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Original poster

Asking permission to remove school blazer - why?

297 replies

MyMushroomsInATimeSlip · 07/09/2021 17:03

DS had started secondary school this week and now has to ask permission to remove his blazer when he's hot.

Have great respect for teachers as it's not a job I could ever do and generally back up school rules. However I genuinely cannot understand the reason for this one. Can someone enlighten me?

OP posts:
megletthesecond · 07/09/2021 18:02

Power trip.
It shouldn't be up to anyone else to decide whether a child is too hot or too cold. Imagine trying that in office, there'd be mutiny.

Imnothereforthedrama · 07/09/2021 18:02

I’ve heard this before at schools with blazers . The manners thing ok I can get my head around just but why refuse someone? So if your hot it’s tough , the obvious thing to do when warm is remove layers and if it was me I couldn’t concentrate if I wasn’t comfortable. Seems crazy to me very controlling to refuse someone to remove something that’s essentially a outer garment on a warm day .

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 07/09/2021 18:03

Ds had the same, had to have permission to remove his jumperConfused

He had heat related nose bleeds so I wrote a letter to the Head to explain and didn't ask permission but I told him ds would be taking off his jumper when he was hot. ffs

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BoomChicka · 07/09/2021 18:05

Uniform is just a power trip for schools. My dd has been roasting at school in the full get up today whilst I went to my senior management office job in a sundress and sandals Confused.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 07/09/2021 18:06

@BitterTits

Because if they can choose to take it off whenever they feel like it, no-one will wear it ever and they my might as well not have them (though I think in hot weather like this schools should just default to summer uniform / no blazer).

DD had to wear a jumper and blazer last week which is just silly. If the blazer is compulsory the jumper ought to be optional.

Why have blazers at all? They are a ridiculous piece of clothing for sweaty teens and especially at the moment offices and work places are encouraging people not to wear suits but clothes that can easily be washed dail, makes no sense at all.
QualityMarguerite · 07/09/2021 18:08

My kids go to a school where a teacher can’t give permission for blazer removal - only an edict from the head can achieve that. A note seeing you with an absent or unwearable blazer would see the pupil out of lessons either sent home or in inclusion.

QualityMarguerite · 07/09/2021 18:08

It’s ridiculous.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 07/09/2021 18:11

I've always found that in Y7 the schools go mad with enforcing all of these rules and they put the fear of god into these young kids. Then by Y8 it all calms down.

My DS'a fairly traditional grammar school have a system where if the temp is over a certain level they raise a flag on the flag pole and that's the signal that blazers can be taken off.

They also have a a few weeks at the end of the summer term where blazers and sometimes even ties are optional.

Fizbosshoes · 07/09/2021 18:13

@MyMushroomsInATimeSlip

Yes, to the problem of hot and sweaty teenagers too. Not helped by short sleeve shirts not being allowed in Autunm term. I kept my distance from DS today until he showered!*

My kids school also has that rule about short sleeves shirts. The front of the short sleeve shirts are different to long sleeve ones so you would be able to tell.

Today DS had PE last period...but instead of allowing them to walk home in (school branded) pe kit, they all had to put long trousers (or skirts for girls) shirts, ties and blazers on just to walk home. Confused

BitterTits · 07/09/2021 18:15

Why have blazers at all? They are a ridiculous piece of clothing for sweaty teens and especially at the moment offices and work places are encouraging people not to wear suits but clothes that can easily be washed dail, makes no sense at all.

I agree with you but that wasn't the question. I think all kids would be better off in comfortable uniform right up to Year 11 (I teach, can't imagine anything worse than wearing itchy, restrictive clothing all day).

MrsPsmalls · 07/09/2021 18:15

No-one ever beliieves this, but this amongst other petty uniform rules was the reason Ds left one school at the end of year 11 and joined the school over the road that let years 12&13 wear their own thing. Taking his best in the school GCSE grades with him. STMHB honestly preferred conformity to excellence. They still have the blazer rule and remain a very middle of the table school. What excellent student with the choice of going anywhere is going to put up with this shit?

