School uniform row: Furious father confronts headmaster who sent children home

Nearly 80 pupils turned away from secondary in Kent over supposed dress code violations

Dave Hopper (right) confronted Matthew Tate about the new policy outside the school gates (YouTube)

A furious father has been filmed confronting a headteacher over his draconian school uniform policies.

Dave Hopper argued with Matthew Tate outside the school gates of Hartsdown Academy in Margate, Kent after his daughter, Kim, became one of nearly 80 children sent home for wearing the wrong uniform in the firt week of the new term.

The 13-year-old was turned awa on Tuesday for not wearing a blazer as teachers performed strict uniform checks under the command of newly appointed Mr Tate.

The second day she was turned away again for wearing suede, brogue-like shoes.

In the footage Mr Tate is seen pointing at the shoes, saying: “These are not school shoes, I’m sorry”.

Mr Hopper replies: “Are you for real? Look, they are perfectly black, they are perfectly normal, everyday shoes.”

Mr Tate is heard insisting they were not plain black leather shoes, because they are “obviously made of suede”, before telling Mr Hopper to go out and buy a new pair of shoes.

The family have since said they plan to remove their daughter from the academy.

Police were called to the scene on Tuesday following reports of a disturbance after outraged parents protested about the new rules.

Parent Lorna Bristow told KentOnline: "I didn't receive a letter and I know of other parents who haven't either.

"My son was turned away this morning because he was wearing shoes that looked like trainers. They were okay last year, so why aren't they now?"

But Mr Tate defended the move saying: "This is a school that has been underperforming and we are determined to do the very best by the children of Thanet, this is part of raising expectations and standards so that every child has a fantastic education.

"A small minority of parents were not happy but we have had emails and phone calls from other parents to express their support and they said this is a good thing, that it is good to set standards and they want the best for the children."

He said uniform enforcement improved behaviour and that with good behaviour, students could receive up to 19 days more schooling on aggregate.