A school in Lincolnshire has banned mirrors from the bathrooms after claiming vain students spend too long looking at their reflection.
Grant Edgar, headmaster at William Farr Church of England Comprehensive School in Welton, has made the changes after pupils reportedly spent all their time congregating in the lavatories, causing them to turn up late to lessons and make other students feel uncomfortable.
Mr Edgar told the BBC mirrors were responsible for ‘some issues at transition times’ which was ‘affecting punctuality’.
Any student who requires a mirror ‘for a medical purpose’ can request one at the reception, he added.
But parents have hit back at the ‘silly’ and ‘extreme’ measures, and have branded Mr Edgar’s decision as ‘a bit strange’.
A parent named Kelly, who did not give her last name, told the Telegraph she was concerned the decision would cause issues for her daughter, who has contact lenses and braces.
‘She does need a mirror if she needs to get her contact lenses out,’ she said, claiming that the decision does ‘not get rid of any issues’.
Another parent, also called Kelly, said the school’s decision to remove the mirrors was ‘silly’ and ‘a bit extreme’.
‘They’re just mirrors, aren’t they?’ she told the publication. ‘We have mirrors at home, why can’t we have them in school?’
However, another parent named Karen said she supported the change, suggesting it meant her daughter could now get to class on time instead of checking that her eyelashes ‘hadn’t fallen off’.
Child psychologist Emma Kenny said that although schools have ‘a right to institute rules,’ children should be ‘part of decisions’ that affect their lives.
‘You don’t know what’s going on in that kid’s life,’ she said. ‘That hub in the bathroom where they are checking make-up and covering spots can be powerfully important to them.’
A question would be asking why children feel the need to spend so much of their time hanging out in the bathrooms in the first place, she added.
In 2023, Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester replaced mirrors in girls toilets with posters describing make-up as a ‘harmful drug’ that makes women ‘feel ugly’.
In a bizarre move, the doors to the toilets were also removed to allow teachers to view the washing areas.
The ‘motivational’ messages about inner beauty were plastered on the walls of the bathrooms at the school.
One read: ‘If all girls started wearing no make-up and comfortable clothes, guys would have no choice but to fall for girls because of natural beauty.’
Another said: ‘Dear girls, Make-up is a harmful drug. Once you start using it, you’ll feel ugly without it.’
In response, a parent said: ‘Is the school really telling girls that putting lipstick on is as bad as injecting heroin or taking crack cocaine?
‘Yes, girls need to be taught about inner beauty, but this approach is plain wrong.’
Headmaster Neil Morris was later forced to admit that his decision was a mistake as he tried to quell the protests from parents and students.
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