I think this comment on one of the articles best sums up my views on this.

"Maddie was simply not included. She was NOT deliberately excluded. She certainly wasn't banned as the press report. And she most definitely was not being punished for attending her Mother's funeral as the worst excesses of the media have suggested! The notion that there was some cold, callous, heartless and punitive decision making going on at the school defies belief."

and this if true makes the father's actions beyond belief!

"Some have called for the teachers, headteacher and even the governors to be sacked or resign. It is worth noting that Andy Stevens is a former governor of St Giles School and was instrumental in the appointment of the now villified headteacher. Having enjoyed an effective working relationship with her until he was obliged to step down as a governor, you would have thought he would have felt able to discuss his anger and disappointment with her. But no, when he contacted the school, it was to inform them that he was going to speak to the Daily Mail. He declined to talk to the headteacher. How has this in any way benefited the school he once sought to serve?"