To be glad schools are finally hitting back

It increasingly seems that way.

And they can't even support kids who are basically bright and did very well at primary school and have very mild SEN. So much potential being wasted.

Like others it depends. Uniform not perfect just let it slide. Being aggressive, disrupting class and so on then yes more needs to be done. Stop letting the minority ruin it for the majority.

All these stupid uniform rules and punishments are just a way to get ND kids out of school. Schools and teachers don't care where they go, they just want them out of school so they don't have to support them. Anyone who can't comply with the pointless rules about uniform is forced out through punitive sanctions and exclusions into home ed, because there's nowhere else to go.

My current school's uniform policy states that pupils should wear one item of school-branded clothing (we've got t-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, jumpers, normal shirts, dresses, rugby tops...in our various school colours - red, blue, grey, white, pink). They can wear any kind of bottoms in blue, black or grey, from jogging bottoms to jeans, shorts, skirts...and any sensible shoes they like (so no flip-flops or stilettos). We're a through school so uniform must be appropriate for a 5-year-old and a 16-year-old.
We've also got a very limited number of school rules. The only exceptions are violence or racism, which lead to immediate suspension.
Their parents are responsible for their equipment while they are little. When teaching 6-year-olds, their parents are responsible for making sure they've got their PE kit...yes, their child would do well to remind them but it's not their fault if it gets forgotten in the morning. Some of them don't even know what weekday it is, let alone that they are meant to have their PE kit that day.
When they are older, the kids are meant to look after their equipment and make sure they have it. I'd still contact parents in the first instance if they keep coming without it. Obviously, they will need some support from home in that case.

That's because there's not enough information in the OP for people to be able to choose one of the options and then the comments discuss what the new rules might be and that's why there's a mismatch.

Interestingly the high school here are taking on the uniform policy the primaries have adopted over the last few years.

From September it will be -

black or navy trousers, shorts or skirt. They must be high waisted enough and long enough to cover underwear.

White or royal blue shirt, tshirt or polo shirt. Tie is available to wear with a shirt if wished.

Black, navy or royal blue jumper, cardigan or hoodie. Logo versions available but not compulsory.

Black shoes or trainers.

Some parents are very unhappy about it, but the primaries have said they have found much less clashing between staff and pupils over uniform. Much less time wasted on it. Also pupils much more comfortable and less disruptive.

The high school head was previously very very into uniform so the discussions with the other HT's must have been very eye opening for him to go down this line.

I believe there's a judicial review going on into a trust with excessive isolations. Schools bang on about attendance yet happily shove kids in isolation all the time where they don't access their education properly either. Make it make sense. I mean if a kid is spending half their life in isolation clearly it's not very effective.

It's gonna be one of these threads where the poll and the comments don't match...

My son has to line up to be checked for uniform and pens etc before they even get into the school building. Some teachers also check randomly as they walk past during the school day.

We follow rules but surely everyone, especially the teachers, have better things to do with their time? The irony is, the kids (parents) who dont have regulation uniform are not put off by these checks and continue to send in, in non regulation uniform.

And how is isolation because you are wearing trainers instead of school shoes benefitting anyone? The school goes on about how uniform helps education but then stops kids from learning if they have a stretchy skirt instead of a pencil skirt.

And they are so busy punishing for minor infringements they miss the big stuff and don't know what to do anyway.

How can anyone know if they're glad to see it without knowing what the rules are? Even teachers object to the stupid ones.

I don't agree with children being put into detention for not having a pencil. It is an excessive punishment. Warnings and/or demerit marks, ok, and a detention when a certain number have been acrued but not, straight into detention.
They can borrow a pencil from a friend and try to do better the next time.

Nail on the head. But it's easier for teachers to lazily discipline for minor uniform breaches than it is for them to deal with bullying. As usual, they take the easy option!

Teachers are expected go above and beyond each and every day, unruly behaviour day in day out in lessons must be so demoralising

Like everyone has said, depends on the rules. We visited a primary school where the uniform code listed black hair ties only. Ok that’s fine. Oh but for PE they must be blue. Get over yourselves ffs.

And who do you think should provide the 1500 spare pencils that might be needed in a given day? Bet none of those kids forget to take their smartphone.

Sending students home for wearing the wrong uniform is crazy, giving them a warning and to be prepared for the next day with the correct uniform is the right way to go.

I've seen a few stories about academy trusts being investigated for their behaviour policies leading to parents having to move schools or educate them at home.

https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2025-07-21/strict-behaviour-policy-behind-exodus-of-500-pupils-from-school

The vast majority of schools operate like this now, so there is little or no parental choice other than home education. It's a massive national scandal IMO and schools are not fit for purpose.

It depends what rules you are talking about though.

Some of the rules and associated punishments in some schools are absolutely ridiculous and out of proportion. I'm thinking about things like obsessive uniform rules and excessive punishments for not having a pencil etc.

My local school was the one featured in the news this week, I am all for firm discipline but this school is run like an army training camp and the rules are unreasonable affecting children’s mental health, such as not being allowed to congregate in groups of more than 2 at break time, having to take your winter coat off and put in your bag before you line up in the playground to go into school even in torrential rain, getting a detention for not having a glue stick when another child has just taken it from them so they don’t get into trouble.

The other problem is that the kids who don’t want to be in school know they will just get sent home by walking into school without their tie done up properly, in a town which is one of the most disadvantaged in the country we should be encouraging kids to engage with education and raise their expectations, in reality of lots of these children are spending months out of school getting further and further behind with their learning, often with parents who also failed in the education system and cannot support their children to have higher, achievable, aspirations.

The schools argument is they are preparing children for work and society but I have never worked in a place that has unnecessary, punitive rules that you are not allowed to discuss or challenge.

I hate these 'school rules' situations .
It is grossly unfair that schools turn into prison camps to control a minority of bad kids and that the majority who are usually average rule abiding kids end up being punished.
A workplace would be guilty of unreasonable behaviour /bullying if they treated employees the way some schools treat pupils.
Thankfully my 3 are now finished with school and they also had a very sensible head teacher whilst there.
It must be awful for so many decent kids going to school daily constantly worried about making a trivial little mistake and getting into trouble , no one should have to experience that.
I don't know the solution for the hell bats that cause mayhem in schools but i do know that living in a fearful tyranny is not healthy.
Just to add i'm no pushover as a parent and have no time for ridiculous parents who go crying to the press and social media .

None of the 'little' or 'annoying" rules being trotted out are actually inherently stupid. Even if they seem small and insignificant, it's powerful for the culture for everybody to do what they've been asked and staff insisting on this are teaching children a valuable lesson. They don't get to argue or opt out of what is the norm just because they have a preference. They're supposed to all be treated equally and play their part.

Isn’t that linked to the fact that in order to be excluded in the first place there must have been serious instances of socially unacceptable behaviour, though? It really doesn’t tend to be for minor transgressions of uniform or similar!

It stands to reason that someone who can’t or won’t follow school rules is equally unlikely to cede defeat when confronted by societal rules and norms.

I love you.
My SEN DD had a fab head teacher. He said' if I can see up it, through it or down it, you're not wearing it. Otherwise we're good'.
Top man who changed her life.

In a support group for parent carers of send children I met a mum whose DD was getting dehydrated in school because they were throwing away her water from the water bottle because it had a small amount of squash in it just enough to take away the taste of the water as the autistic child was very taste sensitive.

They were checking ALL the water bottles every day and throwing out any that contained even trace amounts of squash.

My eye actually started twitching at that one.

WHY make life so difficult for everyone when there's a simple adjustment for a child that finds the taste of tap water difficult and can stay hydrated that way.