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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To tell her school that they can deal with it if they have an issue? Re uniform rules

423 replies

ThatAdeptFish · 03/03/2024 13:41

dd is 16 and has recently gotten highlights in her natural brown hair so it’s more of a blonde now. She asked me to pay for her to have it done a while back, I said we didn’t have the money but she’s recently gotten a job and spent her first pay check on getting it done. I thought her natural hair looked nice but what she’s had done does look nice too. Doesn’t look natural as such, you can tell it’s been highlighted but it’s still a normal colour, it’s not like she’s dyed it pink or anything.

Anyway, school rules say only natural hair colours are allowed, I did tell her that before she had it done but she said that the school don’t care and other people have highlighted hair and no one says anything.

well I have had no less than 4 phone calls from the school about her hair in the past 2 weeks, saying that school rules don’t allow it and she’s refusing to dye it back so can I please talk to her and make sure she dyed it back.

I did talk to her in fairness, and she said that the school are just being ridiculous and she’s not dying it back after she spent money getting it done. School have said she will have detentions until it is dyed back. She’s in year 12 if that makes a difference, she said that they’re stricter with lower school but in sixth form they don’t really care too much, well at least that’s what she told me.

AIBU to tell the school that if they have a problem with her hair, they can give her detentions, use whatever sanctions they use, but to leave me out of it from now on? She’s 16, she has a job, I literally have no power to make her dye her hair back, she’s not a small child, and she can deal with the consequences if she doesn’t do what the school have asked, but realistically I don’t know what they want me to do about it? In every other way she’s great, she helps around the house, does her homework, goes to her job, and I really don’t consider her hair to be worth picking a fight with her over.

OP posts:
Varua · 03/03/2024 13:44

Her choice, her consequences... she knew the rule. Fair enough that you tell the school that you support their sanctions, but you can't drag her to the hairdressers ... so they can give her detention for a long as they want.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 03/03/2024 13:45

My understanding of this rul (our school has same) was to discourage mad rainbow colours) so surely sensible highlights may not be her natural colour but are a natural colour IYSWIM?

To be honest I would just tell them yup, she's now dyed it back. Good luck to them proving she hasn't.

TyneTeas · 03/03/2024 13:45

I'd look at the wording of the policy

Does natural hair colours mean only your own unaltered natural hair colour, or does it mean you can have other hair colours as long as they are ones that are the same as natural ones, so like you said not pink

SpringOfContentment · 03/03/2024 13:46

If she ties it back for a few weeks until it has softenen slightly, would that work? Or will it still be obvious?

Zonder · 03/03/2024 13:48

You'd think schools would have other things to focus on at this point in her school career. I can't stand this nit picking. She's 16, she has highlights, she hasn't gone in with tattoos and purple hair.

HaPPy8 · 03/03/2024 13:48

How ridiculous! What a lot of fuss about nothing. Good for your daughter saving up to have it done.

TotHappy · 03/03/2024 13:48

Cheeky fuckers

MrsVeryTired · 03/03/2024 13:48

I agree with the above, its a "natural looking" hair colour, its just not hers Grin
Agree with @tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz she's dyed it back Wink

Gymmum82 · 03/03/2024 13:48

I’d just tell them she’s spent £200 odd quid dying her hair she’s not going to dye it back. It’s not pink. It’s natural highlights. It’s staying as it is end of. Don’t call me again

ilovesooty · 03/03/2024 13:49

She's old enough to deal with school herself without you being involved. FWIW if her hair is simply a slightly changed colour rather than something theatrically outrageous I think the school is being ridiculous.

FabFebHalfTerm · 03/03/2024 13:49

is the colour itself one that is natural on others?

Does the rule say 'natural colour or the child's natural own natural colour?

Do you have a photo?

FabFebHalfTerm · 03/03/2024 13:50

X posted with everyone!!

Wakeywake · 03/03/2024 13:51

Well, if she dyes it back it's not going to be any more of a natural colour than it currently is, so what's their point?

blaringcube · 03/03/2024 13:51

Rules are rules.

WhateverMate · 03/03/2024 13:51

ilovesooty · 03/03/2024 13:49

She's old enough to deal with school herself without you being involved. FWIW if her hair is simply a slightly changed colour rather than something theatrically outrageous I think the school is being ridiculous.

This ^^

She's made her bed, she's old enough to lie in it.

ThatAdeptFish · 03/03/2024 13:52

Not DD but a photo I found on the internet, looks quite similar to this

To tell her school that they can deal with it if they have an issue? Re uniform rules
OP posts:
BabyofMine · 03/03/2024 13:52

Wakeywake · 03/03/2024 13:51

Well, if she dyes it back it's not going to be any more of a natural colour than it currently is, so what's their point?

This is a very good point. It will still be dyed hair?! How utterly pathetic of them. No wonder more people are homeschooling when this is how schools are wasting their energy.

Createausername1970 · 03/03/2024 13:52

If your daughter is helpful, responsible, holding down a part time job and studying, then she seems to be maturing into a capable adult, so I would be a bit hands off with this and let her deal with it. If it starts to impact on studying then you might have to step in, but realistically it will be mostly grown out after the Easter hols.

reallyworriedjobhunter · 03/03/2024 13:53

Really not sure why hair colour of any hue is any of school's business. If they are there and in uniform and behaving and performing in lessons what difference does it make?

Pr0fessionalLurker · 03/03/2024 13:54

The school are making a fuss over nothing. As a PP says, if she dyes it darker it will still be dyed. But that's acceptable? They need to clarify - so they can see how ridiculous they are being - exactly what dyes are allowed and what aren't.

DD goes to a pretty strict grammar and they wouldn't bat an eyelid at a dye job like the one you imaged.

PermanentIyExhaustedPigeon · 03/03/2024 13:54

YAtotallyNBU

School are being utterly ridiculous.

Icystars · 03/03/2024 13:55

The school is pathetic. I’d understand if she had pink / purple highlights but if they are blonde then they are a natural hair colour - just not her natural hair colour!

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 03/03/2024 13:55

Also I'm guessing she's shortly going to be doing her GCSEs? How ridiculous of them to be over focusing on this when she has much more pressing matters on her plate

GreenAppleCrumble · 03/03/2024 13:58

I really hate it when schools are pathetic about things like this. And I’m a teacher.

MrsVeryTired · 03/03/2024 13:58

If her hair looks like the pic the teachers are probably jealous Grin ( a 16yr old with a part time job has better hair!)
(I work in a school)