‘Compassionate’ teens put in isolation by Newark Academy for head shave in solidarity with friend after cancer diagnosis

‘Distraught’ teens who shaved their heads in solidarity with a friend who has cancer have been punished by their school for the gesture.

A small number of year 11 Newark Academy pupils were put into isolation — even being prevented from joining fellow pupils at mealtimes — because the haircut is against the school’s rules.

They had ‘braved the shave’ to show their support of long-time friend Aiden Postma, who was recently diagnosed with cancer and is due to undergo chemotherapy this week.

Aiden, 15, attends The Suthers School in Fernwood, where about 20 other pupils also shaved their heads.

Despite both schools being part of the Nova Education Trust, the pupils at The Suthers School were said to have had a much better response from the school’s staff.

Aiden’s mum Jodie said his school had been “absolutely fantastic” in supporting their pupils — and that those from Newark Academy were “really deflated” as their kind actions had been badly received.

She is also keen to raise awareness of the disease to help prevent other families suffering as they have, as thankfully Aiden noticed a lump and confided in her, allowing his cancer to be caught early.

“Awareness is key to me. Cancer doesn't care what age you are. It definitely makes you realise what’s important in life,” Jodie added.

“Please, if you find something or your body just doesn't feel right. Get checked out. Our family have suffered enough at the hands of it.”

Information about testicular cancer can be accessed on the Testicular Cancer UK website — something Jodie is keen to ensure people know about.

She added that she was ‘so proud’ of Aiden’s friends for rallying around him, and they’ve also garnered the backing of much of the community on social media.

A parent of one of the Newark Academy pupils, who wished to remain anonymous, said they thought the school had ‘missed the point’ of the haircut, and should have taken the opportunity to offer support and chance for the boys to talk about their feelings, rather than sanctioning them.

They described the boys’ actions as ‘amazing’.

“When Aiden knew he was going to have to have chemo, that’s when he told them,” the parent said.

“Being 15, 16, they decided to shave their heads. In their minds it’s like, ‘we don’t know what to say, but you’re not going through this alone mate’.

“They thought they were doing something good, loads of children at Suthers had done it and the school had got behind them.

“I think Newark Academy handled the situation totally wrong. I understand there’s rules and I don’t condemn that, but I think there should have been some empathy and compassion.

“It was just about the awareness of boys this age, they didn’t even know they could get it. I heard them talking the other day about what they’d do if they only had a month left to live — although this thankfully isn’t the case for Aiden.

“They can’t process the severity, they needed some support from the school and a ‘wow, well done for speaking out’, because it is very private for boys that age.”

John Clarke, whose son Harry Clarke was among the Suthers School pupils who shaved their heads, added: “It’s horrible, it’s a really, really poor show from Newark Academy.

“We want them to rethink. The boys are distraught, they’ve done this for a friend they’ve known since primary school.

“Suthers have really embraced it, they’ve been really supportive of the boys.”

A former teacher at the then-Newark High School also plans to shave his head to show solidarity with the pupils.

Steve Watson said: “When I was teaching this never would have happened, there’s been a huge changes [to rules and uniform policy] in recent years.

“We had rules, but also compassion which is something we prided ourselves on.

“Yes we had naughty kids, but not when someone has cancer — we all come out in solidarity.”

A spokesman for Nova Education Trust, which runs both The Suthers School and Newark Academy, said: “We are aware of the recent situation involving students who have shaved their heads, an action that is in breach of our school’s behaviour and appearance policy.

“First and foremost, we want to acknowledge and commend the compassion and solidarity these students have shown for their friend. Their empathy and support are qualities we value deeply in our school community.

“Our school policies are designed to create a consistent and focused learning environment for all students. While we understand and respect the motivations behind their actions, the schools have a responsibility to uphold their agreed standards and rules, which are communicated clearly to all students and parents.

“We are reviewing how best to balance the enforcement of school policies with the need for compassion in exceptional circumstances such as these. Our goal is always to support our students in both their academic and personal growth, and to encourage the values of kindness and community spirit.

“We are engaging with the students and their families to ensure a constructive resolution and are also exploring ways we, as a community, can show collective support for the affected student and their family during this difficult time.

“We appreciate the concern and support from the wider community and will continue to act in the best interests of all our students.”

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