Mum rages at school for booting daughters out for wearing wellies then leaving them on empty farm

Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info

Join us on WhatsApp

A farmer has expressed her intention to take further action after her daughters were suspended from school for participating in a welly boot protest.

Alice Hatt, alongside her partner, is incensed and bewildered following an incident where, she claims, a teacher took the girls "home" to a farm that wasn't theirs, leaving them unsupervised for two hours.

The family, who rear beef and sheep on 800 acres at Tregrylls Farm in Lesnewth, situated between Boscastle and Davidstow, are concerned about the government's changes to inheritance tax which could affect their children's future inheritance of the farm. Despite being too occupied to join Tuesday's London protest, Alice's daughters, Kimberly, 12, and Pippa, 13, decided to show their support by wearing wellies to Sir James Smith's School in Camelford, as did many other farming children nationwide, reports Cornwall Live.

Alice recounts the events: "The girls wanted to do it and I was very proud of them that they stood up for what they believe in and they didn't back down. However, after about an hour and a half I got a phone call from the school saying I needed to bring shoes in for the girls. I told them we were out TB testing so couldn't get there until the end of the day.

"I asked if they could just wear wellies for one day to support farmers, but they said 'no, if they're not going to change their shoes, they're suspended'. So they put my two girls in a car with a teacher who drove them to a farm we farm but don't live at.

"They didn't even take them to the farmyard, they drove them halfway down the lane and left them there for two hours unsupervised. It's literally just a farm with animals and slurry pits - all the dangers that a farm has."

Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

She alleges that after two hours, a school staff member collected the girls from the deserted farm and returned them to Sir James Smith's. "They missed lunch and had to wait until 3pm when I could pick them up," their mother added.

Alice is determined to escalate the matter: "Surely you have no right to be driving my children anywhere and leaving them unsupervised? " This family is among many in the area who have allowed their children to participate in the welly protest. "The school didn't like it, even though we had to support them when the teachers were protesting. My kids had five days off school last year because they were all up London protesting their pay. I find it very hypocritical to be honest with you.

"They were in full school uniform, they had their wellies on as well, which were clean. They didn't go to school covered in dirt or anything. It was one day to make a stand when they [teachers] had five days last year to make a stand for their cause.

"The girls weren't doing it to follow a crowd, they were doing it because it's their life and future."

The family espoused, deeply rooted in their own farmland, hoping the next generation will inherit it. However, as current situations unfold, they expressed dismay: "That was the plan but obviously nothing's going smoothly with that anymore. I think the inheritance tax is an absolute disgrace. It's a kick in the teeth to farmers everywhere."

Another local parent and friend of Alice, voicing her support on Facebook, shared her stance before the welly protest: "Let's make this very clear - my children will be wearing wellies tomorrow at school. I think it's disgusting that the schools have not made more of a statement supporting our farmers, especially as we are a country community and a large amount of our families in school are farmers."

She scornfully mentioned inconsistent policies: "Don't use the excuse of school policy as they can dress up for Children in Need, Halloween and any other charity or time that suits. I'm pretty sure that this is one of the biggest things in the country that needs to be supported now and for the future, and people need to be educated about the effects of farming and, God forbid, not having farmers."

Her diatribe continued, lambasting the educational systems priorities: "The schools are so worried about A* student grades and how it makes them look on paper, but none of this teaches them how to live, to feed themselves and how to look after the countryside we live in. So YES my children will be wearing wellies to support our lifestyles, our livelihood and our country."

Despite numerous attempts to contact Sir James Smith's School and the Westcountry Schools Trust, which oversees the school, for a response to Alice's concerns, we have yet to receive any reply.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.