I love a good illogical school rule!

[TheNightingalesStarling]

The email has come out. They don't need to wear blazers today due to weather.. on buses, in corridors, in lessons etc

However... they must carry it at all times. No leaving it home or in their lockers!

I know it doubles as a pencil case for many of them but would the world implode if they safely left them at home?

Are you somewhere hilly, as that sounds all too familiar?

I loved school uniform. I moved schools when I was nine and was horribly bullied over my clothes. I still find coloured trousers (not black or sand) really disquieting to wear, and recently figured that it probably came from that experience. I was so relieved to get to secondary school with a uniform (no blazers and ties for girls). By the time I got to 6th Form (no uniform) I had more confidence and was fine.

My Y1 child has a school uniform and it does make it really straightforward to get dressed. However, her school is quite relaxed about it - there is no stress if a child comes in out of uniform occasionally, no rules about shoes and socks, and school logo items are available but not required. Blazer rules sound awful - I remember something similar about blazers and ties for boys at my secondary.

Yes

I went to school in mainland Europe without uniform, and no rules on clothes, hair, or jewellery. No bullying over clothes, people use it to identify their clan (hockey poshos, alternative etc). It's fine, and surely reduces laundry as you only need one set of clothes a day!
I wonder whether it exists so kids have something small and inconsequential to rebel against, so they don't question systematic change. Trained to be good little workers who don't truly question authority.

I cannot get my head around the craziness of uniform rules. I went to a very high discipline school where, amongst other things, you had to stand when the teacher entered the room. Absolutely no nonsense about uniform at all except for the colour being correct. We all probably looked like complete scruffs but we were (mostly) very well behaved. Seems to me like the hyper focus on uniform is a way to be strict when you can't actually control the kids properly.

What about ties? I could never understand why they had to wear ties in the summer term. The local private schools had polo tops for summer term but all the state school kids still wore their ties and blazers - mad

The school in generally very sensible. Its got a reputation for being strict, but all the rules make sense... except this one and having to change back into uniform for lunch if you have PE/Dance before and after lunch. (Plus for walking home if you leave at normal time, but not if you attend a club).

Yep DD today is just in a plain short sleeved white blouse and the school skirt, with white ankle socks and school shoes. She seems to have recently lost her school jumper (😬), but in this heat is perfectly cool in her current outfit. No tights, blazers or tie or anything. Whereas all the kids from our local state school were walking to school all decked out in tights, ties, jumpers and blazers and it was already 24 degrees at 8:30am!

I really think this recent fetish for uniform in the state sector is impractical and pretty mean on the kids (does it date from Gove and all the admiration for “strict” schools like Michaela?)

In contrast, dress codes for adults in the workplace are light years from even 20 years ago. DH is a lawyer and says that since the pandemic even city solicitors turn up at meetings in hoodies and jeans!

My dad was in the police service and they had a similar rule particularly with raincoats. If they were on a demonstration or keeping an eye on the crowds at say a royal event like trooping the colour, a senior officer would say raincoats on, and then go off about their duties leaving the police officers sweltering if the sun came out as they were not allowed to remove them until told to.

Oh yes, we also have mostly sensible rules (within the ridiculousness of having to wear a tie and blazer in the first place) but one that drives us all crazy is that children on the basketball team are allowed to go into the sports hall and do shooting practice on certain days at lunch time. Great. EXCEPT, they have to change into full PE kit to do this, and then change back. which would be irritating but fine except that our school works on a compressed day so lunch is only something like 25 minutes.

The new basketball coach turns a blind eye if they just change into trainers and keep their school trousers/shirts on which has been a relief to all the boys!

I personally think that uniforms should be enforced but should be soft and comfortable. Leggings/joggers with a soft, hard waring tshirt and sweater. Shorts and possibly a soft summer dress for hotter weather like they wear in Australian soaps. It would be none discriminating against the many children that have sensory processing difficulties. It would regulate body temperature and it would encourage physical activity. Aren't these things a lot more important than wearing a blazer to appease a bunch of stuffy adults with an outdated idea that they need to 'look smart' to learn?

We got an email yesterday saying no blazers needed but it didn't clarify if they were still supposed to take them in. DD was worried about getting in trouble for not having it so took it just in case, I thought she was being silly but from this thread I guess not! 🙈

Generally, I read threads like this and feel bad for the schools. Parents and people in general put all the ills in society down to a lack of discipline in children, yet when schools dare to enforce rules, we're up in arms.

But stuff like this doesn't help with long term parental cooperation. You can bet your bottom dollar the head won't be carrying a jacket around with them all day, well because it makes no sense. I'm all for uniform and looking smart, but the uniform should be smart throughout so it can be layered.

When I was at school, we were never allowed to wear our jackets inside even when it was absolutely freezing.teachers would walk around (in their big thick coats) telling us to take our jackets off.

We still use the old fashioned term "shirt sleeve order" which means either short sleeved shirts or sleeves rolled up, no ties, no blazers, and you don't need them with you.

Same in my country, only rules about dress is that long hair needs to be tied back for practical lessons, for safety. In primary school they pretty much all opt for joggers and hoodies and in upper school they might dress according to certain styles like alternative but still comfort reigns supreme and no one really cares what others wear.

Uniform rules in the UK are absolutely insane sometimes. I think I was very lucky that my secondary school wasn't strict on it and my mum refused to buy uniform for primary school and it was allowed.

I definitely believe school uniforms are a good thing, they foster a sense of belonging, pride and they also have a safety aspect to them from a schools point of view.

However, I don't think many uniforms are fit for purpose anymore, especially when adults will rarely wear a full suit to work, and many places there is no longer even a shirt and tie policy.

A smart school uniform can consist of polo shirt, a school branded jumper, trousers, skirt and tailored shorts in the summer.

I wish school uniforms could become more casual to reflect what's happened in workplaces. I'd rather see discipline be more about how the people involved are treating each other rather than uniform enforcement.

I really hate nonsense like this. I know we have to teach children to follow rules, but I also think it is right for them to question nonsensical decisions like this.

We also had this daft rule about how coats couldn't be worn inside and had to be carried in a bag. As it wasn't even possible to fit a winter coat in a rucksack full of books it was effectively a no coat rule.

Our school INSISTS that every kid owns a blazer, but doesn’t enforce the wearing of them at all.

In fact they don’t monitor uniform at all; my kids are off today wearing black jeans and hoody, and the other is wearing school shite and tie, shorts, and trainers.

I’m fine with it but why make me spend £150 on blazers!?

Just follow school rules hun, it's not that hard. No need to make a post, if you wanted you should've just emailed the school. Totally ridiculous!

I'd be fine with uniform but a more relaxed one...so say, any plain black bottoms, joggers, leggings, jeans etc and then a school polo shirt/fleece.

I actually think you should follow school
rules! But I think schools should stop and think sometimes. How is carrying a blazer round sensible

I do as well