A Derry student has started a petition against his school’s clean-shaven policy.

Carrick McClean says he was removed from his class at St Columb’s College for growing a beard and placed in a study room.

The school says the matter is currently being discussed with the student council.

17 year old Carrick says he would be happier if he could just be himself:

Before I went on Christmas break my Year Head approached me and said ‘you’ll need to shave, we’ll give you the option to shave here in school or you can go home and shave.

The young man said he was “fed-up of it all” and didn’t want to be clean-shaven just for school.

It was after he refused to shave that he was sent to the study.

More than 2,500 people have signed the petition for Carrick to be allowed to grow his beard while he attends school.