Just read the bloody uniform policy!!!

I'm sure that 99% of teachers would be glad to 'just teach' without all thw extraneous nonsense they have to get dragged into, rows outside school, name calling on social media the parents let them use, policing the selfish parkers round the school, the list is almost endless of the non-teaching rubbish they have to waste time on! If teachers just taught without wasting time, without parents constantly wanting to complain, standards would rise astronomically.

Yet, again many other countries’ children and teens manage just fine or do you think the British ones can’t do the same and your thoughts on what teen girls would wear if given the choice of not uniforms is absurd and disgusting.

You might well see a solicitor turn up to court in trainers, actually. They're much more practical to travel in, especially given how far-flung some courts are. They may well also wear them in court, given that the judge can't see their shoes.

Even if they do dress up for court, they emphatically don't dress like that all day every day. No solicitor judges another solicitor for dressing sensibly.

Obviously every school has other rules. Things like turning up on time, behaving, working, being polite. Children learn much more by complying with those rules, because there is a point to them. They don't learn by being forced to comply with arbitrary pointless rules, particularly when they become as stupid as making them wear blazers in hot weather.

There are unfortunately not "lots" of schools with a no uniform policy. Where I live, for instance, with ten academy secondary schools in the area, there is no school my child could attend that does not have a uniform.

It’s all utterly ridiculous. Can we extend the ‘fed is best’ argument to ‘dressed is best’? Let’s stop wasting learning time and just crack on.

Wide experience of non-uniform schools demonstrates that this just doesn't happen. In practice most children end up wearing jeans and sweatshirts or T shirts.

On the other hand, stop outside any secondary school with a uniform at going home time, and you'll see the vast majority of the girls with their skirts rolled right up via the waistbands so they barely cover their pants. Clearly uniforms are if anything an incentive to dress "as hookers".

There's one near my house. A couple of others let the 5th and 6 form students wear their own clothes. Most international schools here allow kids to wear their own clothes and some private schools which aren't international. I can think of at least 5 schools near me.

Not true - DT’s were at a non uniform school from ages 4-18. Their clothes were a non issue. Jeans, trainers and a hoodie in the cooler weather and shorts and T-shirts in the summer. Mostly non branded items.

No time wasted on policing uniform and no bullying. No one cared what anyone was wearing. Also much cheaper as they wore the same clothes as they would after school, weekends and holidays.

Anyone who says uniform is a waste of time- as a secondary teacher kids (girls) would either dress as hookers or demand a new outfit each day. A uniform addressed this.

I work near this school. They have worked their arses off to pull it out of the toilet. It was a hole. The rules are clear. This story is a joke. Also pretty sure they are fake viv’s she has on 😂. Change the record.

Uniforms are a waste of money and should be made obsolete ! They serve to institutionalise children and teens and make them comply . They have nil impact on bullying . Most countries around the world have far less bullying than the U.K. and have no uniforms .

I work surrounded by solicitors , apart from court days nobody uses a blazer , nobody needs to keep their hair a certain length or even hide tattoos or remove earrings anymore .
The whole uniform thing is just retrograde.

Different subject related to the same subject… it’s 2023 why are girls still made to wear ties to school? I understand looking ‘professional’ to get you ready for the big wide world but I’ve not once wore a tie since leaving school 🤣

I think you have to look at the parents who buy the unsuitable shoes.
I put three girls through school and the uniform policy on shoes was very clear. My girls wore sensible shoes throughout their 5 years at community college/academy/grammar school. It's not difficult. You go to a good shoe shop. Have the child's feet measured then give them the choice of the sensible school shoes on offer. They will cost a little more than the ballet pumps that last 5 minutes but will last much longer, therefore being more cost effective as well as better for the child's feet.

School management pathetic power complex. Poor teachers usually caught in the middle having to enforce pointless petty rules about logos that matter nowhere else aside from inside schools. Wearing expensive blazers over jumpers in 30 degrees just because its uniform policy wouldn’t happen in any modern workplace. The amount of time spent on this nonsense is horrific.

