School that took girl out of class for wearing Union Jack dress closes after receiving 'extremist abuse'
The Bilton School in Warwickshire said it had made the "difficult decision" in the "interest of student and staff safety".
Friday 18 July 2025 16:34, UK
A school that took a 12-year-old girl out of a diversity class for wearing a Union Jack dress has told parents it has closed early for summer after being the target of "extremist abuse".
Bilton School in Rugby, Warwickshire, said the "difficult decision" had been made in the "interest of student and staff safety".
The school, which is part of the Stowe Valley Multi-Academy Trust, had earlier offered its "unreserved apologies" after saying an incident on Friday 11 July had caused "considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family and members of the wider community".
Courtney Wright's father Stuart Field had written on Facebook last week that the girl had been removed from a "Culture Celebration Day" without being able to make a speech on why being British was important to her.
Mr Field said the speech was going to reference drinking tea, fish and chips and the values of fairness and politeness.
'Personal threats to staff'
In a letter to parents yesterday, the school said: "I am writing to inform you, with great regret, that we have taken the difficult decision to close the school tomorrow, Friday 18 July 2025, in the interest of student and staff safety."
The letter continues: "As many of you are aware, over the last week the school has been the target of extremist abuse, online and via our telephone systems, which deeply saddens us. The nature and tone of this abuse has escalated in recent days including personal threats to staff.
"While we have been working closely with our multi-agency partners to address the situation, our primary responsibility remains the safety and wellbeing of every child and member of staff."
The letter was signed by the school's headteacher and the CEO of the Stowe Valley Multi-Academy Trust.
Today was supposed to be the school's last day before closing at 12.30pm for the summer holidays.
How did the row first emerge?
Mr Field wrote in his Facebook post that he was on his way to collect Courtney from school and that she was "currently being made to sit at reception waiting for me".
He continued: "The reason? It's cultural diversity day at school where children can wear clothing representing their culture and write a speech about their heritage. She's been told it's not for her as she gets to celebrate being British everyday."
There is no suggestion Mr Field or anybody he knows is linked to the abuse the school says it has been receiving over the past week.
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School apologises
In a statement issued on its behalf by the Stowe Valley Multi-Academy Trust, the school later said: "On Friday 11 July, an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family, and members of the wider community.
"We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies.
"We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better.
"We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage."
The statement, which said the school was proud of the diversity of its students and the rich heritage they bring to the community, added: "As a school, we are reviewing our policies and strengthening staff training to ensure our practices reflect our values of inclusion, respect, and understanding for all.
"We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included."
The school had billed the day as an opportunity for pupils to wear attire reflecting their nationality or family heritage, rather than a school uniform.