A mother has decided to take her 15-year-old daughter out of school rather than make her remove her nose piercing.
Louise McNamara, 52, has removed her daughter, Shannon, from the Oxford Academy in the city, after the Year 11 pupil was told to take out her tiny nose stud as it was against school rules.
The school said Shannon would be educated in isolation if she refused to take out the stud.
But Ms McNamara saw that as an unfair punishment and so removed her from the school just weeks before her GCSE mock exams.
The Oxford Academy has warned Ms Mcnamara that she faces prosecution if she keeps her daughter at home.
Louise McNamara has removed her daughter, Shannon, from the Oxford Academy in the city, after the Year 11 was told to take out her tiny nose stud as it was against school rules
Shannon, who lives with her mother in Greater Leys, Oxford, got the piercing on Saturday as an early present for her 16th birthday in December.
Although she knew there were rules against facial piercings, she claimed other girls in Year 11 got away with wearing small studs.
But when she arrived at Oxford Academy on Monday, the head of Year 11 spotted the stud and took her out of her class.
The teacher contacted Ms McNamara and said Shannon would be educated in isolation until she agreed to take the stud out.
However she refused to let Shannon study in isolation for the eight weeks she’s been told to keep the stud in and so removed her from the school.
Oxford Academy (pictured), which has 1,240 pupils aged 11-19, has warned Ms McNamara faces prosecution if she continues to keep Shannon at home
Ms McNamara has claimed Oxford Academy can resolve the situation by giving Shannon her school work to take home.
The co-educational academy, which has 1,240 pupils aged 11-19, has warned Ms McNamara faces prosecution if she continues to keep Shannon at home.
Speaking to The Oxford Mail Ms McNamara said: ‘They have said they will not give her any work.
‘She needs work because it’s her final year and she’s taking mock GCSE exams in the next few weeks.
‘I do sympathise with the need for rules, but there are girls walking around with ear studs bigger than her nose stud and girls with eyebrow piercings.’
Shannon said she was ‘annoyed’ by the situation and insisted she wanted to get on with her school work.
The school’s policy on piercings states that students are allowed to have one small stud in each ear, a watch, and no other jewellery should be worn.
Oxford Academy deputy head teacher Sally Elliott said: ‘Ms Mcnamara asked us to send Shannon home with eight weeks’ worth of work and we wouldn’t authorise a student being off for that period of time, so we said “we expect her in school”.
‘If she is unable to take the stud out she will be isolated from the rest of the school but she’ll be able to do her work.
‘Anyone we spot with unauthorised piercings will be dealt with in the same way.
‘It helps students not get distracted from their education and helps them learn that there are rules in life.
‘Shannon has been here five years…we’ve never allowed nasal piercings before and we’re not going to allow them now.’