A school which stopped a 12-year-old girl from wearing a Union Jack dress to its culture day has had to close early for the summer after staff received threats and ‘extremist abuse’.
Bilton School in Rugby in Warwickshire said it has closed today ‘in the interests of student and staff safety’ following threats.
It comes after Courtney Wright was stopped at the gates and told to change.
Bilton School told parents it was closing earlier than normal for the summer holidays in a letter sent on Thursday, citing ‘extremist abuse online and via our telephone systems’.
‘The nature and tone of this abuse has escalated in recent days, including personal threats to our staff,’ the letter continued. Ranjit Samra, CEO of Stowe Valley Multi-Academy Trust and headteacher Jayne Delves said staff had been threatened.
The letter said: ‘The nature and tone of this abuse has escalated in recent days including personal threats to staff.’
It continued: ‘While we have been working closely with our multi-agency partners to address the situation, our primary responsibility remains the safety and wellbeing of every child and member of staff.
‘This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We understand the disruption this may cause to your families and your child’s education, but the safety of our school community must come first.’
The letter ended by thanking parents and guardians for their understanding and continued support during a ‘very challenging time’.
‘Straight A’ student Courtney Wright, 12, wore the Spice Girls inspired dress and wrote a speech about history and traditions as part of the celebrations on Friday.
Courtney, was stopped at the school gates by a member of staff and ordered to change after picking it out for Culture Celebration Day.
Courtney’s father Stuart Field, 47, said he was ‘gobsmacked’ to learn his daughter had been segregated from her peers due to her choice of attire.
Mr Field, who works in marine restoration, said: ‘Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn’t understand what she’d done wrong.
‘She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. And she shouldn’t be punished for celebrating British culture and history; nobody else I’ve spoken to can quite get their heads around it.’
‘Another with a St George’s flag and another with a Welsh flag were not allowed in either. It was ridiculous. It just seemed anything that was remotely British wasn’t allowed.’
Courtney said after the ordeal: ‘I felt really embarrassed. I wad made to sit in reception all day. All my friends were getting angry at why the teachers were doing that because my dress was wonderful.’
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appeared to support Courtney’s choice of dress after his spokesperson said he had always been ‘clear that being British is something to be celebrated’.
The PM’s official spokesperson added: ‘You can see that from everything this government has done. We are a tolerant, diverse, open country, proud of being British.’
Mr Field previously told MailOnline: ‘The day was to celebrate everyone’s cultures and Courtney chose this Union Flag dress so she could celebrate hers.
‘She also wrote this speech to go with it and was very proud of what she’d done.
‘The next thing I get a call at work at around 9am to say she’s not allowed in school dressed like that and that it was unacceptable.’
He added: ‘I wasn’t able to get away from work until about midday. They made her sit in reception all morning in front of the receptionists and kept her in isolation.
‘She’s a straight A student, one of the brightest in her year and she’s never been in trouble before so she was really upset.
‘All the kids there are British in my eyes, I like to think I’m a tolerant person but this was just not right.
‘I wanted an answer as to why they thought this was acceptable – and nobody could give me a straight answer, I wanted to know how they had justified it.
‘I spoke to her head of year, and he said he wasn’t the best person to talk to about it, so I can only assume he didn’t really agree with it either.
‘It obviously came from above him but I don’t know for sure who made the decision.
‘I was fobbed off and told that I’d get a phone call and I took Courtney straight out for a nice meal to cheer her up.
‘If anything I was extremely proud of what she chosen and what she had written in her speech.
A spokesman for Stowe Valley Trust said: ‘At Bilton School, we are proud of the diversity of our students and the rich heritage they bring to our community. We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included.
‘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.
‘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.’
