SIR,
As a former student of Monmouth Comprehensive School's sixth form, I was outraged to hear that my sister, who is currently a sixth form student in the school, has been given her last warning over her hair colour.
She was asked to cover it overnight, but her hair is not a bright colour. It is brown and blonde.
I think this is very petty, and it is a persons choice at the age of 16 whether or not they carry on with further education, therefore I think that the school should be a bit more lenient with hair colour and uniform.
They should stop focusing on petty things such as this and focus more on the grades of the students and how well they are taught.
Hair colour does not affect the way that students learn, so I cannot see why there is a problem with it; its what makes people individual.
Being a student there myself four years ago, I found the same problem.
If the school had focused on how I was doing with my grades and not on the way I looked I think I would have attended school a bit more often.
Instead I rebelled even more against the constant threat of being excluded from sixth form because of the way I looked, eg the colour of my hair, length of my skirt and the colour of my jacket.
Have the school gone too far?
(Name and address supplied)
•Headteacher of Monmouth Comprehensive Carole Herman issued the following comment about the school's code of appearance: "Monmouth Comprehensive School's expectations about uniform and personal appearance are published in the school's prospectus and are made clear to parents and students.
"Part of young people learning to lead their lives is understanding that, as well as developing as individuals, there are expectations that must be met in any community – in school and in the wider world.
"We believe this is a valuable lesson for all our students."