Blazers confuse me

Blazers have always been ‘the thing’; I wore one decades ago.
I don’t think the majority of people are working at home in their pyjamas; many now are required to be in the office or equivalent, and of course many professions are unable to work from home.

We didn't wear blazers when I was in school. I used to take my coat off in March, then put it back on in November.

I wear a blazer for work now, but I don't have to.

Stop overthinking it. Teenagers and coats do not usually go together. I had three (teenagers, not coats). None wore coats at secondary school so I'd say don't waste your headspace on this, or your money.

Wait until your child says they either do want a coat or (most likely) they don't and wouldn't be seen dead in one.

In year 7 I bought my son a thin anorak type waterproof which stayed in the bottom of his bag. I then purchased a massive thick coat about 10 sizes too big so it fitted over blazer which he wore once, but when he realised he couldn't fit in his bag he refused to wear! So now it's just the thin water proof for rainy days and he wears just a blazer even if its -5!

At DD's school they have to wear blazers and ties all year round unless given permission to remove them. They were allowed to remove them at the end of last term and have been allowed to remove the blazers this week. No announcement made about the coming week.

DD in Year 11, hasn't ever worn a coat to secondary school. It's just not the done thing .

We live literally 5 minutes from the school and she never wears one, in snow, ice, wind rain, never.

In the winter I find a lightish waterproof and wind proof jacket is enough with the sweater and blazer.

My son has to wear a blazer all day as well even during this heatwave he isn’t allowed to take it off, luckily we live 5 mins walk from his school so I’m not worried about winter as he won’t be doing a lot of travelling and his uniform also includes a jumper that kids can wear under the blazer

We get an email when it's allowed to take your blazer off, based on weather forecasts. They weren't allowed this week.

Yeah you won't find a teenager wanting to wear a coat. And if they do, it needs to fit into a school bag that's already full with books and equipment. Instant detention if it's seen.

What I don't understand, when they became the thing to have for schools, they bleated on about it being necessary to dress ready for being in the workplace ... but most people work at home in their pjs now 🤷🏼‍♀️

Surely every sensible 👍Y7 parent would buy a blazer a bit too large in order for their child to grow into it!

My daughter would like to wear a coat when it's cold/wet but there is nowhere to put them as they no longer have lockers so she puts up with the weather instead.

Most refuse to wear a coat as they have to carry it around all day plus bag, plus PE bag. Especially if it is wet it’s difficult to carry around.

I quite liked my blazer at school and don't remember any friends complaining, they had loads of hiding spaces for your fags, lip balm and polos
I wonder if the no coat to school thing has a North South divide like coats generally. Go on a night out in Newcastle in winter and you can spot the southern students in their coats and gloves a mile off. Students around here (Essex) seem to wear coats, even more so at the rougher schools black coat with hood pulled up, scarf across the face, even even it's warm.

@Pascha

We’ve had a lot of success with these (they gave them on Amazon but won’t let me link). They’ve coped with PE, packed lunch, clarinet and all the detritus!

https://www.countyschoolwear.co.uk/buy-online/non-badged/school-uniform-accessories/school-bags-backpacks/school-backpack-bags/school-1

Loads of the men I know still wear a jacket or blazer to work (with or without a tie). I have no requirement to wear a jacket to work but I often do, because I love them.

@Magpiecomplex I'll put underarmour on the list for next time. He's got about half a term til it breaks I think.

Teenager with pac a macs and duffel coats!
They would have been considered ridiculous when I went to school, and I'm 60!

DD's old secondary school let them go in wearing PE kit when it's very hot and that's what they did this week. All years.

@Pascha Thanks, good tip! Re bags, mine have had success with UnderArmour bags, which seem to last pretty well.

I got my DD a really light, black rain coat big enough to go over blazer

Totally agree. A smart jacket does not signify professional these days, so why do we persist with this nonsense?

Many schools insist on blazers until they give permission for them to be removed. This is a ridiculous rule and would have added yet another layer to my daughter's mental health problems and overall 'what can we do to make life worse' approach that her senior school had. (Forcing her , a chronic asthmatic, to run in a heatwave, forcing her to sit on the top deck of a school bus where pupils were smoking, meaning she had to walk, denying she'd been assaulted when she was knocked unconscious...).
So yeah, it's a thing.

@TestingTestingWonTooFree @Magpiecomplex and any else interested in the visibility aspect of dark coats, I use a roll of visibility tape and stick in various places on the back rain mac and winter coat and also his school bag. He has a 45 minute wait and an hour's bus journey along rural roads in the evening and the tape actually shows up very well and doesn't fall off in the wash.

Now, if anyone can point me to a large capacity backpack which stands up to schoolbooks, pe kit and trainers or football boots and a lunchbag without having to carry anything on the outside AND doesn't break in approx one term I would be eternally grateful. Those poxy backpacks you see in tesco and the like are absolutely not fit for his use. He currently has an Adidas defender backpack which is big enough but the material around the zip is already fraying and he's only had it since April (so no heavy winter kit in there yet)

Blazers are horrible but ds does find his useful for storing personal items including bus pass etc.

Summer uniform is shorts allowed and no blazer and he actually found it quite annoying to have to carry his wallet and phone in his bag as school trousers and shorts don't generally have deep enough pockets whereas the blazer absolutely does.

In the winter he is expected to use black or navy coat and generally he makes do with his black knit jumper underneath blazer and a rain mac for wet bus journeys which lives stuffed in the school bag otherwise. He does have a nice thick winter coat but it's such a faff at school and they get left behind so easily.

@TestingTestingWonTooFree one of my DCs goes to a school which insists on plain dark coats. I have raised the road safety point but they won't give in!
OP, both of mine have, and wear, dark ski jacket type things for when it's really cold. And they have lightweight waterproofs for if it's just rainy.