A fuming mum has hit out at her daughter's school after she was banned from the classroom for wearing a nose stud.
Karen Lunn says her 11-year-old daughter Macie has been unfairly punished after she was separated from her friends and sent to sit in a "reflection class" because the piercing goes against school uniform policy.
Macie got the piercing during the summer holidays as part of her 11th birthday gifts.
Karen says the schoolgirl had pleaded for months to get her nose pierced and she finally relented - unaware it was against school rules.
According to the mum, a teacher at New College in Leicester, then spotted Macie's piercing and she pulled from her class.
While Karen admits she is partly at fault, she is demanding the school relax its uniform policy and claims her daughter is being "unfairly punished" by the school - being barred from PE classes and is not being allowed out during break times.
Ms Lunn told LeicestershireLive: "She is being made to sit in a separate class - called a reflection class- where she doesn't get to do the normal work. She just gets to read for a few hours.
"She wears all the correct uniform and has all the right equipment - she has always been described as a willing and caring person.
"She has never had any problems."
According to the school uniform policy, which is made available to parents and prospective parents, New College allows studded ear-piercings.
Karen says her daughter's nose stud is "no different", however the school apparently do not agree Karen says they have told her that Macie would have to remove the piercing before being allowed back into normal classes.
However Karen claims the piercing cannot be removed during its healing process as it could become infected.
Macie has told her mum she has noticed older pupils and even teachers at the school do not adhere to the uniform policy.
Her mum added: "In Macie's old school, the pupils were treated as equals and the staff wouldn't wear something the children couldn't.
"It seems like the older children can get away with what they want but they think they need to come down hard on the younger ones.
"They should be setting an example if they want to set such a high standard."
Jane Brown, the school's principal said: "We have a very well established uniform policy and this is communicated clearly with all parents and prospective parents.
"There is no current intention to change this policy or to reduce our high expectations."
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