EXCLUSIVE

SCORES of Catholic pupils at a Macclesfield school were ordered to wipe the smiles - and the paint - off their faces after trying to raise money for Comic Relief.

Teachers at All Hallows Catholic High School saw red and sent more than half-a-dozen kids home to get changed on Red Nose Day last Friday, and ordered almost 100 other children to clean themselves up.

The kids had painted their faces and dyed their hair using kits issued by the charity but the day was NOT actively being celebrated by the school and head Richard Weremczyk had made that clear.

He told pupils his school favoured other charities and would not be supporting Comic Relief.

"About half a dozen had gone over the top and daubed themselves in the red face paint and had to be sent home to clean themselves up and get changed because it was on their shirts or whatever," he said.

Dad-of-two Steve Warren, who runs Macclesfield's Sovereign Security, is incensed because he claims his 13-year-old daughter Jodi was told to go home and had to walk the three-mile round trip alone.

He said no-one at the school phoned him to tell him that his daughter had been sent home, and claims that when he himself phoned to complain he was told his daughter had been playing truant.

Steve, 48, whose company provides security for the Brooklands Avenue school and others in the town, said: "Apparently about 30 children were called into the hall and others sent home.

"The kids were just trying to raise money for Comic Relief; Jodi raised about £20 herself, and I think it's a shame that the school didn't want them to participate. About 300,000 schools were taking part across the nation, so you can't blame them for wanting to join in.

"But I'm much more annoyed about the fact that my 13-year-old daughter walked home alone and I wasn't called.

"I'd have gone down to the school to pick her up, anything could have happened. About three weeks ago all the parents filled out forms with emergency contact numbers and my company provides security for the school so it's not as if they don't know how to get in contact with me.

"I phoned the deputy head Mr Cunningham and he told me she'd not been told to go home and that he'd have to have a word with Jodi about playing truant!"

Richard Weremczyk said: "I'll have to put this in to context.

"The school doesn't organise any formal activities for Red Nose Day. We support all sorts of different charities in school, for example Barnados, the National Autistic Society, a school in Kenya, and Cafod, which is like the Catholic version of Oxfam.

"In the last 12 months we've raised about £3,000 for charity and on top of that have raised funds for the school's minibus appeal. We don't support Red Nose Day simply because we can't support every charity.

"Quite a few years ago there was an issue with Comic Relief supporting a charity involved in some abortion clinics but I don't believe it's the case anymore. It's not an ideological reason why we don't support it.

"Unfortunately, it is organised on a national level and lots of it is aimed at young people who get highly excited. I think the problem now is that what started with just red noses is now face paints and hair dye as well.

"Inevitably some pupils came in on the day with their faces painted and hair dyed and some had basically made a mess of themselves. Unfortunately about half a dozen had gone over the top and daubed themselves in the red face paint and had to be sent home to clean themselves up and get changed."

He added: "The pupils were told to go to reception while the receptionists got in touch with their parents. We can't just send them home. But in Jodi Warren's case, she took it upon herself to just go and was effectively playing truant."