A school which banned a 12-year-old girl from wearing a Union Flag dress on culture day has been forced to close early for the summer over "extremist threats". Courtney Wright wore a Spice Girls-inspired dress and wrote a speech about British history and traditions at Bilton school last Friday. However she was pulled out of classes after being told her attire for the culture celebration day was "unacceptable" and forced to sit in reception until her dad collected her. The decision sparked widespread outrage and even led to the Prime Minister getting involved saying: "Being British is something to be celebrated.' The school in Rugby, Warks., has now informed parents it is closing early for the summer holidays "in the interests of student and staff safety" following threats. They said it followed "extremist abuse online and via our telephone systems". Ranjit Samra, CEO of Stowe Valley Multi-Academy Trust and headteacher Jayne Delves said staff had also been threatened. A letter to parents said: "The nature and tone of this abuse has escalated in recent days including personal threats to staff." It continued: "While we have been working closely with our multi-agency partners to address the situation, our primary responsibility remains the safety and wellbeing of every child and member of staff. This is not a decision we have taken lightly. "We understand the disruption this may cause to your families and your child's education, but the safety of our school community must come first." The letter ended by thanking parents and guardians for their "understanding and continued support" during a "very challenging time". Courtney's father Stuart Field, 47, said this week he was 'gobsmacked' to learn his daughter had been segregated from her peers due to her choice of attire. Stuart, who works in marine restoration, said: "Courtney was so embarrassed and couldn't understand what she'd done wrong. "She should not be made to feel embarrassed about being British. And she shouldn't be punished for celebrating British culture and history; nobody else I've spoken to can quite get their heads around it. "They day was to celebrate everyone's cultures and Courtney chose this Union Flag dress so she could celebrate hers. She also wrote this speech to go with it and was very proud of what she'd done." Courtney said: "I went to school [in this dress] on Friday and they told me I had to change and it wasn't appropriate and only other cultures were allowed to celebrate. I think all cultures should be allowed to celebrate their culture, including British culture. "I felt really embarrassed, I was made to sit in reception all day. My friends were angry and thinking why are the teacher's doing because my dress was wonderful "I had one or two teachers say I looked like Ginger Spice, I had other teachers say they liked the dress, as it was really sparkly, but most teachers said no. When I wrote my speech they point blank refused to read it and they didn't want to hear it at all. "My speech was about diversity and all the traditions that we have in Britain - our politeness, our humour, we drink tea, we talk about the weather a lot and we like rugby and football. The school have since apologised. Even though the school has suggested reading my speech I don't think I want to after how they embarrassed and upset me." The school has since issued a further apology to parents and the wider Rugby community in a separate letter. Headteacher Jayne Delves said: "This incident caused upset for the student and the family as well as members of our wider community. "I have spoken directly with the student and her family to offer our sincere and heartfelt apologies. However, I also want to extend that apology to everyone else who may have felt hurt, uncomfortable, or unsettled by what happened. "As a school, we recognise that we don’t always get things right. When mistakes happen, it is important that we are open, transparent, and reflective. We are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that every student feels recognised and supported when expressing pride in their heritage. "I have shared this message with students through assemblies, making it clear that everyone should feel proud of who they are, their identity, their culture, and their heritage. That pride is not only welcome at Bilton School, but it is also what makes our community so vibrant, diverse, and special." She added: "I understand that recent events may have been unsettling for some of our students, but I am confident that, by continuing to work together with honesty, empathy and mutual respect, we will emerge stronger as a community."