A teaching
assistant was sent away from her first day of her new job at a Catholic
school because her arms and neck are covered in tattoos.
Mother-of-two
Charlotte Tumilty had been offered the role at St John Vianney's
Primary School in Hartlepool as part of her teacher training course.
But
within an hour of turning up for her first day, she claims she was sent
home because of her body art - and she insists she cannot cover up the
tattoos in order to return to the school.
The
26-year-old says that she was told the tattoos on her feet, hands and
neck were unacceptable because the school is 'strict Catholic' and that
they were 'inappropriate'.
However,
the school insists that Miss Tumilty, from Hartlepool, was only told to
consider 'covering' up her tattoos so she could return to her placement
later.
But she says she is unable to cover them all up and there are no other placements available at other schools.
She
said: 'It ticks me off. They said I could maybe start later but I don't
think it's going to get anywhere because you can still see bits of my
tattoos.
'They prejudiced me because they could see a few tattoos.'
The mother of two has a full sleeve of
tattoos on both of her arms and claims the school knew about her body
art before she began the job
Miss
Tumilty is currently on a level two teacher training course at
Hartlepool College of Further Education and was due to work at the
school twice a week for a year.
She
has a 'full sleeve' of tattoos on her arms and legs, smaller inkings on
her fingers, hands, back and chest and an eye emblem on her neck.
She
said that when she went for an interview at the school to secure her
placement, staff were able to see her tattoos, but she did promise to
take out her piercings.
Miss Tumilty, who is mother to four-year-old RayGan and Willow, one, said: 'They said that would be perfect.'
She
claims it then took a while for the school to confirm her placement and
other students on her course had already started theirs when she rang
to inquire about starting training
She went to the school on Monday, and spent around £25 on a new outfit, ensuring her arms were covered.
She explained: 'They showed me to the class I was working in.
'But
a woman asked to speak to me in the office and said, "What we need to
discuss is you can still see a bit of your neck tattoo peaking out of
your top."
Miss Tumilty was told by the school to
cover up her tattoos if she wanted to return to work there, but she
says it would make her look 'ridiculous'
The deputy headteacher at St John Vianney's Primary insists Miss Tumilty was just politely asked to cover her tattoos
'I
suggested wearing a higher-necked top. The woman said, "That's not the
point, it's a strictly Catholic school and tattoos are forbidden".
'She
said they do have teachers with tattoos, but they cover them up. I said
"Yes, I have covered mine up", but the woman said, "To be honest, I
don't think it's appropriate."
'She then suggested I might be able to uses plasters and bandages to cover them up. I'd look ridiculous.'
However, deputy headteacher Martin Boagey insists that Miss Tumilty was just 'politely asked' to cover up her tattoos.
He
said: 'The school expects all members of staff to project a
professional image and we have a code of conduct, part of which requires
members of staff with tattoos to cover them up.
'We do have members of staff with tattoos, and they are happy to abide by the code of conduct.
Miss
Tumilty has tattoos down her arms and legs as well as on her fingers,
hands, back, chest and neck. She is pictured, right, in the outfit she
wore on her first day at the school
'On her arrival at school to take up her placement, Charlotte Tumilty was informed of the school's code of conduct.
'She was politely asked to consider how best to cover up her tattoos and it was suggested that she should.
'At no point was she ever told that she could not work In the school.
'The
school regularly offers placements to students to help them develop
their careers, and to date dozens have been welcomed and supported.'
The
further education college said it was down to individuals to arrange
their placements and that school guidelines should be followed.
They
added that they give advice to students on what is appropriate dress
and appearance but say it is up to the individuals to take the advice on
board.
The
school is under the control of Hartlepool Borough Council but the local
authority say that schools in their area are free to decide their own
policy on tattoos .
Many employers have strict policies on tattoos from complete bans on inkings to having them covered while in the workplace.
Miss Tumility pictured with her
daughter RayGan, who is now aged four. She says it would look ridiculous
to cover her tattoos with plasters and bandages
Under current legislation people with tattoos are not covered by the Equality Act 2010.
Earlier this year a business executive was sacked from her job after having an inking of a butterfly design on her foot.
Jo Perkins, 38, had the design on the side of her left foot when she started working for multi-million pound firm Salisbury FM.
But
after she started work, bosses brought in a ‘no tattoos on show’ rule –
and terminated Miss Perkins’s contract when she could not cover up her
inking.
Similarly,
Larissa Westcott says she was having a job interview with British
Airways when she was told her application wouldn't be taken any further
because of a tattoo on her foot.
However,
earlier this month, the army announced that it was lifting its ban on
hand and neck tattoos in a bid to draw in more recruits.
The teaching assistant with her
children RayGan, four and one-year-old Willow. The school say she was
politely asked to cover up her tattoos
Previous strict rules restricting art on visible parts of the body meant a number of potential soldiers had to be turned away.
But
a change to the regulations means that designs are allowed providing
they are not visible in a passport-style photo when the soldier’s top
button is undone on an open-necked shirt.
Union
officials have now called for a 'balance' between the right of the
individuals and the needs of organisations when it comes to tattoos.
Mike
Hill of Unison, which supports teaching assistants, said: 'The unions
recognise that most workplaces have dress codes, and that includes such
dress codes which would accommodate the covering up of tattoos.
'Unions will stand by anybody who is subject to disciplinary action or discrimination as a consequence of them having tattoos.
'But we will also encourage a strike of balance between the needs of the organisation and the individual's choice."
A
spokesman for the Tattooing and Piercing Industry Union said: 'Members
of the public should think carefully about tattoo placement because it
can impact on your employment prospects.'
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