A school's aim to "raise standards across the board" landed Matthew Gardner,14, in trouble when he joined his classmates sporting a new hairstyle.

Matthew's short back and sides was judged too short and he ended up in a class on his own and having lunch by himself at Coleford's Lakers School.

He was later sent home and ordered not to return until his hair had grown from "a number one to a number two."

And his parents were advised by letter that Matthew's hair should be cut to the same length all over and given a couple of days to grow to an acceptable length before he was sent back to school.

The problems arose because Matthew failed to take home a copy of the school's 'Lakers Link' which pointed out to parents that extreme haircuts would not be tolerated.

Headteacher Mrs Alison Elliott had since met Matthew's father, Mr Martin Gardner, and agreed to allow him to return to school.

Mrs Elliott told the Review: "We are working really hard to raise standards and this is just a small part of that aim. It is really a very trivial matter.

"What we are doing is broadly in line with all the other local schools. Our aim is to ensure that anything which distracts any of us from top quality learning is wrong and that includes extremes of fashion in clothing, hair and make-up," said Mrs Matthews.

Mr Gardner said he believed his son's hairstyle not to be excessive.

"It was a clean, hygienic haircut. I don't believe the style was in any way disruptive," he said.