A primary school has banned pupils from dressing up on World Book Day to help parents struggling to afford costumes.
The 440 or so children at St Nicholas Priory in Great Yarmouth were told to arrive in 'normal uniform' on a day that traditionally sees kids dress up as their favourite characters.
Teachers were still allowed to wear costumes.
The controversial decision gained mixed reception from parents, some of which were disappointed the announcement was made at short notice.
Maria Grimmer, the school's headteacher, said the decision was to ensure the pupils enjoyed the chance to read books rather than fork out on costumes.
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She told The Sun : "This World Book Day we are not requiring parents to spend extra money on costumes for their children, but instead are focusing on the many opportunities to enjoy the books available in school.
"For some families, making World Book Day a special non-school uniform day becomes an additional financial burden as they feel the need to buy costumes."
St Nicholas Priory made the announcement on their Facebook page, which led to praise from some parents and criticism from others.
One parent commented: "'I'm really annoyed and disappointed about this, my daughter and her friends have really been looking forward to dressing up and talking about the characters that they love."
Another said: "Wow its world book day once a year not impressed every school does it and if the kids cant then teachers should definitely not either."
Others supported the school's decision.
A parent said: "Pleased to see this. I think many have forgot that WBD is about books. We spend on average £10-15 on a costume for it to then sit there until next year when it's then too small."
Another added: "It is about reading, the joy of books, activities around book and getting into books."
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