Role Model:
a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated.

Michael Fabricant is Lichfield’s veteran MP. His majority has increased by a hundredfold between 1997 and 2019.¹This is despite the fact that he isn’t an indentikit Conservative. Michael’s taken drugs and is bi-sexual.² Is he a good role model for the children of his electorate?

The Behaviour codes of six Lichfield secondary schools suggest ‘No’. The uniform and behaviour codes reflect the values of the 1950s and are enforced with uncompromising disciplinary procedures.

Michael is famous for his hair style, see below, and he’d be banned from all six of Lichfield’s schools if he were a student.

Lichfield’s Secondary Schools

King Edward VI  appears in the list of Lichfield schools as the ‘best’.³ Their uniform policy is extremely prescriptive and they say this about students’ hair,

Extreme hair styles are not permitted – this includes hair dyed an unnatural colour, or patterns shaved into the hair.³

Erasmus Darwin Academy is a carbon copy of King Edward. Their hair policy is, Extreme hairstyles (such as shaved emblems or lines, unnatural colour dyes, or extreme differences in length) are not allowed.⁴

The Rawlett School, despite having an exhaustive behaviour policy extending to 23 pages, there’s no mention of hair as a contested arena. They do have a fingernail policy, No acrylic or gel nails or fake eyelashes.⁵ This innocuous policy became a cause celebre in a ‘Mission Creep’ development.
Chase Terrace Academy go with the flow hair policy-wise but add ‘bells and whistles’, No extreme hairstyles are permitted (including tramlines and Mohican styles). Also, no strongly contrasting or unnatural colouring. Hair bands should be plain and inconspicuous – no flowers or other adornments are permitted.⁶

The Friary School says, Extremes of hairstyle are not allowed. This would include, but not be limited to, colourings that cannot be naturally grown, any kind of patterning, or lengths of cut that the school considers to be inappropriate.⁷

Nether Stowe School add nothing, Hairstyles should be neat with no extremes in style, cut or colour. Hair length should not be less than grade 2. Long hair must be tied back for all practical subjects.^8,9

Discussion

Lichfield’s schools have a militaristic approach to appearance. The extracts above show how they micro-manage their students. Therefore, Michael is a good  role model. He demonstrates success isn’t achieved by brutish conformity to by-gone eras. Lichfield’s schools should follow their students’ parents who don’t care about Michael’s flamboyant lifestyle.

Notes

1 Lichfield (UK Parliament constituency) – Wikipedia
2 “Sexually, I was far more active with women than I ever have been with blokes, if I’m honest, but I won’t go into detail.” Is Michael Fabricant’s hair real? | indy100
3 Top 10 Secondary Schools in Lichfield District (2022 Ratings) (snobe.co.uk) All the schools discussed in this blog come from this site
3 Uniform | King Edward VI School Lichfield (keslichfield.org.uk)
4 EDA-WAY-2022-2023.pdf
5 2022/23 RAWLETT SCHOOL Behaviour policy – Google Docs For the fingernail policy outcome see School bans students from having long fingernails (yahoo.com)
6 Uniform – Chase Terrace Academy
7 Uniform – The Friary School This statement, “the school considers to be inappropriate.” Means ‘if we don’t like it you can’t have it.’
8 School Uniform and PE Kit – Nether Stowe School
9 Watch a 17-Year-Old David Bowie Give a Rare Interview on Long Hair and Gender | Vogue