Teenager forced to shave off his mullet after school found it ‘unprofessional’

“I don’t know why a 15-year-old needs to be considered professional,” angry mum, Naomi, fumes at the British school. 

A British schoolboy has been forced to rid himself of his “Aussie haircut” after it was deemed inappropriate for the education facility. 

Toby, a 15-year-old boy from Northwest England, arrived at St Aidan's Catholic Academy with his fresh new hairdo - a mullet. 

It reportedly took him a year and a half to grow out the luscious hairstyle, but as soon as he arrived on the school steps, he was taken into isolation and kept away from his friends for an entire school day. 

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RELATED: Students at Melbourne high school spark outrage over ‘extreme’ ban on mullets

The teen was sent to isolation after attending school with the mullet, Source: Just Giving

School told teenager to remove his mullet

New changes to the school’s uniform policy found the hairstyle “too extreme” for the school, and he was ordered to get rid of it. 

He was given a week to change his hair, but when he suggested raising money for charity, the school extended the deadline. 

“I don’t know why a 15-year-old needs to be considered professional. The general gist was that it was considered extreme,” Toby’s mum, Naomi, told My London. 

His mother claims the school is targeting her son, revealing he had been previously isolated for wearing his hair too short. 

“They didn’t allow skin fades,” she said. “Strangely, they relaxed that haircut rule, and they were allowed to have skin fades. He was the only boy with a mullet in school, and they didn’t like it.” 

Following the order from the school, Toby requested to have it shaved off for Newcastle Hospitals Charity, dedicated to the ward that saved his grandfather’s life the year before.

“I was fuming when my [mum] told me the school said my mullet had to go,” he said. 

“But then I thought about doing the fundraiser and making a bit of money for charity and I felt better about it.”

The teenager set a goal of raising £200 (AUD$381) but has already tripled it, raising £603 (AUD$1150) to date. 

RELATED: 'Get a $20 haircut on arrival or go home': Sydney school's mullet crackdown

He decided to raise money for a Newcastle hospital as an incentive for having his iconic 'do. Source: Just Giving

Crackdown on iconic Aussie hairstyle in schools

In Australia, the mullet has become a hairstyle of contention, with some schools already banning the controversial hairstyle from schools. 

In mid-October, Catholic school Emmanuel College faced backlash after banning the hairstyle from its school uniform policy. 

“When students make a choice not to observe these standards, they are choosing to disregard college expectations, and staff will be obliged to issue consequences to assist the students to be responsible for their choices,” read a statement from the school. 

Another Catholic school, Waverley College, also made waves for its ban on the Aussie haircut, but many students failed to comply with the strict regulations. 

In response to the lack of compliance, the school’s deputy principal, Gabby Smith, sent a letter to parents. 

“If your son arrives at the college at the commencement of term two with a haircut that is not in line with college policy, he will either be sent home on his first day or we will have a hairdresser on site where he can receive a haircut at the cost of $20, charged to his school fees account,” read the letter. 

While this rule is becoming commonplace for Australian schools, it appears St Aidan's Catholic Academy is the first British school to enforce such a uniform policy. 

As for Toby’s mullet, he plans to regrow it, but there’s a strict caveat. “As soon as I’ve finished school,” he said.

Originally published as Teenager forced to shave off his mullet after school found it ‘unprofessional’