By Tash Mosheim Published: 04:13 EDT, 5 September 2024 | Updated: 05:06 EDT, 5 September 2024
A ten-year-old girl has been excluded from school after her teachers said her Cruella de Vil-inspired hair was ‘distracting’ to other pupils.Evie Smith split-dyed half of her mousy brown hair blonde to match her favourite Melanie Martinez ahead of her concert in Manchester later this month.The American singer-songwriter is famous for her signature split-dye hairstyle, inspired by Cruella de Vil from the hit film 101 Dalmatians.But when Evie went back to Kincraig Primary School in Blackpool, Lancashire, for the first day of term, she was sent her home.The school informed her that she must revert her hair to its natural colour before she could return. However, her mother April Smith, 35, has decided that Evie’s hairstyle will remain unchanged until after the concert on September 21.She is now home-schooling her daughter. A ten-year-old girl has been excluded from school after her teachers said her Cruella de Vil-inspired hair was ‘distracting’ to other pupils. Evie Smith split-dyed half of her mousy brown hair blonde to match her favourite Melanie Martinez ahead of her concert in Manchester later this month Evie, who is in year six, said: ‘It makes me feel really disappointed in the school. They’ve singled me out because of my hair. ‘It wasn’t distracting, it was in a ponytail and nobody was touching it. All my friends think it’s really cool, but they don’t think it’s distracting’ The American singer-songwriter, Melanie Martinez, is famous for her signature split-dye hairstyle, inspired by Cruella de Vil from the hit film 101 DalmatiansEvie, who is in year six, said: ‘It makes me feel really disappointed in the school. They’ve singled me out because of my hair.’It wasn’t distracting, it was in a ponytail and nobody was touching it. All my friends think it’s really cool, but they don’t think it’s distracting.’She added: ‘I like my hair because it means I can express myself freely.’I love her songs and what she means in them lyrically because she tries to turn bullying words into compliments.’I’m over the roof excited for it and all of the songs are my favourite.’ April said that the school has never raised any concerns about her daughter before. ‘She’s a smart girl, she’s hitting all of her targets, gets good school reports and is never late and never has any time off,’ she said.’We’ve never had any complaints about Evie, all of her friends love her.’Being a child in this day and age, I think it’s really important for them to express themselves.’Evie is so quiet so it was a big thing for her to have her hair dyed.’I thought it was great and I’m proud of her for not being different and for not following the child.’April suffers from fibromyalgia and arthritis and Evie helps her mother cook tea when she’s unable to and helps look after her little sister Trinity, three.School headteacher Karen Appleby said: ‘Kincraig Primary School, like all schools in the country, has a clear uniform policy that we expect our pupils to follow.’On occasion, pupils do arrive at school with hairstyles or uniform that don’t meet our policy.’When this happens, parents are contacted and we ask them to make the necessary alterations.’In regards to this case, it is important to clarify that Evie has not been suspended.’Our priority is to have our pupils learning in class with their friends.’We will continue to work with Evie’s mother to ensure this happens as soon as possible.’
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My daughter, 10, was excluded from school after teachers called her Cruella de Vil-inspired hair ‘distracting’ – but she won’t be changing it