A teenage boy was sent home from school for wearing shorts on one the hottest days of the year.

Teachers at Varndean School in Brighton turned away the 14-year-old who turned up in shorts as scorching temperatures neared 30C yesterday.

A spokeswoman said the student had been sent home because he had “failed to comply with school uniform expectations”.

But his furious mother branded the decision “completely inhumane” and said the rules should be relaxed during the heatwave.

The parent said: “I think the school has completely lost the plot. My son hasn’t done anything wrong.

“It’s not fair to force the students to wear warm clothes when it’s this hot. The teachers are being completely ridiculous.”

Yesterday the Met Office announced a Level 3 heatwave warning, issued when temperatures are high enough to have a “significant effect” on health.

The parent said: “It’s clearly not safe to make the pupils wear full uniform in the hot weather. They need to sort this out.”

School uniform policy at Varndean states students are expected to wear a tie, blazer, white shirt and long trousers “at all times during the school day”.

Earlier this month teachers at Longhill High in Rottingdean gave students permission to wear school PE shorts for the rest of the school term.

A Varndean School spokeswoman said: “One student was sent home to change as he had failed to comply with school uniform expectations.

“All of our students will be in uniform until the end of term for their graduation ceremonies and achievement assemblies.

“During the hot weather, the school is advising parents to ensure their children have adequate protection from the sun and to drink plenty of fluids. The school uniform policy is designed to assist parents in this respect.”

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