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Original poster

Are your children allowed to wear coats outside?

41 replies

Frankinator · 24/01/2025 18:47

Our local school has recently changed policy to not allow children to wear coats outside. I completely understand not allowing children to wear them inside, but cannot fathom what the problem is with wearing them outside, particularly in January when it's surely universally agreed that it's pretty cold. Is this common in schools?

OP posts:
GildedRage · 24/01/2025 19:35

i suspect the locker situation/storage and a school not fit for purpose.

InJadeHedgehog · 24/01/2025 19:31

My daughters school can wear plain black coats with no fur trim at all times except in classrooms.

LuckysDadsHat · 24/01/2025 19:28

KittenPause · 24/01/2025 19:19

I suppose they've had safeguarding issues

What safeguarding issues would stop someone wearing a coat? This isn't me being goady, I just can't think of any and I'm interested.

fashionqueen0123 · 24/01/2025 19:26

Frankinator · 24/01/2025 19:04

I'm so glad that it's not just me that thinks this is bonkers. I honestly thought my son was making it up / exaggerating when he told me, but it's been confirmed by numerous other parents. Any ideas around approaching the school very appreciated as I'm not even sure how to say, you are all mad, without actually saying that!
For context this is a 13-18 (state) school so admittedly the children are older. But I'd have been cold at that age!

I’d just ring up and say I assume my son has got this wrong as it’s obviously freezing and anyone sensible would wear a coat, but I wanted to check what he’s saying about coats?

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 24/01/2025 19:25

No lockers or cloakroom at school here so all bags, books, pe kit, coats are carried around all day. Can't realistically change footwear because they'd have to carry it so had to walk part way with my DC recently due to flooding and wellies needed to get through. It's a shit school but also no other choice.

alpenguin · 24/01/2025 19:20

Eldest is expected to only wear their blazer to school as they have nowhere to store coats and they’re definitely not allowed to wear coats in school between classes etc. They’re also not allowed to wear boots in bad weather (not even docs although boys get to wear them with trousers as the tops cant be seen). In hot weather they’re not allowed to take their blazer off.

Living in Scotland in winter this is madness although less of an issue with our summers

KittenPause · 24/01/2025 19:19

I suppose they've had safeguarding issues

Needmorelego · 24/01/2025 19:17

Do you mean moving to and from lessons that are in different buildings?
My secondary in the 80s was a sprawling campus and we spent half our time traipsing from one building to any. We had a Head for a while that insisted we didn't wear coats "in the corridors" which included actual outside footpaths from one building to another.
It was ridiculous.
We didn't have cloakrooms/lockers so we were expected to carry our coats, bags and anything else we needed for that day - PE kit, art folders, home ecc ingredients etc around with us all the time.
Thankfully that Head only stayed a year. I can't remember if the rule was officially abandoned or everyone just ignored it because it was pretty much impossible to carry everything.
Why do schools do this crap?

Runnersandtoms · 24/01/2025 19:11

Just asked my 14 year old who said normally no coats allowed walking between lessons or at lunchtime but they have just changed it and said they can wear them at lunch and between lessons.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 24/01/2025 19:09

Are they allowed to stay inside? If they are forced outside with no coat in January that's a health and safety issue, surely?

TorturedParentsDepartment · 24/01/2025 19:09

Mine are allowed to, and non-black coats are highly encouraged for dark night visibility reasons.

Original poster
Frankinator · 24/01/2025 19:04

I'm so glad that it's not just me that thinks this is bonkers. I honestly thought my son was making it up / exaggerating when he told me, but it's been confirmed by numerous other parents. Any ideas around approaching the school very appreciated as I'm not even sure how to say, you are all mad, without actually saying that!
For context this is a 13-18 (state) school so admittedly the children are older. But I'd have been cold at that age!

OP posts:
Justme2023123 · 24/01/2025 18:57

Not the case at my eldest's high school

SomethingStinky · 24/01/2025 18:53

Isn't the entire point of a coat to wear it outside. Bonkers.

Iamoldandwearpurple · 24/01/2025 18:49

That's ridiculous, unless you are somewhere tropical! It's been baltic here for weeks!

noblegiraffe · 24/01/2025 18:48

No, it isn't, and it sounds mad.