Anger as boy, 11, punished for wearing socks with spots at Astrea Academy Sheffield

Sacha Egerton-Fearn, 11, had been wearing the same style on his feet since September with his school uniform at Astrea Academy Sheffield, near Pitsmoor. But he fell foul of the rules when teachers held a sock inspection on Wednesday.

Now his mum, Lorna, is angry with the school for handing him three minus points – effectively a football style yellow card – because of the garments which she says would be acceptable in any smart workplace.

The school policy is black socks. Sacha’s were black, but with red spots on them as well.

He was then issued with the same penalty again the following day, after he arrived in a similar pair which were the only clean change of socks he had after spending Wednesday night at his father’s house.

He was initially asked by his teacher to put on another black pair over his spotty socks – but that plan was abandoned when it became clear the children’s socks he was offered were far too small for his size 10 feet.

Lorna said: “My son started year seven with some lovely dress socks that we thought were perfectly suitable – they’re the sort of things people wear with suits.

“They’re saying you can only wear black socks, but this was not really enforced until this week. He’s been wearing this pair since September. This week his form teacher carried out a sock check. Sacha’s had spots on so he was punished.

“I’ve managed to root through to find some plain black ones. But if I had not been able to, would I have been expected to go and buy some before school, or send him in without socks?

“I just think they need to cut the pupils some slack after all they’ve been through with the pandemic and lockdowns. It’s as though coronavirus didn’t happen.”

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She said she wanted one of the directors of the Astrea Schools trust to explain the rule.

Astrea Academy Sheffield said in a statement: “Astrea Academy Sheffield is committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning. Our uniform policy has been regularly communicated to parents and carers and is also available to view online.

“Our staff also communicate the policy to scholars daily, this includes the procedures if uniform standards are not met

“This week we have run a series of behaviour and expectations reset sessions, where through extended assemblies and specific time with form tutors, we have reminded scholars about their personal responsibilities around uniform.

“If parents have any concerns, we encourage them to raise these with us directly. We are committed to supporting families of our scholars where needed.”

When the academy first opened in 2018, executive principal, Kim Wilson, described the school as a ‘vibrant and exciting learning community’ where everyone is committed to helping each student reach their full potential, no matter what their individual starting point.

Pupils were initially based in the refurbished Grade II-listed former Pye Bank School building, on Andover Street, while work on the secondary school and sixth form opposite got underway. The new, state-of-the-art secondary school building officially opened its doors in 2019.