James Linsell-Clark / SWNS

A furious mum had to make a 200-mile round-trip to collect her daughter who was kicked off a school holiday for eating chocolate.

Holli McCann was just 36 hours into a five-day break on the Isle of Wight when mum Kerri was told the 11-year-old had broken strict rules.

Teachers discovered the Year 6 pupil had concealed Kit Kats, Fudge bars and Freddos only after reading a letter that the girl wanted to send home.

Staff carried out a full search of her room at the Beaufort House hotel in Sandown, emptying her wash-bag and suitcase.

And they found the stash of chocolate meant for a midnight feast with pals.

Mum-of-two Kerri, 47, said: “I am furious that they read Holli’s letter to me – it is like being in prison.

"She is 11 and deserves privacy in what she writes to her mum.

“Holli said she was really upset because they emptied her toiletry bag into the sink and pulled out the lining in her suitcase.

"It was carried out in such a manner you’d have thought the children were running an international drug smuggling operation.

“They were not being naughty – they were just having fun.”


Having fun: Holli McCann on the school holiday

Pupils and parents from Bromet Primary School in Watford, Hertfordshire, had signed a “behaviour charter” before the £300 trip.

One of the rules, laid down by headteacher Yvonne Graves, was that children should not eat in their hotel room.

At 9.30pm on Monday, July 1 – the first night of the holiday – Holli and her friends ate one chocolate bar each, being careful to leave no mess.

But Holli wrote about the secret snack in her first letter home.

And Kerri received a call from Mrs Graves on Tuesday evening, telling her to pick up her daughter.

She drove through the night from her home in Croxley Green, Herts, and caught a ferry to get the girl at 6am the next day.

Mrs Graves said if the youngster was not taken home she would be banned from taking part in any of the activities.

She also accused the girl of misbehaving during a beach trip on the first day.

Kerri, a full-time carer for her autistic son, said: “Holli had been so excited about the trip and was over the moon to get a room with her best friends.

"I begged the head to punish Holli back at school with a detention or something, but she said if she did that it would set a precedent.

“I thought it was too cruel for her to stay on the trip and not be able to participate in activities – they were going to a theme park the next day.

“Holli has been very upset. This was a group of 11-year-old friends who were on a goodbye trip as they are off to different secondary schools.

“She has missed all those memories with her friends. They would have been memories she would keep forever.”


Barred: Bromet Primary School

Holli admitted taking four Kit Kats, four Fudge bars and four Freddos on the break.

Her two best friends ate one chocolate bar each but escaped with warnings.

Kerri withdrew her daughter from school for the rest of the term.

She has complained formally to the governors and also written to Education Secretary Michael Gove.

She claims the school still has the letter Holli wrote and has asked for it to be returned.

The school has refused to comment but a Hertfordshire county council spokesman said: “Parents and pupils were asked to sign a behaviour charter.

“It was made clear breaking any of the rules would result in parents being asked to take their child home.”

A council official added: “The room was searched only with the child’s agreement and because she said she did not have any more sweets.

“It is normal procedure to check the contents of a letter with the child before it is posted.

"The rule about not eating in the rooms is a guest house rule and is clearly stated on the charter all pupils signed.”