School Rules Uniform

Do the teachers regularly give permission or do they wear it all almost all the time? I would think their shirts must be soaked with sweat by the end of the day!
In my experience what usually happens is that at the start of the year the teachers tend to say "arrive with blazers on and remove if you need to". Equally, it's not uncommon for schools to remove the blazer requirement when it's really warm.

You'd be amazed how many times we actually have students wearing t shirts or fashion tops under their shirts, then keeping their blazers on and refusing to take their blazers off when it's hot. Sometimes there's nothing as weird as teenagers.

@StormyClouds
Having to wear both a jumper and blazer and not even being able to ask permission to remove anything, now that is strict. Do the teachers regularly give permission or do they wear it all almost all the time? I would think their shirts must be soaked with sweat by the end of the day!

Our school is the same. There's a rule for the minimum number of stripes that should be visible on the tie. (Short tie is fashionable)

I don't check my kids though. It's totally their responsibility. Mine is to buy, wash and iron.

My DDs' schools both have quite prescriptive guidelines on items of acceptable uniform wear and how they should be worn. Youngest daughter's primary school insists on uniform shirt/tie/skirt being worn; she always has her top button undone and starts off with shirt tucked in but inevitably comes untucked during the day, school don't seem to worry about her uniform appearance unless it's school photo day or something.
Eldest daughters wear shirt/tie/blazer/skirt; they always have their top buttons undone and ties slightly loose, even thought school rules are for them to be fastened, but I think because they look smart in every other respect it's probably overlooked

Pretty strict. I don't check DS1s uniform though before he leaves the house. That's his problem. He's nearly 13. When I say pretty strict, their uniform standards have to be withheld outside of school too. He got pulled up by a teacher in town because he'd taken his tie off (not in school hours)

We used to play occasional primary netball matches against Our Lady of Perpetual Succour school, inevitably known as the Suckers.

@GuppytheCat yes the purple socks sound hideous but we wore brown, poo brown uniform. So our PE kit also had brown gym knickers. Locally we were known as the shits.

Ah. That makes more sense clip-ons. How ghastly.

DS1 is 14 and his school have a very strict uniform. Blazer, jumper (compulsory from October- May), shirt, tie, black socks, black school shoes.

They are also very strict on how it is worn- top button done up, tie covering top button, shirt tucked in, blazer and jumper both to be worn at all times unless a teacher gives permission to remove (they are not even allowed to ask to take them off, they have to wait for permission to be given either in class or by the head if it's exceptionally warm).

I agree with the uniform and am glad that his school has such high standards. I think we as parents have a duty to support our DC's schools so I do check that he is wearing his uniform correctly in the mornings and he knows that he would be punished at home should there be any issues.

gorgeous knee length A line skirt and white knee socks

Think yourselves lucky - our local Catholic girls' school had green knee-length skirts with purple knee socks and a peculiar sort of onion-dome beret in purple and green.

Yes my son's school is just as strict, top button fastened and tie tied with the school logo showing just below the knot. Took Ds2 30 seconds to figure out how to tie it perfectly in year 7. He is now in year 9. Shirts tucked in, black shoes, no boots.

I went to a catholic secondary, all our uniform came from the specific uniform shop including a gorgeous knee length A line skirt and white knee socks. We could only have coats of a certain colour and bags. The only item that had no restrictions on were umbrellas, so you bet we all chose the brightest ones. An absolute rainbow of colour and pattern at the slightest bit of rain.

All makeup was removed by staff from any faces suspected of wearing it, no gel or excessive hairspray etc (this was the 80s!) at the end of the day the parents chose the school, you abided by the uniform policy.

So this whole concept of "strict" uniform policies in secondaries now seems laughable to me.

Our local secondary has just gone insane on uniform - new head, insecure in in post, bringing in change for the sake of change...

Fortunately the school's 6th form is completely separate, has its own head and no uniform - just a relaxed dress code. Clothes have to be clean, no ripped jeans and no sweary slogans on T-shirts - that's it. It's bloody wonderful.

I am puzzled how they can tell the top button that isn't done up

Possibly it is the difference between "real" ties and clip on ties. DC's school have clip on ties only; it's quite hard (DS has tried) to put the tie on with the top button undone without it being pretty obvious.

I am puzzled how they can tell the top button that isn't done up if the tie is properly positioned. And why bother to have it undone if the collar is good and loose?

Having said which DS2s school (highly selective and high achieving) is renowned as having notoriously scruffy boys and little interest is nagging the boys (and presumably sixth form girls who I very much admire for their very functional approach to personal styling) about such things.

Ds school uniform isn't that strict, no rules about buttons & most kids wear their own version of the uniform. Like other posters I think the uniform standards in no way correlate to the standards of behaviour or learning in schools & are a waste of time & money. The highest attaining schools in our city don't have a uniform & it appears that the stricter the uniform rules, the less the school standards of education & attainment.

thankfully no where close to that strict
No ties, no button up shirts apart from a polo and even then buttons being open is fine

They say no leggings but no one obeys that lol

That's interesting @madnessitellyou. I've always thought that uniform has more to do with corporate branding than behaviour management and results.

I always thought that my DCs school was strict but it's not as strict as yours, OP. What shocks me more is that teachers regularly get a note reminding them of their dress code - no denim and no leggings.

They are supposed to have top button done and girls skirts to the knee. But if you lined them all up there'd be a surprising variation on how they wear the exact same clothes. Every once in a while at assembly they get their uniform checked and can get minus points, but the kids don't take that too seriously.

No school uniform at all at dc1’s school. They dress sensibly as the novelty of no uniform wears off quickly. They get excellent results and behaviour is also excellent. We were a bit concerned about the lack of uniform but we needn’t have been: I’m now convinced that uniform is a waste of time.

My child's school have the same rules, it's not hard to stick to.

Ds3's school has a strict uniform policy that requires top buttons to be done up, ties up and jumpers on. He knows it and abides by it, I don't need to check him.
I know another school very well that has a rather lax attitude to its own uniform policy, with some teachers being much less strict than others despite reminders of consistency. The kids are confused and it leads to a lot of minor behaviour issues that make life more difficult than it should be.

we have no school uniform policy at ds school
makes life easy

We have 2 comps in our town. 1 is as you describe, the other is more relaxed. Both get good results.

I have no idea. ds knows the uniform and as far as I know wears it so I have never been told there is a problem.

Get him a lager collar size if the top button being done up is uncomfortable, then leave him to it.