Dad left furious as daughter is made to change her boots everyday at Northampton Academy

A dad has been left furious as his daughter is being made to change her boots everyday and wear shoes from lost property.

The dad, whose daughter is in year nine at Northampton Academy, has been wearing plain black boots that come to her ankle since October last year.

Since the beginning of January, the 13-year-old's footwear has been picked up on by teachers and staff at the school.

According to the school’s uniform policy, boots are not allowed and shoes have to be ‘black and polishable’, but he does not believe this is a fair or useful policy.

The dad said: “They are black polishable boots that come just over the ankle. When she is wearing her trousers you can’t tell that they are boots.

“She walks to school everyday so the boots are better for her. They keep her feet dry, they’re sturdy and they support her.

“The shoes she’s had previously get wrecked and she ends up having to walk around with wet feet all day.

“These seem to be the only shoes that last her.”

The teenager is being asked to change her shoes ‘literally everyday’ according to her dad.

And when this happens she has to go to a place called the ‘boot room’ where she has to swap her boots for another pair of shoes.

The parent added: “She’s made to swap shoes and they expect her to wear shoes from there.

“Most of the times they have done it the shoes are too small, too big, falling apart or in a terrible state.

“Her boots don’t have fancy buckles on them, they’re just black shoes that happen to come up over the ankles.

“I am concerned about her safety and wellbeing.

“They take her out of lessons to change her boots and she will spend half an hour at the boot room waiting for someone to come along, all the while she is missing out on lessons.

“If she was wearing high heels I could understand it but there are more major infringements that they do not pick up on.”

Since the start of the year, both of the girl's parents have had a lot of correspondence with the school about the issue.

But he says they’re now at an ‘end pass’ as he believes the shoes are appropriate, but the school maintains the shoes are not allowed.

The dad says he ‘just wants his daughter to be left alone and be allowed to get on with her school work’.

A spokeswoman for Northampton Academy said: “We are proud of our high standards of uniform, attitudes and behaviour at Northampton Academy, as recognised in our recent ‘Good’ Ofsted report.

“Most students readily comply with our uniform rules, which are clearly communicated each academic year. Like at many other schools, boots are not allowed.

“As a school, we need to apply rules consistently and fairly. If a student comes to school wearing incorrect uniform, they are provided with spares as they arrive so they can continue their studies as normal.

“Likewise, we work closely with parents and families to ensure everyone is able to obtain the correct items, including offering financial support where necessary.”