made girls more self-conscious because they are always being judged on their appearance,’ she added. ‘When they are together someone is always taking an Instagram photo. They can’t even loll around in their pyja- mas because they are always on show and there is no switch- off time. Other schools must do what is right for them, but from our point of view make-up can allow girls to get on with the other things rather than thinking about their appearance.’
She added: ‘Any boy who wants to join the sessions would be allowed to do so. Any children with transgender feelings will be supported.’
The school, which i s Jewish and was founded in 1990 by the former Chief Rabbi, Lord Jakobovits, is allowing only ‘light touch’ make- up. Lipstick and eyeliner remain banned.
Susan Hamlyn, of t he Good Schools Guide, said: ‘I don’t think anybody should make adjustments to policies because of social media, because that is to allow social media to win. But it sounds like common sense to relax a rule to take in people who are self-conscious and use it educationally.’