ANGRY parents believe teachers at a Bradford on Avon school picked out and humiliated children wearing trousers bought from what the school says is the wrong shop.

The extraordinary row broke out at St Laurence School when 11-year-old Kristina Elvin was told by teachers her trousers were not up to scratch.

Kristina's parents, Gillian and Philip, of Mount Pleasant, Atworth, said they were amazed when their daughter returned home and told them her trousers, bought from Woolworths' Back to School range, were unacceptable.

Mr Elvin, 48, said the navy blue trousers look almost identical to the approved school trousers stocked at Trowbridge store Scholars the only difference being those cost an extra £14.

He said: "It is hair-raising enough to start your first day at school but to be picked out and humiliated like that is wrong.

"It is not the best start for Kristina she wasn't very happy when she came home.

"I am not buying new ones out of principle. I cannot see any difference in them. It is not as if they are designer trousers or flares.

"We have three other children who went through the school with trousers bought from Woolworths."

County councillor Terry Chivers has contacted the school's headteacher Nicholas Sorenson about the incident.

This week he sent a letter to Wiltshire County Council chief education officer, Bob Wolfson, calling for a probe into the row.

He said: "I have asked for an investigation to be launched.

"I feel the fact that teachers lined all these children up on their first day and were telling them whether they were wearing the wrong trousers is a form of mental bullying.

"If the school want to back down quietly all well and good.

"We need have some sensible decisions."

Headteacher Nicholas Sorenson said the school uniform policy was spelled out to parents before the start of term.

"If parents do have a problem they can contact me. We will be looking at the problem and the matter is being addressed with the governors.

"Most of the parents have been very pleased with our decision to clarify what our uniform expectations are."

In a letter sent out in July Mr Sorenson said standard skirt and trousers were introduced for pupils up to Year 10 to reduce the problems of "unacceptable uniform purchases".

It said: "We have for some time been concerned about the amount of time that tutors and heads of year are having to spend on uniform issues.

"Last year we spent a considerable amount of time investigating ways of ensuring parents find appropriate and economic uniform trousers and skirts, unaffected by changing fashions."