Now it’s warming up, it’s time for seasonally moan about secondary school uniforms

[Soubriquet]

Whhhhhhhy?! Why must they have a thick ass blazer that traps in all the smells of puberty? Why can they only take it off if they ask for permission?!

They know they are hot! They shouldn’t have to say it.

Christ. What’s wrong with a nice shirt and jumper that students can remove when needed and not these thick stuffy blazers.

Schools like to lecture and say it prepares you for the working world, but how many jobs actually require a worker to wear a blazer? Plus, as an adult you don’t need permission to take it off!

What irritates me is that 6th form girls round here get away with tiny skirts and vest tops while the boys are sweating in a suit! In reality very few people in the work place will be wearing either 🙈. Also can we normalise wearing smart, knee length shorts in the work place (and schools) please?

I always feel so sorry for kids who have to wear blazers. Fortunately, summer uniform here (UK state school) is school polo shirt and usual skirt/trousers. How do they work or take exams if they're uncomfortable?
Edited to add that they can also wear formal shorts.

It's crazy, isn't it. I went to a convent school in the 80s; we weren't even allowed to wear our blazers indoors! Summer uniform was cardigan or pullover (could be sleeveless), skirt and short sleeved open collar blouse (no tie), with knee length or ankle socks and shoes. We could take our cardies or sweaters off if we were too warm. I don't understand why schools make their pupils swelter in hot weather in heavy clothing indoors. It's not healthy.

I just don’t understand why a jumper isn’t good enough anymore. It’s bad enough they aren’t allowed to wear a coat inside the school during freezing and wet weather, (even just to get inside!) but to have to swelter in a thick blazer because a teacher says no is inhumane.

And like I said, it really doesn’t air well with puberty bound teens. Holds the smell of BO a lot more than a jumper

I completely agree. My DDs school doesn’t have blazers and shock horror the pupils are allowed to take their sweatshirts off without asking permission if they’re hot. They are even allowed to wear shorts (knee length plain black only) after May half term!!!!!! It’s an outstanding school with low rates of bullying and behaviour issues.

I will never understand the logic behind forcing kids to wear a fucking 3 piece suit to school. And then issuing a detention for not wearing the full 3 piece suit.

The principle of a uniform, yes, I understand that. But this nonsense has gone too far.

Totally agree. My DD’s secondary school wear a skirt and polo shirt (with a jumper or hoody when it’s cold). Much more practical!

As a teacher I completely agree! Polo shirts are fine, usually have to have school emblem on them anyway. They have to ask to take their blazers off in class, my response...no one needs to ask! X

Totally agree. I’m a teacher and at my old school the rule was they had to put their blazer back on to enter the building after break. I remember seeing the deputy head standing at the door in shirt sleeves saying “put your blazer on” on a blisteringly hot day, when one of the kids shouted “where’s your blazer sir?!” 🤣 I think he had a point.

I am not against blazers, however there needs to be common sense applied. My school moved from jumpers to blazers a few years back and I think it worked well as the jumpers used to look really scruffy- faded, shrunk, ‘holey’ and were still polyester so not less pongy than blazers.
Most students quite like having lots of pockets to put their stuff in.
But my school has a sensible attitude and in warm weather a message goes to parents that students can switch to “summer” uniform, which just a shirt and a tie. However, if students wish to layer up, the blazer goes on before a coat or a jumper, which I think is fair enough.
Both my children’s schools had blazers but I don’t think they were too strict about students taking them off. My daughter’s school (state secondary) even had summer dresses, which was pretty unusual. However both of my children always took their blazers with them to carry ‘stuff’, even in hot weather.

Polo shirts and a jumper here. The school are a bit weird about jumpers, I think they have to have them in their bag regardless of how hot it is, but far far preferable to shirt, tie and blazer.

My DDs’ school insists girls wear thick black tights with their skirts except when someone deems it warm enough to switch to socks. Girls can wear trousers, but for reasons the head has never properly explained neither sex are allowed to wear shorts (which my DD would love).

When it is really hot (not this week!) they can leave their blazers at home.

