The research revealed that most school policies explained pupils should behave well in class in order to support their own, or fellow pupils’, “learning and academic achievement”.

According to the EEF, under such policies pupils will typically automatically receive detentions for a range of misbehaviours such as being late, forgetting homework or using rude language.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has found that in certain circumstances, school uniform and appearance policies infringe on pupils’ rights to dignity in South African schools.

The Human Rights Commission in the Eastern Cape has found that school uniform and appearance policies infringe on pupils' dignity, including the regulation of hair length, enforcing ...