Wakefield schoolgirl given detention for hugging friend
A teenager at a Wakefield high school was handed detention for hugging her friend.
Natasha Armstrong said her daughter Lillie, a year nine pupil at Trinity Academy Wakefield, was being comforted by her friend when both were handed an hour’s detention.
Natasha, from Thornes, said the hug was to provide support for Lillie’s mental health struggles but it fell foul of the school’s “no touching” rule.
She said the policy was “ridiculous” used in that context and refused to allow her daughter to serve the punishment.
She said: “How can they say children should stay away from each other?
"All the parents I’ve spoken to are shocked. I can't believe they wouldn’t allow that when children are already having a hard time with social media.
"Lillie's scared to go back to school, feels she can't express herself so having a friend to confide in is huge.
"She's being punished for expressing herself and opening herself up. If they tell her she can't do that she'll just withdraw further.”
She said the detention itself was not the issue but the reason it was handed out.
"It was for fighting or mouthing off to teachers, I'd be right behind it,” she said.
Natasha said she was concerned that there may be other young people who struggle with their mental health who need support from their friends at school.
"Kids having a shoulder to cry on at school might be their only outlet,” she said.
A spokesperson for Trinity Academy Cathedral said: “Our no touching rule has been in place since 2021, it was introduced in line with national Ofsted reviews and forms part of our school’s behavioural boundaries framework, which has been consistently applied across the school.
"The rule is designed to support a safe and respectful environment for all students, and as with all aspects of school life, our staff use professional judgement in its day-to-day application.
"We do not comment on individual cases, but as always, we remain fully committed to the wellbeing, safety, and development of every student in our care.
"Any concerns raised are discussed directly with parents.”
Cathedral was rated “outstanding” in all categories following its last Ofsted inspection in 2022.
Its report said leaders had “established very high standards of pupil behaviour” that were “backed by effective systems”.