I think uniform in general is fine it’s the nitpicking and extreme overreaction to minor infractions over logos or now short ties are etc. The argument that is levels all kids is nonsense, teenagers know who is trendy/well off regardless. Kids with sensory issues or challenging body shapes or parents needing to use hand me downs or only buy one pair of shoes suffer this pointless nonsense.

Entitled parents raising entitled kids.

I agree. But also the overly strict adherance to insisting the children wear full layers of uniform (eg shirt, tie and blazer) during a heatwave ! How a child hasnt passed out yet I do not know.

I think the cheaper supermarket non leather versions would probably pass as they look like leather and are plain. And as long as they aren’t a ballet shoe for example if those are banned then a substantial looking cheaper alternative would pass. However, from experience these work out more expensive in the long run. My DD grew out of her Clarks shoes by Easter so rather than buying new Clark’s ones to be outgrown again by summer we went to shoezone. They were falling apart within ha couple of weeks. Tried another style from same shop and also fell apart (well daughter picked off the ‘patent leather’ and they looked awful. I ended up sending her in trainers for the last few weeks - most of her class were already in trainers so I figured I had some ammunition if she was picked on for wearing them. No one said anything though.

I also disagree with the places that have one style of branded skirt for the girls. Plain skirts that can be sourced anywhere are more sensible and allow for varying body shapes.

Our secondary has a fairly strict policy on paper but it’s frustrating that many get away with not following it and and then when my child turns up on a one off with something out of place she gets told off. For example leggings are not allowed. I’d never send them in leggings anyway. But I’ve seen comments on the parent groups I’m in saying ‘I’m just sending her on leggings as she won’t wear anything else!’. Well no. Unless there’s an additional need - which out school is happy to adapt the uniform for in genuine cases - you don’t buy your child leggings instead of proper trousers especially not ones where you can see their knickers through. Then the current complaint amongst parents which I do support is the boys not being able to wear tailored shorts. They must wear trousers. But the girls can wear skirts that basically show their bum cheeks (despite the uniform policy saying knee length). In this heat the boys should be allowed properly shorts. At least our girls aren’t forced into tights only and can wear socks!! Permission to remove jumpers from the teacher must be sought.

The school has relaxed the number of logo items which are compulsory. The main sweatshirt is now the only thing!! When my eldest started they had to have a logo PE top and Logo jumper for PE but now it just has to be the right colour with logo optional. No blazers in sight thank goodness!!

It frustrates me this whole thing. Those VW pumps seem to be the shoe of choice at my DDs secondary school and they haven’t been banned. But they’re awful shoes and I can’t understand why they would wear them. The other popular one in our school is a Zaxy ballet pump with huge bow. Seriously awful too. I’ve seen the kids wearing them come the winter and they’re not practical and pretty worn out. My kids both went against those and one has worn brogues until this year where she chose DMs and the other has chosen brogues. I also notice that school only allows leather that can be polished. My DD has picked patent brogues. For her they will last longer than regular leather. One of my kids has to wear in orthotic insole so anything ballet pump wouldn’t work and neither can keep slip on shoes on their feet.

All these parents kicking off have been told prior to this and it’s the parents choosing to ignore the uniform policy that has caused their child to be sent home or isolated. Why do these parents think the rules don’t apply to their child?? And when they say little Lottie won’t wear a brogue then you wonder who is in charge in their house.

Where I work we have a dress code. It includes suitable footwear that has to be substantial for health and safety. Adult work places are less concerned about brands as adults don’t tend to get bullied about wearing cheap unbranded clothes. Although I read a recent post about the OP working in a law firm and being expected to spend hundreds on tailored clothing. Many work places have a uniform with an expectation that you wear it and don’t rebel. Think many retail places, nhs. I worked in Woolworths many years ago and we were given a specific skirt for women (not allowed trouser then) and we had to wear a specific colour of tights with the skirt. Yes there are places of work without strict policies around clothes but as an adult you get to choose where to work most of the time. Parents choose the school for their child and this should mean they agree to follow the rules. Exceptions can often be made for students with additional needs but the general population should be able to follow a rule.

