School sparks row by making false eyelashes 'part of its uniform' amid peer pressure from pupils - as parents slam 'society run by children'

• Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, Kent, is now letting pupils wear fake eyelashes

A school has sparked fury after allowing pupils to wear fake eyelashes as part of their uniform.

Parents of children attending Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, Kent, have been left horrified by the new rules, saying the school is giving in to pupils’ demands amid peer pressure from other classmates.

Headteacher David Collins said the decision came after students were missing school to have their lashes removed or refusing to attend without them.

But one mother said the new policy was ‘making eye-lashes part of the uniform’, adding: ‘There is a lot of peer pressure at the school. The next thing would be that they’re going to announce false nailes and then where does it end?

‘We’re a society being run by children, which I’m not going to stand for. Rules are rules and that’s the end of it.’

Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, Kent, where pupils have been allowed to wear fake eyelashes as part of their uniform.

Headteacher David Collins (pictured) said students were missing school to have their lashes removed or refusing to attend without them

The mother said that in allowing fake eyelashes, the school was encouraging the girls to adopt age-inappropriate looks.

She added: ‘It’s quite worrying because are they going to start getting the attention of older men?

‘My daughter is quite tall and slim so she already does look older than she is anyway.

‘It’s quite worrying because are they going to start getting the attention of older men?

‘What are the school going to say when they end up with girls who end up pregnant?’

Parents were sent a letter informing them of the decision after studnets’ attendance was thought to be affected by students wearing them.

Knole Academy has more than 1,300 pupils aged 11 to 19 and sent the letter out earlier this month.

The letter said: ‘We are increasingly seeing attendance affected by students taking time off to have false eyelashes removed or refusing to attend school through mental health considerations.

‘Having students in school is the most important consideration and therefore… we shall allow false eyelashes to be worn as long as they are discreet.

‘We review out school rules on a regular basis and make amendments when changes in society make a previous standpoint redundant or untenable.

‘We are increasingly seeing attendance affected by students taking time off to have false eyelashes removed or refusing to attend school through mental health considerations.

‘We need to balance this against having a standard of dress which helps to create a work ethos and sets parameters for behaviour.

‘In this case, having students in school is the most important consideration and therefore, from Monday 19 February, we shall allow false eyelashes to be worn as long as they are discrete’.

The letter adds rules will also be changed to allow one set of small silver, pearl or crystal studs – rather than just gold.

Read more