A gang of 20 pupils have been suspended from school after staging a playground protest over a new "zero tolerance" uniform policy.
But the school's head today branded the demo "bad behaviour" and a "storm in a teacup".
The students, aged from 14 to 16 from the FitzWimarc School in Rayleigh, were apparently angry about the crackdown introduced earlier this month.
Headteacher Jim Fuller said the protest was organised by two ringleaders who had heard of similar demonstrations at other schools.
He said: "A gang gathered in the playground and were chanting. It would not have been a pleasant sight for young pupils to see and the gang did not disperse when the bell rang.
"This was not a protest, it was just bad behaviour."
It is believed that when teachers tried to break up the demo, the pupils hurled food and milk at them - although Mr Fuller said he had no knowledge of that.
The gang were eventually dispersed by school staff and, following interviews by staff, were suspended for two days each. One boy was excluded permanently.
Mr Fuller said: "Never in my life have I had to exclude so many students, but this was just a storm in a teacup with children getting carried away.
"Students are represented at every level of school governance and they have every opportunity to express their concerns democratically."
One student's mother, who didn't want to be named, spoke out against the system, however, saying it was too strict.
She said: "The children go there for an education, not to check if a button is out of place. They can't have their tie straight 24/7."
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