Yes, essentially the answer is:
Our rules say he must get it cut. Our rules are not necessarily in accordance with the law.
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Thanks MattB.
I have asked the CO to ask the SWO to ask the WWO this question.
I emailed the WWO but he did not reply due to me skipping the chain of command.
(the SWO made the decision to say tie it up⌠I just wanted guidance/top cover so that I could send the cadet to Wing events with a clear conscience that I had done my due diligence.)
What a throbber!
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Well actually he did reply, but only to tell me that I should use the chain of command⌠And cced in the CO and SWO just to make my life difficult. He didnât answer the question.
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i have been on unit with girls having ânon-naturalâ colours.
they were permitted on Unit but banned from anything on the weekends/outside our compound until it washed out/grew out.
I would apply the same here - he can tie it up but donât expect to leave the compound be it working the village fete or a NCO course
How much does it really, really matter? Does it stop them being a good cadet in general, if you ignore the hair?
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If they were a âgood cadetâ they would ensure their hair was regulation 
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I concur.
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If they are doing all the good things, thatâs a good cadet. Itâs if they look unkempt.
As a cadet we had the following looks; skinhead, teddy boy, rocker, new Mod, punk, all good cadets, despite the hairstyles all with civvies to match.
Maybe 40 years ago people in the Corps werenât so anal. The rules were the same but didnât seem to be adhered to like people seem to want to now.
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Only if the regulations are properly explained⌠Which is my problem
And someoneâs been banned for repeated trolling. 
Surely you get a blue badge for trolling?
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Can we vote on who weâd want that to be? 
Back on topic - regulations are in the AP. If you stuck to that then you should be backed all up the chain. Rules is rules - breaking them opens yourself as a target more than following them.
Explained to the cadet. The SWO found a mention of âcultural-not religiousâ⌠somewhere and decided that tie it up was correct. Iâm not saying that the rules arenât properly explained in the AP, they just get âinterpretedâ differently.
He said âproperly explainedâ - that isnât a guarantee in our publications.
It is a bit vague I grant you. Especially rastafarian hair⌠How can you keep dreadlocks off the collar AND wear head dress correctly??
Get a written quote and ask cadet to carry it round on wing events - pretty much saying âthis hairstyle is correct and has been approved by WO XX - any issues please speak to themâ
See how well that goes down!
Great idea. If I donât get anything from the WWO I will ask the SWO to sign an insert for his 3822âŚthen encourage him to go on lots of wing events! (the cadet, not the SWO)
I for one would not like to try that out.
If it looks like the PR is going south and the case was making the corps looks bad. I for one would believe the rules would be quietly changed and the CO or WWO would be made the fall guy.
- Hair. The hair of the head is to be well cut and trimmed. Sideburns are to be short and well-trimmed and are not to extend below a line running through the midpoint of the ear. Extreme styles of haircuts and colouring are not permitted. If the hair is dyed or highlighted, the colour chosen is to be natural and in a uniform shade appropriate to the individual.
This is a direct quote from AP1358C. There is nothing about length, style or it being tied in a bun, much of what we do is convention and what we have always done. More importantly there is wriggle room for the CoC to say that the CO or WWO were exceeding their brief and that is not what the rules were meant to say.
Well,
this is interesting! There appears to be a difference between AP1358 and AP1358C:
AP1358C (v.1.07) states:
APPEARANCE
Growth of Hair and Beards - Male Personnel. (QR209 & 210).
- Hair. The hair of the head is to be well cut and trimmed. Sideburns are to be short and well trimmed and are not to extend below a line running through the mid point of the ear. Extreme styles of haircuts and colouring are not permitted. If the hair is dyed or highlighted, the colour chosen is to be natural and in a uniform shade appropriate to the individual.
AP1358 (AL19) States:
APPEARANCE
Growth of Hair and Beards - Male Personnel. (QR209 & 210).
- Hair. The hair of the head is to be well cut and trimmed. Sideburns are to be short and well trimmed and are not to extend below a line running through the mid point of the ear. Extreme styles of haircuts and colouring are not permitted. If the hair is dyed or highlighted, the colour chosen is to be natural and in a uniform shade appropriate to the individual. The commanding officer shall be the arbiter upon what is or not an acceptable style or length of cut.
(my highlight)
if AP1358C included that last bit then you would have your answer!
Cheers