AN angry mum is demanding compensation from a Bolton school after a teacher helped her daughter unpick a Reebok logo off her coat.

School rules ban designer labels and teenager Samantha Baldwin was given the choice of not wearing the £80 bubble coat or removing the small logo on the front.

A senior teacher at Hayward School showed Samantha how to unpick the stitching by taking the R off the Reebok and the teenager did the rest herself.

But her mother Sharon Stanger of Carnation Road, Farnworth, says the 15-year-old is too young to make such decisions alone.

"I know she was not threatened because the teacher is not like that but I am annoyed she was given the choice because it made her feel like she had no option.

"They should have sent her home with a letter and I would have kept her off school until I could afford a new coat. I would not have unpicked it, I am so annoyed that they did this without my permission."

Mrs Stanger admits she knew labels were banned but said she had no choice but send Samantha to school in her brother's Reebok jacket because her own coat was damaged in a school chemistry lesson last year.

She believed it was a compromise because Samantha's spare jacket is covered in logos and as a single parent, she could not afford a replacement school coat.

Mrs Stanger said she believes the school should now apologise and pay compensation.

Headteacher John Heaton said he was upset Mrs Stanger had complained to the Education Department because on two previous occasions the school had helped her, including once financially, to meet school uniform requirements.

Coversation

He said: The teacher concerned, the Year Head, is not confrontational and sat down with Samantha to discuss the way forward.

"It was a straightforward conversation which was led by the girl not the teacher and when she was asked if removing the logo would cause any difficulties she said 'no'.

"I do not think she was intimidated. She was not unhappy about it and it seemed a reasonable suggestion to resolve the problem because it was an old coat and her mum could not afford a new one.

"It was only when she went home the problem arose. It is very upsetting because in the past we have given Mrs Stanger considerable support to try and avoid conflict."

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