I hate the blazers, hate girls wearing ties, hate them not being able to wear shorts. Thankfully round here it is 6th form colleges rather than school 6th form, so eventually they will escape these ridiculous rules.

Our comp has polos and sweatshirts for reception - year 11 with a shirt or trousers. Since last year tailored shorts are allowed all year round.

Sixth form wear shirts and knitted jumpers on they’re top half. In theory tailored shorts are allowed too but I’ve never seen any pupils wearing them.

It definitely makes sense for pupils to be comfortable whatever the weather and whatever their preferences are.

Thick black tights with skirts is awful! DD’s school is they can wear socks as long as they are black. And they can wear tights if they want to too so at least she has that going for her

One DDS school is blazer no matter what and I have no respect for them. The other school has said no blazers need to be worn whilst the weather is hot

Our school has a very sensible approach, switched from compulsory blazer to either jumper or blazer a couple of years back and I don’t think any kid has worn a blazer since! They can take either off if too hot and they can wear short sleeved shirts. Shorts are allowed but none of them wear them. They all wear their ties at half mast too and never seem to get told to do them up.

Totally agree - my boys get so pissed off at being told by female teachers in cool summer dresses that they’re not allowed to take their blazers off 🙄. Totally mental.

@Soubriquet the policy was introduced quite recently, apparently to ensure uniformity but obviously it is because most of the girls roll their shirts up so their care cheeks are hanging out (uniformity could have been achieved by mandating a particular colour of sock).

I don’t mind school uniform and don’t mind rules, but how the head can’t see that attempting to stop girls rolling their skirts up is like rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic is beyond me!

Our closest secondary school has made it to the daily fail this week because the headteacher banned the wearing of school jumpers from now until October half term… just wtf. My daughter hopefully won’t have to go there … I mean I doubt any of the kids are missing their jumpers this week, and the sob stories in the paper were a bit OTT, but surely any reasonable person would see that by end of October they are going to be needing a fucking jumper?!!! I just don’t understand what is going on in these schools. Is it really that bad that banning jumpers will make a serious difference?!! What effect will banning jumpers have!!

Same here - my secondary uniform in the summer was a revere collar short sleeved shirt, navy skirt, ankle socks and shoes. Navy cardigan if a bit chilly. The navy skirt wasn’t the most comfortable, but overall it was pretty comfy and cool in the summer. Why the uniforms now have to be so hot is beyond me, with the horrible synthetic blazers!

To be honest, I always coveted the teeny summer uniform dresses in Australian soaps. Why are primary girls allowed summer dresses but not at secondary school?

Ours takes a sensible approach. Usually strict uniform (blazers/boys in ties), but when the weather becomes warm, all pupils are allowed to remove ties and blazers.

They are desperately clinging on to what they think is some semblance of ‘control’ in an outdated system.

The school system is slowly crumbling from within and leaders and government aren’t bright enough to pivot. Instead they cling on to the ‘old ways’

Completely agree with OP, the mini suits are ridiculous! Ties are always getting lost, it’s uncomfortable and too hot in the summer. This does not prepare them for the workplace and neither does locking the toilets!

"Why are primary girls allowed summer dresses but not at secondary school?"

I'm not sure they'd wear them - most girls stop - of their own volition - wearing them some time in late primary school in my experience (mother of three daughters). My mum wore them in secondary, but this was a convent school in the late 50s through to mid 60s. The rest of the year they wore pinafores with blouse, tie and cardigan. The odd very posh private school aside, it's hard to imagine many teenaged girls wearing pinafores to school these days. I do know The Dundee High School does.

I hate shorts because i just think of you fall over your lower leg and knee is unprotected.

Why don't they just make trousers out of cotton? Have it do that they are to be worn on extreme heat days, which in the UK we are getting more of as the global climate change is progressing.

Also miss the days of jumpers/sweatshirts and polo shirts/ button shirts.

Blazers have pockets? So does a backpack. Better yet, backpacks have zips and secure fastenings so stuff doesn't fall out. Blazers don't.