Girl, 12, put into isolation at school for wearing Union flag dress on ‘culture day’

She was left 'devastated'

'Straight A' student Courtney Wright wore the dress reminiscent of the Spice Girls and had even written a speech about history and tradition of the UK as part of the celebrations on Friday (11 July).

However, the Year 7 student was told that the dress was "unacceptable", leaving her in shock as she was removed from lessons and made to wait in the school reception until her father collected her.

Dad Stuart Field, 47, said he was gobsmacked to learn she had been separated from her fellow students due to her choice of attire at Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire.

He said that other pupils with St George's flags and Welsh flags were also turned away from the school gates.

Stuart, who works in marine restoration, 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 culture and history, 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 of being able to wear a dress.

In a permission letter sent to parents, it said the Culture Celebration Day was "designed to promote inclusion, understanding, and appreciation of different backgrounds, traditions and heritages".

The dad-of-five said: "She chose the dress and wrote the piece off her own back.

"She's a straight A student, one of the brightest in her year and she's never been in trouble before so she was really upset.

"I wanted an answer as to why they thought this was acceptable, and nobody could give me a straight answer, I wanted to know how they had justified it.

"I spoke to her head of year, and he said he wasn't the best person to talk to about it, so I can only assume he didn't really agree with it either.

"It obviously came from above him but I don't know for sure who made the decision.

Stuart said that he "was fobbed off and told that I'd get a phone call" so he decided to take Courtney out for a meal to cheer her up."If anything I was extremely proud of what she chosen and what she had written in her speech," he added.

"She wanted to celebrate being British, she couldn't understand what was wrong with that.

"She wasn't the only kid picked out either - one child from a farming background was turned away at the gates for wearing traditional flat-cap and checked shirt.

"Another with a St Georges flag and another with a Welsh flag were not allowed in either. It was ridiculous.

"It just seemed anything that was remotely British wasn't allowed.

"It's ironic they were having a cultural diversity day but then decided to single out a group of people.

"Others were allowed in burkas, niqabs or traditional Nigerian clothing.

"They didn't even read or listen to her speech which actually celebrates inclusivity and other cultures.

"It was just like British culture could not be celebrated. She was punished for being proud of being British.

Stuart says the school backtracked and eventually apologised believing it was only after the school governors became involved.

"But the damage had already been done, Courtney should not be have been made to feel that way," he said.

"I put a post on Facebook and I've had messages of support from all over the world really, from Poland to Australia to America.

"Everybody is saying how ridiculous it is that any young person cannot celebrate where they are from.

"The school now want her to come back and read the speech, but she doesn't feel comfortable about it or wearing the dress anymore.

"She feels like the school is parading her a bit now. It could have all been avoided if the school just followed their own policy of inclusivity and let everyone share a little about their culture."

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.”

Courtney speech for cultural day reads as follows:

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.