Last updated 15:54, Wednesday, 19 March 2008

SIR – His staff and Governors as well as the significant majority of reasonable parents and children at Whitehaven School ought to congratulate Mr Smith, the Headmaster, for the assertion of his authority on their behalf regarding the extreme hairstyle of young Mr Percival aged 12 years.

Joker?: Curtis Percival who was excluded from school for his playing card haircut.

Value judgements about the quality of the haircut and the style are not the most important issue. As many would find the artistic endeavour pleasing as would find it doubtful. And it is true that physical appearance ought not of necessity to have an impact upon the engagement of a child with its learning any more than the constant, incessant and unnecessary imposition of formal testing on a child should be allowed to impact upon its wider education.

The issue is how far the fudging and uncertainty about authority in schools which have been caused by this Government’s policies on individuals’ freedoms and rights within the framework of that overused, now boring phrase ‘political correctness’ have constrained Heads of schools during the past eleven years.

It is refreshing at long last to witness publicly a Head prepared to stand his ground though to my certain knowledge; there is much private, unheralded good practice in many schools.

If the rights of the majority of children from responsible families who want a productive learning experience and who have the right to a decent quality of life in schools are to be upheld, the authority for what is allowed to transpire in schools must rest with the school management provided it is used justly in the cause of the best interests of all pupils. And all of us who wish for a responsible society must do all we can to support schools.The authority for what takes place in schools cannot rest with individual pupils or with individual parents.

This country cannot rediscover its morale until the greater good of all becomes central to the education of every child including the present minority of pupils whose selfish behaviour causes the loss of far too much quality learning time for the willing majority of pupils who are interested, motivated and self challenging.

Jim FORD

Wigton