As someone who was never allowed branded clothes as a child the uniform at school meant that I didn’t stick out as much. I did in other respects as I didn’t abuse the no makeup rule that may girls went against with their orange faces!! Don’t think branded shoes were an issue back then as ‘school shoes’ were just that and weren’t really available in brands. Trainers not being allowed as part of main uniform helped. I hated PE though as my unbranded trainers did stand out compared to the brands of the 90s.

Part of the school uniform policies is about making a level playing field for the pupils where the money spent on their uniform shouldn’t be the focus.

Our example of this is stretchy material skirts. 90 girls in isolation day 1 and only 2 years were on site. I have no problem with uniform, however they want tailored skirts, which I have never found one that fits my daughters shape. The smaller sizes I would have to buy would be too short. Even the school finally admitted the issue when they had her trying on all the school stock in years 8,9 and 10. I think there needs to be some thought process behind the policies.

Jesus, some posters are thick!As a parent you don't agree to the school uniform rules because there's literally no choice in many areas. There are no non uniform schools! And the law states you have to educate your child - the vast majority aren't capable of home education, either because they aren't qualified to teach their children to a high enough standard or because they are at work.

It's really not unreasonable to expect rules to be proportionate and fair and based on sensible reasoning.

Despite the lack of choice for parents, the vast majority do support their schools and don't want to be arguing with teachers over unimportant details. I doubt the majority of teachers care whether shoes have a logo or a child's hair is an unnatural colour. They probably care far more about attitude in class and whether kids are working well.

I think the school is in the right, because those parents who bought this footwear aren’t truly impacted by CoL and it’s levelling to have plain shoes when many won’t be able to afford designer labels.

Only someone seriously misguided would be choosing designer school schools over buying food and keeping on top of household bills.

It absolutely is not to level the playing field. A lot of our local secondary schools stipulate leather shoes, so that lets out cheaper shoe shops as they have synthetic uppers. The cheapest leather shoes I have seen are at least £10 - £15 more expensive than the cheaper similar looking alternative.

The specific blazer skirt or pinafore from a single specified uniform shop costing much more than a generic plain coloured alternative. The school back pack and coat, compulsory of course and neither being suitable for purpose. The bag being too small and the coat too thin.

Also, whilst on paper an EHCP must be honoured lots find no leeway is given for sensory or any other issues and are told their child cannot be accommodated if they cannot adhere to full uniform policy.

I know the school in the news today. But for our house move my daughter would have gone there. It’s relatively recently become part of a local academy group after a challenging situation and not great ofsted. They had high staff turnover, but great behaviour, etc etc.

The school that’s the ‘top’ of the chain is known for its good outcomes. It gets these , as far as I could see from my research, by applying consistent policy across the board. From behaviour to uniform to homework completion.

my friends who have kids going there seem happy enough and are really pleased that the new system is trying to improve things for all pupils allocated there.

Consistency and standards to meet are good for kids and understanding where the boundaries lie is a good lesson to learn

YANBU

Stupid referencing CoL while buying £100 trainers 🙄

I haven’t RTFT but although I do agree with a school’s uniform policy it’s a bit tricky with shoes. You need to find something that is durable and fits with the rules. My daughter has just gone into Yr11 and has the Vivienne Westwood ballet flats. I know they are expensive, I was shocked at the price, but this will be her second school year of wear out of them. She asked for them for Yr10 and I initially refused, mainly due to the fact they are what I would have called ‘jelly’ shoes. I bought her another type of shoe, they wore out, replaced and wore out again. I relented and got the VW ones. Like I said, now on the second year and so I think they can receive a 👍🏼 for wear and tear and have proved themselves economical in the long run.