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?

Oh, on that I agree. I am pro-uniform but anti stupid/old fashioned/pointless uniform! . I can live with blazers, but have no strong opinions on them so wouldn't complain if they got abandoned. I have very strong opinions on ridiculous ties, pleated skirts etc which are impractical, expensive and uncomfortable.

I agree - black/grey trousers/shorts/skirts and a polo shirt, perhaps with a logo, and/or in whatever the school's preferred colour is. Maybe a standard colour jumper/fleece.

This seems like a sensible solution.

see also boots. None of the schools around here allow boots. For the girls especially, where "regular" shoes are as ugly and as impractical as they ever were, I don't see why flat ankle boots, which are extremely functional in bad weather, are a no.

Our local secondary was once run by normal people, now it’s bordering on prison rules, and a couple of the teachers look like they’ve escaped from one recently, and speak like that too, to be honest.

Ive a few children, so have seen it through a succession of head teachers.

The rules around blazers and taking off coats in winter, border on lunacy.

I’d like a continental approach, with jeans and a t shirt.

Barely anywhere has formal dress at work now, smart casual is usually suffice.

I would scrap all school uniform, I’d start with schools who use a bizarrely rigid uniform policy as a substitute for discipline. The idea that its an “equaliser” and prevents “fashion parades” is for the birds.

Its one of a number of effective ways for supposedly “non selective” schools to weed out the parents who might impair position on the league tables. I agree many independent schools are less prescriptive about uniform, nor is it relevant to the modern workplace where even city banks have largely adopted “business casual”.

From my own experience many years ago my parents managed to purchase the very expensive uniform I had very few non uniform clothes. When it came to sixth form and uniform no longer compulsory I really struggled I really didn’t have much to wear

Schools are hypocrites! Can you imagine in any other universe where school leaders and government say they want children to become intelligent, self starters and then tell them when and at what temperature they can decided whether to wear their own blazer or not?
It makes ZERO sense!

My DM could have written that 60 years ago.

On a much deeper note. If we haven 't seen change there - in schools - then why are we expecting to see it elsewhere ?

I trained as a teacher in a school where the staff were required to wear suits every day. The bat shit rules for keeping blazers on applied to us as well. It was a horrible petty place in loads of ways but uniform is the one that stands out. Came as a shock because my own primary school didn't have a uniform and my secondary school wasn't that bothered whether we wore uniform or not.

I'm trying to picture which emergency scenario might occur that would need sudden blazer-donning? 🤔

I’ve been in that staff meeting

I can’t understand why boys can’t wear shorts ( and girls for that matter) in high school. They loved them in primary and would wear them right through winter. It’s boiling hot wearing trousers all day.

That was me as well.

It also had to last blazer had to last two year and red ployester mix blouses - which went white and hard with sweat and washing - had two each year. We got the cheaper versions which school didn't like and tried to crack down on. PE kits also all branded - I think I wore the skirt about 5 times.

Though sixth form had a different style of uniform. Left for uni and has so very few clothes and very little money to kit myself out.

It one reason I like college it is just normal clothes - there two years to make sure they are fully kitted out. They all wear normal clothes - mix of supermaketand other high street shops - no fuss about clothes at all and can dress for the weather. Though clothes are cheaper now anyway.

Apparently it’ll be when for some inexplicable reason the children all forget which school they go to and need ‘identifying’.

Youngest girl child's school have just massively relaxed their uniform policy and it is soooo much better. They've relaxed the rules about girls trouser length, being able to wear trainers (as long as they are black), hairstyles, bobble colours, jewellery, including the number of piercings, false eyelashes and painted nails.

At last the teachers can spend more time teaching and disciplining genuinely poor behaviour rather than policing whether someone is wearing the wrong type of shoe or has forgotten to take a ring or their nail varnish off and kids are actually able to express themselves more.

They do still have blazers, shirt and tie - but don't have to take them in when we get the email about not having to wear them because of the weather.

There are a couple of other schools round by us which have just decided to make the PE kit the uniform - which seems imminently sensible!

Sounds like a great way for all kids to simultaneously lose their blazers. Crazy.

One of my SIL's critetria for a job when she left school, was that she never wanted to wear a uniform again!

I'm so glad my kids are grown up now ... the constant emails about uniform did my head in. It must take up so much time.

They were only allowed to wear trousers if they wore a buttoned up shirt with a tie. If they wore a skirt they had to have an open neck shirt, no tie. Couldn't mix up the two as they'd go mad.

I remember DD wearing tiny black secret socks over her black tights one freezing winter morning, just so her feet would be a bit warmer on the walk to school .... her form tutor got down on her hands and knees when she saw the tiniest bit of sock material and made her remove them.

They have lockers!!
Surely compromise would be to stash them in their lockers

One of the things schools always bang on about is school uniform offering discipline and an example of real world.

the thing I think about that is that absolutely, there are the ODD times when we all have to wear clothes or do things that aren't particularly comfortable. eg a funeral or job interview. So I often think a more relaxed general approach to school uniform as discussed on here - trousers, polo shirt, hoodie etc - could also include a slightly more formal version for specific events such as a tie and shirt instead of the polo shirt - worn on set days for assembly or at school events.

Obviusly totally impractical to include a blazer/jacket if only being worn occassionally. But there's still room for a "formal" and "informal" version of the uniform, and it would be a far more practical way to understand the realities of dressing appropriately for different occassions.

My secondary didn't and when young relative went few years ago they still didn't.

DC secondary had lockers you had to pay for every term - but every time we did they were in locations the kids couldn't access - classrooms or corridors they couldnlt get to even in break and lunch times- essenatially made it so they had no lockers.

Loads of schools don't have lockers.

My school had a summer and winter uniform.

Blazers were outdoor items worn in the summer.

Summer uniform was a pink gingham dress, but that changed to a short sleeved open necked blouse.

Winter, skirt, shirt and tie, jumper or cardigan and a coat.

We were not allowed trousers no matter how cold it was, and we were not allowed to wear them to / from school.

They can wear shorts between April and October... although in practice few do. I haven't found any that fit DD that also meet the regulations on length and pockets.

I live near a school that has blazers. If I time my trip to Lidl badly they all troop out together. Badly fitted polyester blazers on teens is not a classy look, no matter what the school may think. Especially with a backpack and trousers that are too long, short, baggy at the waist or too tight, or various combos of. Uniforms never look good on everyone equally. Teens have enough going on without being shoehorned into terrible sweaty outfits.

DDs school is the same, can leave ties and blazers at home in hot weather which is sensible in my opinion

I think schools have silly rules so the pupils can rebel against them. If they only had rules that mattered it would be a problem when they weren’t followed.

The OP stated that the rule expressly forbids putting blazers in lockers anyway.