'Another Aussie school banning mullets? It's a recipe for disaster'

OPINION -- Another school year is about to get under way, which can only mean one thing – private schools will be cracking down on hairstyles they deem unsuitable.

The much-maligned mullet is among those hairstyles banned each year by schools, along with a host of others.

But is it really necessary for schools to exert their authority in this way? It seems a growing band of parents say 'No'.

The latest school to get in early and crackdown on hairstyles it deemed unsuitable was St Edmund's College in Queensland's Ipswich.

According to multiple media reports, the Catholic school, which according to its website, provides boys in years 5 to 12 with an education in the tradition of Christian Brothers educator Edmund Rice, took to its Facebook page on Monday to remind parents what hairstyles were suitable for the return to school.

In a now deleted post, the school wrote, "School is back next week, which means it's time for that conversation.

"Over the holidays, our boys have worked very hard cultivating the latest trends," it continued, before calling out "burst fades, mullets and horseys".

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"While we admire the commitment and creativity, unfortunately, these styles won't quite make the grade for school."

The school then used photos to help parents visualise the range of hairstyles that were "not acceptable".

These included mullets of various lengths, hard lines or tracks shaved into the hairline and a 'horsey' – which sees the underhair cut short with a ponytail on top.

Also "not acceptable" was what appeared to be a very tidy but slightly longer hairstyle whereby the hair at the nape of the neck was barely touching a shirt collar.

Five examples of "acceptable hair cuts" were basically all versions of the same short back and sides, although there were a couple of shaved hair partings and one hairstyle with a fringe.

Facial hair was also banned, with the school reminding parents that students needed to be clean-shaven and "ready to learn".

The condemnation from parents reportedly came thick and fast, attracting the attention of media outlets before the post was taken down.

One media outlet also pointed out that it was part of the school's policy to give students 72 hours to cut their hair if they came to school with the wrong style. Refusal resulted in suspension.

While it is hardly unusual for schools to enforce strict policies around uniform and grooming, they are not always well received – and for good reason.

There is no strong, direct link between strict uniform and hair policies with better academic success.

In fact, a look at the top performing schools in NSW in 2025 found the vast majority were public schools, albeit selective ones, which are less likely to have strict rules surrounding hairstyles.

When I was a teenager attending a Catholic high school in a NSW country town, I too bore the wrath of educators who were hell bent on forcing me to comply with their own unwritten rules on hairstyles.

I was hauled into the deputy principal's office alongside my mother, who was also called in, and told my haircut was not only unsuitable but 'promoting anarchy'.

After refusing at first to change my hair, I found myself suspended for days until I finally caved in.

Did it make me learn better? No. But it made me hell bent on finding other ways to annoy the deputy principal while skirting the fine line between another suspension.

And what does a hairstyle or shaved face have to do with being "ready to learn", as St Edmund's College put it?

I would think school readiness was more to do with having an enquiring mind.

That is someone who is curious, eager to learn, and most importantly, someone who will ask questions, including of those in authority.

Schools, especially private schools where these archaic policies are mostly entrenched, claim to be educating tomorrow's leaders, yet they expect them to spend their formative years being followers.

What does enforcing the same hairstyle do but churn out an army of little clones?

When my son was in his teens, he too began experimenting with hairstyles.

Some were good, and some were most definitely ugly.

Like many of his peers, he sported a fairly sizable mullet that extended at least several centimetres past his school shirt collar.

He got away with it because he was a student at a public school.

What he didn't get away with though was the wrong socks, socks that were not pulled all the way up, the wrong shoes – there were only a few that were allowed – or his senior tie not covering his top button, among other things.

I mostly supported the school's strict uniform policy, but I know it grated on him, especially in his final weeks at school, when he was already an adult yet could be kept in at lunchtime for the smallest indiscretion.

However, what I would not have accepted would have been an order to cut his hair when it was an avenue for emotional expression.

Teenagers often struggle with forging their own identity.

Taking away autonomy over their own body at a time that is already fraught is a recipe for disaster.

Sometimes choosing a hairstyle can be as important to their mental health as just about anything else. Yet schools continue to stamp out this form of self expression at a time when teens need it the most.

My son eventually cut off the mullet. He said it was time to move on.

He made the decision himself, just as he has made dozens of decisions since then.

Some are big. Some are small. But they are all his, and his alone.

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