When three schoolgirls decided to shave off half their hair to raise money for a cancer charity, they had the full backing of their teachers.
In fact, the staff even put their hands in their pockets to sponsor the 12-year-olds.
So, as you can imagine, the girls were left gobsmacked when they were hauled before the head teacher to be given a dressing down for their fund-raising efforts.
Even more upsetting was that the girls were were called 'pathetic' – despite raising £800 for Cancer Research UK - and were accused them of only being interested in their own popularity.
The hair-raising – or should that be hair-sculpting? – saga happened at St Leonards Academy in St Leonards on Sea, Sussex, where Kiera Thomas, Gemma Wright and Macey Daden decided to adopt the unusual hairstyles, with the breast cancer ribbon shaved onto the side of their heads.
However, they were hauled before the head of Year Seven and told off for their appearance, while Kiera was put in isolation from her classmates because of her haircut.
According to Gemma, the senior teacher told the girls it was a 'pathetic way to raise money'.
"He said we did it to draw attention to ourselves and become more popular with the older kids," said Gemma.
They were told to cover up their unusual haircuts but Kiera's mother Susan said: "Kiera's hair is pretty much impossible to cover because of the way it was cut and also because it is so thin.
"Kiera was put into isolation on Monday from the rest of her class and told she couldn't go into any class until her hair was covered over. She came home in tears.
"They were told it was an 'absolutely pathetic' way to raise money and that they should have gone on a jog instead. But some teachers sponsored them to have half their hair shaved off.
"A lot of people say the youth of today are selfish and self-centred. My daughter and her friends proved they're not. I think it was very brave, courageous and completely selfless of the girls to raise money."
Jenny Jones, principal of St Leonards Academy, said: "While we applaud these girls for their efforts in raising money for charity, we have rules and regulations regarding dress and appearance which apply to all our students."