A 14-year-old boy was banned from performing in a talent show at his Dudley school after teachers told him his drag act was 'illegal'.

In a story which bares a striking resemblance to the West End smash hit, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Natalie Bailey said her son, Lewis, was left distraught when teachers at Castle Academy said he couldn't take part. The school quoted legislation that they say makes it illegal for under 18s to take part in drag act competitions.

However the family have accused the school of inventing the apparent law because they don't accept him for who he is.

Lewis came out as gay to his mum and stepdad last year, and has loved dancing all his life. Natalie said Lewis had become withdrawn and dancing had really brought him out of his shell. However she also blames the school for knocking his confidence to zero after the snub.

The school boy decided he wanted to be a drag performer after watching 'RuPaul's Drag Race' - an American TV series which see's drag queens lip-sync for an $100,000 prize.

He entered the talent contest three weeks ago, and has been practising ever since. His performance was set to be put to music, with tracks by artists including Little Mix and Ariana Grande.

However, he was told he couldn't take part last Monday - less than 48 hours before the show last Tuesday night. Castle Academy stand by their decision, with Principal, Michelle King, saying:

"Castle is an inclusive school that celebrates diversity. [We] stand by our belief that it is not appropriate for young people to perform drag acts.

"We invited Lewis to appear in the show as a singer and were happy for him to dress in any manner he wished."