A diversity day at a secondary school in Warwickshire ended in upset and apologies after a 12-year-old girl wearing a union flag dress was prevented from delivering a speech she had written about British culture.
Pupils at Bilton school in the village of Bilton, Rugby, were invited to take part in “culture day”, dedicated to “recognising and celebrating the rich cultural diversity within our school community”. Children were encouraged to wear outfits that reflected their nationality or family heritage to the event last Friday.
Courtney Wright, a year 7 pupil, donned a union flag dress similar to – though more demure than – one worn by the Spice Girl Geri Halliwell in 1997.
Her father, Stuart Field, said his daughter was removed from the celebration day and was not allowed to deliver her speech, which was intended to celebrate British values of fairness and politeness, as well as traditions such as drinking tea, talking about the weather and eating fish and chips.
The school subsequently offered its apologies to Courtney. It said it deeply regretted the distress caused by the incident and was committed to “learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage”.
In a post on Facebook last Friday, Field wrote: “On my way to collect my daughter from school. She’s currently being made to sit at reception waiting for me. The reason? It’s cultural diversity day at school where children can wear clothing representing their culture and write a speech about their heritage. She’s been told it’s not for her as she gets to celebrate being British every day.”
A statement issued on behalf of the school by the Stowe Valley Multi Academy Trust said: “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.”
The statement added: “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. We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued and included.”