By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 13:09 EST, 10 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:37 EST, 11 March 2014 . A school pupil claims she was forced to work alone in a 'cupboard' after her mother sent her to school in the wrong shoes because she could not afford new ones. Charlotte Owen, a single parent of four on . benefits, claims she sent a note to school with her daughter Lauren, explaining she would be without the regulation shoes for a short time until . she was paid and could afford to buy a new pair. But Miss Owen said her daughter was put in 'isolation' - a room where children work in silence - for a . full day at the secondary school in Wrexham because she was wearing baseball boots. Isolation: Lauren Owen, 15, with her mother Charlotte. The girl was forced to work in a cupboard because she wore the wrong shoes for school . Then, when the 'isolation' room was full, she was forced to work alone in a storage cupboard for an hour, she said. Lauren said: 'The cupboard is about a metre by 1.5m and it’s got a little desk, a chair... and they had shelves.' Although she said the door was wide open, she said: 'I didn’t like it very much. It was very cramped and very lonely.' Miss Owen said she could not afford to replace the wrong shoes immediately because of cash flow issues. She said she was 'absolutely disgusted,' adding: 'You don’t put a child in a cupboard.' Miss Owen said she visited the school the following morning, saw the cupboard, and said the school was 'very apologetic'. Miss Owen, who is on benefits, claims she sent a note to her school - Ysgol Rhiwabon (pictured) in Wrexham - via her daughter, explaining the situation . However, . she said: 'The rules and regulations that they seem to have, they don’t . give much leeway at all, and I think it’s extremely unfair. 'Lauren’s . a good student. She’s in all the top sets. She attends school all the . time... and you’re doing this to her for a pair of shoes? What sort of . message is that going to send out?' She . added: 'Of course it’s not Lauren’s fault. Far from it. At the end of . the day they’re punishing children for something that’s totally out of . their hands.' In a . statement, the school said: 'This is a private matter between the school . and the parent and we feel we are unable to comment on individual . students. 'We are currently . awaiting a formal complaint from the parent, which if received, will be . dealt with in accordance with the school’s formal complaints’ procedure.' Miss Owen said her daughter was put in 'isolation' - a room where children work in silence - for a full day at the secondary school in Wrexham . Welsh Assembly Member Llyr Gruffydd said children should not be punished at school if families cannot afford the right clothes. The Welsh government said uniform policy was a matter for the school. Mr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru AM for North Wales, has taken up the case of Charlotte Owen and her 15-year-old daughter Lauren, a pupil at Ysgol Rhiwabon in Wrexham. Mr Gruffydd said: 'There’s an issue here around basic human rights in terms of pupils finding themselves a victim for something that’s quite frankly beyond their control. 'There are genuine circumstances, at times, when they are not at fault.' Miss Owen said she visited the school the following morning, saw the cupboard, and said the school was 'very apologetic' He called for clarity 'about what guidance the Welsh government is giving education authorities about how to deal with situations - increasingly now of course - where families find it economically difficult maybe to meet some demands in terms of rules and school clothes etcetera and how they advise education authorities about how to deal with those situations. 'And then, obviously, how education authorities make sure that that’s reflected in the way that they operate.' Nobody from Wrexham council was available for comment. The Welsh government said in a statement: 'School uniform policy is ultimately a matter for the individual school and its governing body, but Welsh government guidance is clear that cost considerations should be a priority. 'No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply for admission or attend a particular school.'
Charlotte Owen claims she sent a note to school with her daughter Lauren .
It explained she would be without the regulation shoes for a short time .
Mother, who is on benefits, said it was only until .
she could buy new ones .
By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 13:09 EST, 10 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:37 EST, 11 March 2014 . A school pupil claims she was forced to work alone in a 'cupboard' after her mother sent her to school in the wrong shoes because she could not afford new ones. Charlotte Owen, a single parent of four on . benefits, claims she sent a note to school with her daughter Lauren, explaining she would be without the regulation shoes for a short time until . she was paid and could afford to buy a new pair. But Miss Owen said her daughter was put in 'isolation' - a room where children work in silence - for a . full day at the secondary school in Wrexham because she was wearing baseball boots. Isolation: Lauren Owen, 15, with her mother Charlotte. The girl was forced to work in a cupboard because she wore the wrong shoes for school . Then, when the 'isolation' room was full, she was forced to work alone in a storage cupboard for an hour, she said. Lauren said: 'The cupboard is about a metre by 1.5m and it’s got a little desk, a chair... and they had shelves.' Although she said the door was wide open, she said: 'I didn’t like it very much. It was very cramped and very lonely.' Miss Owen said she could not afford to replace the wrong shoes immediately because of cash flow issues. She said she was 'absolutely disgusted,' adding: 'You don’t put a child in a cupboard.' Miss Owen said she visited the school the following morning, saw the cupboard, and said the school was 'very apologetic'. Miss Owen, who is on benefits, claims she sent a note to her school - Ysgol Rhiwabon (pictured) in Wrexham - via her daughter, explaining the situation . However, . she said: 'The rules and regulations that they seem to have, they don’t . give much leeway at all, and I think it’s extremely unfair. 'Lauren’s . a good student. She’s in all the top sets. She attends school all the . time... and you’re doing this to her for a pair of shoes? What sort of . message is that going to send out?' She . added: 'Of course it’s not Lauren’s fault. Far from it. At the end of . the day they’re punishing children for something that’s totally out of . their hands.' In a . statement, the school said: 'This is a private matter between the school . and the parent and we feel we are unable to comment on individual . students. 'We are currently . awaiting a formal complaint from the parent, which if received, will be . dealt with in accordance with the school’s formal complaints’ procedure.' Miss Owen said her daughter was put in 'isolation' - a room where children work in silence - for a full day at the secondary school in Wrexham . Welsh Assembly Member Llyr Gruffydd said children should not be punished at school if families cannot afford the right clothes. The Welsh government said uniform policy was a matter for the school. Mr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru AM for North Wales, has taken up the case of Charlotte Owen and her 15-year-old daughter Lauren, a pupil at Ysgol Rhiwabon in Wrexham. Mr Gruffydd said: 'There’s an issue here around basic human rights in terms of pupils finding themselves a victim for something that’s quite frankly beyond their control. 'There are genuine circumstances, at times, when they are not at fault.' Miss Owen said she visited the school the following morning, saw the cupboard, and said the school was 'very apologetic' He called for clarity 'about what guidance the Welsh government is giving education authorities about how to deal with situations - increasingly now of course - where families find it economically difficult maybe to meet some demands in terms of rules and school clothes etcetera and how they advise education authorities about how to deal with those situations. 'And then, obviously, how education authorities make sure that that’s reflected in the way that they operate.' Nobody from Wrexham council was available for comment. The Welsh government said in a statement: 'School uniform policy is ultimately a matter for the individual school and its governing body, but Welsh government guidance is clear that cost considerations should be a priority. 'No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply for admission or attend a particular school.'
could not afford new ones. Charlotte Owen, a sent a note to school with her daughter Lauren, explaining she would be without the regulation shoes for a short time until . she was paid and on benefits, claims she sent a note to her school