Fizbosshoes · 07/09/2021 18:20

I agree with you but that wasn't the question. I think all kids would be better off in comfortable uniform right up to Year 11 (I teach, can't imagine anything worse than wearing itchy, restrictive clothing all day).

Why only up to year 11? Suits and formal uniforms are not worn by every other adult. GPs, teachers, accountants, lawyers (unless in court or meetings) that I know, dont routinely wear suits. They are unbelievably impractical for subjects like art, tech or cookery and expensive when some 16-18 year olds are still growing.

Boobieboobieboobie · 07/09/2021 18:21

Seems alot of high school teachers are on a power trip.

OctaviaTriangle · 07/09/2021 18:27

This one is as old as the hills

What usually happens is that the teacher of each class will tell them to take their blazers off at the start of the lesson when the weather is warm. There was a big old hoo ha at my sons academy school with parents going mad about it etc. I asked my son what actually was happening and he said every single teacher told them to take off blazers - there's no asking from the child and in a lot of these cases I bet that's the same.

Teachers really aren't trying to cook children to instil manners or whatever. It's just a a lot of fuss from parents in a lot of cases

However, having said all that, I'd like to have a uniform that was actually practical - blazers and ties really aren't.

Mischance · 07/09/2021 18:33

Power - it's just a power trip. Makes me sick.

Violetroselily · 07/09/2021 18:34

This was a thing when i started Year 7 on 2001. Total madness, but only seemed to apply to Year 7? Also had to stand up when a teacher entered the room

This was a bog standard girls comp, nothing fancy - I assume they thought it would instill good behaviour?

DelphiniumBlue · 07/09/2021 18:37

@maddy68

To instill manners
What manners are those?
PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 07/09/2021 18:44

At my (independent) schools, blazers were your summer coat. I still struggle to think of them as equivalent to a suit jacket. Confused

We didn't have to ask permission to remove jumpers either, and we could wear summer uniform up to October half term, and after Easter, with everybody wearing it after May half term.

Much more sensible I think!

Plumtree391 · 07/09/2021 18:46

That is so unfair. I think it is an infringement of pupils' rights too; if your son needs to take off his blazer, op, he can take it off. As long as he is polite to the teacher he should stick to his guns. Easier said than done I suppose, when you're a kid.

I consider that a bullying rule, taking advantage of kids who can't fight back.

Sheesh, I thought we were past all that.

Throughabushbackwards · 07/09/2021 18:46

DS is year 7. The head emailed this morning and said they could leave their blazers at home today and tomorrow.

Duetorain · 07/09/2021 19:02

We had this back end of the 80s/early 90s. Middle school had the heat/blazer problem. At high school the other way round. Cold day and any coat had to be off as soon as you walked into a school building. Lugging a coat around as well as bags and assorted stuff.

Good teachers ignored the rules as long as you were smart looking. Senior staff enforced but have a feeling it was mostly reluctant in case Headteacher was around.

Roselilly36 · 07/09/2021 19:03

Madness isn’t it, so pleased my DS’ are no longer at school.

Pissinthepottyplease · 07/09/2021 19:07

I’m an ex secondary teacher I have no idea why some school have this rule. It’s ridiculous. I wanted my students to be independent enough to remove their blazer if it was hot. Instead I found myself strongly encouraging them to remove it on boiling hot days.

Mumteedum · 07/09/2021 19:08

Uniform does my head in. Expensive and ill fitting. Environmentally terrible. And wtf about girls wearing ties. Jeeez plenty of men don't wear them these days. When have you seen a grown woman wearing a tie?!

Uniform is totally regressive.

Bobsyer · 07/09/2021 19:10

I wish I could tell you why OP but I can’t. It’s ridiculous.

I don’t mind a uniform. And I don’t mind rules like it needs to be neat and tidy.

But the school my kids are at, the rules are like this too. They will get in school exclusion if they have the wrong shoes, forget their tie, don’t wear their blazer around the school grounds.

It honestly disgusts me. My boys are quite biddable (but they are only 12) so readily comply, but if there comes a time they don’t and are punished despite excellent behaviour I would say something.