14-year old boy told not to come back to school until he shaves his moustache

Teenager Akaash Iqbal, 14, was banned from classes for having a moustache, but his father Asif Mahmood says his son is too young to start shaving

An Academy in England that is known for its strict uniform policy has banned a 14-year-old boy from going to school because of his facial hair.

Akaash Iqbal was told because of the strict uniform policy at Manchester Academy he would not be allowed to return to school until he shaves his moustache.

The teenager’s father, Asif Mahmood, called the ban “nonsense” saying that his son is too young to start shaving.

“They told us the moustache was part of the uniform. I thought it was a joke at first,” Mahmood said. “What about Sikh children whose religion tells them not to shave?  Are they not allowed to go there?”

Mahmood said he received a call from the school telling him not to send the teenager back until he was clean-shaven. However, he said he was not “going to do that.  He’s just a growing boy.  By the time he is 16 he’d have stubble all over his face.”

The teenager said while he was walking down a corridor at school a teacher took him into a room and kept him there for an hour then told him his moustache was against the uniform rules and he must go home to shave it.

The teenager said, “I’m not shaving it at my age.  It will ruin my face.  I’ve got a GCSE to sit and am taking the rest of them next year but I can’t go to school.  It’s just not nice.  I feel left out.”

A spokesperson for the academy said they expect everyone, including the staff, to abide by their policy.

She said it was a standard expectation that children are clean-shaven.