My daughter has been banned from school for the slightest reason – and I refuse to back down, even though I could get a criminal record and lose my job.

A mother is facing a lawsuit and could end up losing her job for refusing to accept a school fine after her teenage daughter was banned from classes because she had her ears pierced.

Last May, Helen Ghent was shocked when she returned home to find her 14-year-old daughter Lucille had been taken out of class and placed in isolation.

The teenager returned to Newark’s Magnus Church of England Academy after half term with “tiny” stud earrings, but after being told they were against the school’s uniform policy.

Despite explaining to the school that the earrings needed to be stored for 6-8 weeks to avoid contamination, Ms Ghent says Magnus Academy still refused to allow her daughter to return to class.

The 45-year-old took Lucille out of lessons for five days to home-school her, but she returned the following week with plastic spikes and there were no further problems from staff.

However, when the next school year began, Mrs Ghent received a letter from the school accusing Lucille of accumulating “unauthorised absences” and stating that she had been fined £60, which would double to £120 if not paid within 28 days.

However, despite the prospect of an increased fine and possible legal action, Ms. Ghent refuses to pay the fine because she maintains that the absences were caused by the school and were not its decision.

Now facing a subpoena, Ms. Ghent recalls the incident, claiming, “I took her to school to sign up for classes every day of those five days, and they refused to let her into class.

“It wasn’t a case of me taking her on holiday, I took her and they turned her down. How is this an unauthorized absence.”

Calling the school’s decision to investigate the incident to this extent an “overreaction,” Ms. Ghent shared her bewilderment at why her high-achieving daughter was being treated this way.

With the case currently before Nottinghamshire Crown Court, Ms Ghent has been forced to hire a lawyer.

When discussing the prospect of potentially having a criminal record due to her daughter’s jewelry choices, Ms. Ghent expressed her outrage by stating, “The result of me having a criminal record could prevent me from getting a job in the future and could even affect my job performance.” I am doing currently.

“I am a taxi driver working with vulnerable children and adults. I have a clear DBS check as I work with children and adults.

“But it is required as part of my taxi license and if I then have a criminal record, I will have to ask Newark and Sherwood District Council for permission to have it revoked so I can continue as a taxi driver.”

“If they decide not to do it, I’ll be out of work – it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Ms Ghent has previously called Magnus Academy’s uniform policies “sexist, archaic and inappropriate”, claiming the public school exposes students to “Victorian-style authoritarian politics”.

The perplexed mother added that wearing earrings is part of British culture and “does not affect a child’s ability to learn… Even the NHS has revised its policy to allow stud earrings as they admit it does not prevent their staff from being able to do their jobs and are not an obstacle to health and safety.”

Responding to Ms Ghent’s comments, a spokesman for Magnus Academy said the school’s uniform policy was clearly visible on its website and that the guidelines had not been changed in more than six years.

The spokesman added that the school refrains from issuing expulsions due to uniform violations, instead “working with families” to quickly resolve issues and also providing them with “full teacher support to complete work elsewhere in the school.”