Kicked out of school for having red hair: Pupil, 14, suspended for dying her hair an 'unnatural' colour



Natural brunette Fern Burke, 14, dyed her hair red over the summer

The teenager has been banned from lessons at Middleton Technology School until her hair is darker

Mother Tracey Burke tried darkening it twice with brown dye but has been told her daughter's hair is still too bright



Banned: Fern Burke, 14, has been told she cannot attend school until her hair is darker

A teenage pupil has been banned from school because teachers said her dyed hair was an ‘unnatural’ colour.



Fern Burke, 14, was told she could not return to classes at Middleton Technology School in Rochdale until her hair is darker.



Fern’s mother, Tracey Burke, has attempted to darken it twice but after being told Fern's hair was still too bright she refuses to use a darker black dye because she fears her daughter would be bullied.



Fern - a natural brunette - dyed her hair red over the summer but claims the colour faded over the summer.



But within minutes of returning for the new school term her mother received a phone call saying Fern’s hair was too bright.



Mrs Burke then darkened it with two bottles of brown dye - but teachers said that it still wasn’t ‘natural’ enough.



Fern, who lives in Searness Road, Middleton, with her mother, father Patrick brother Dion, 17, and sister Grace, two, is now missing lessons.



Mrs Burke, herself a primary school teaching assistant, said: 'Fern had always wanted to experiment and dye her hair red.



'As I know this is not allowed in school, we waited for the summer holidays to dye it.



'After seven weeks off, the colour had faded significantly and she returned to school.



'She was told the colour was still too red so at the weekend we dyed her hair twice with dark brown.'



Mrs Burke said she refuses to dye Fern’s hair any darker, and added: 'The last time she dyed her hair black she was bullied.



Angry: Fern's mother Tracey Burke said she has already twice tried to darken her daughter's hair with brown dye - but teachers argue it is still too bright

Unfair: Mrs Burke said while bright hair dyes are not allowed at Middleton Technology School she allowed her daughter to use a temporary dye she believed would have faded by the time the new school term started

'Understandably, she doesn’t want to experience this again.'



She added: 'I do not think it is fair considering there are teachers at the school with purple hair or highlights which are not natural colours.

'I understand the need for rules within the school in preparation for the working environment - but you tell me a job where you would be sent home or fired for the colour of your hair. She needs to be getting on with work.



'She’s just started Year 10 and needs to focus on her GCSEs.'

