A naturally red-headed sixth form student has been told to tone down her hair colour or she will be barred from classes for being 'too ginger ' . Emily Reay , 17 , who has natural auburn hair but colours it so it is brighter , is a pupil at Trinity School in Carlisle , Cumbria , and claims she has sported the same vibrant ginger hair for the last three years . But on her return to lessons following the Easter holidays she claims she was ordered to tone it down after teachers decided the colour was inappropriate . Emily Reay ( pictured ) a pupil at Trinity School in Carlisle , claims she has sported the same colour of hair for the last three years . But now teachers have told her to tone it down or she will be banned from lessons . 'Everybody knows me as that `` young ginger singer '' ' : Talented musician Emily says her hair is her trademark . Now , during her last year of A-levels , Emily - who is naturally auburn - has been told she is banned from lessons until she changes her appearance . She was informed of the action being taken at the end of Monday 's assembly . ' I was very angry at first , and then burst into tears . I 've had the same colour for the past three years , and nobody at school has commented on it , ' said Emily at her home in Carlisle . A talented musician , Emily claims her ginger hair is her trademark . Determined not to miss out on important lessons Emily says she will return to school with her hair pinned up . Emily says teachers at Trinity School in Carlisle say she is banned from lessons until she changes her hair . 'Everybody knows me as that `` young ginger singer '' . For me it is a confidence thing . If I had to dye my hair brown , I would lose this , ' said Emily . Her parents Julie and Andy Reay went to the school to discuss the matter with sixth-form headteacher Andrew Winter . They claim they were told that Emily 's hair colour needed to be changed by next Monday or she would not be allowed to continue her education . ' I had to dye my hair to a more natural colour , or tone it down considerably , ' said Emily . ' I offered to pin it up , or wear a beanie hat , but I was told 'no ' to both . ' Her parents are backing their daughter 's decision not to change her hair colour . Determined not to miss out on important lessons Emily ( pictured ) says she plans to return to school with her hair pinned up and 'hopes nothing is said ' 'They had her in tears . They do not realise what her hair means to her , ' said Mrs Reay , 44 . 'The irony is she is playing Scaramouche in the school 's adaptation of We Will Rock You , which is about society suppressing people 's creativity and self-expression . 'The school 's uniform policy clearly states no unnatural hair colours , like blue or green . But is ginger not a natural hair colour ? ' she added . Emily said : ' I was told my hair had been a bone of contention since the beginning of the school year but they had let it slip up until now . 'But the laughable thing is my hair was brighter than this on prom night and I won best hairstyle award . ' Mrs Reay added : 'Emily has natural auburn hair , but her hair has been this colour for so long now it is part of her . 'It 's like living in the Victorian times . I would say her education is more important . ' Determined not to miss out on important lessons Emily says she will return to school with her hair pinned up . ' I have to hope nothing is said . It is too damaging a stage for my education . ' Sixth-form head Mr Winter said : 'Trinity School sixth-form students are role models for the rest of the school . We have a policy of maintaining high standards . 'All sixth form students are issued with information about what is acceptable or unacceptable at the start of the academic year . The vast majority of parents are very keen on our high standards . '
Sixth form student Emily Reay is barred from classes for being too ginger . Her school said colour was inappropriate and asked her to 'tone it down ' But she says her hair has been vibrant shade of red for over three years . Emily is a natural red head but colours her hair so it is even brighter .