or is Headteacher power crazy? (Uniform thread)

[RedHorse3]

So ds started his secondary school yesterday. When we had induction day in July, the teacher mentioned that they had just bought in new Logo school trousers & skirts.
Now the entire school has to change uniform as policy before was plain black trousers/ skirt. Fine. Except that the school uniform shop now has a huge backlog of uniform, and over half the school has not received the uniform. So imagine masses of parents in 1 tiny uniform shop, owner on the phone to school- apparently will allow plain black trousers/ skirt.
Except yesterday, it wasn't fine. The Head sent home over 75 pupils, local newspaper at the school, pupils bought back by parents were put into isolation. As far as I am aware, they did not send home yr7's. They did however get a massive bollocking. DS very upset.
Dp went into school this morning to get a grip on what was happening. As he was waiting, pupils were swarming past him, having been pulled out of lessons to go to conference room to explain why they dont have school logo skirt/ trousers. Ds included. Head was in conference room shouting at them & they were coming out and being taking off into different rooms(?) Dp has arranged meeting with head at 11.30am today.

friday16 Wed 04-Sep-13 11:29:35
"I assume this is a school where 90% the pupils get 8 A* GCSE grades in core subjects, the AS and A2 results look like Eton's and the kid who gets into UCL to study Mathematics is looked on pityingly by everyone else who's off to Oxbridge? Because otherwise you might think that the head had their priorities slightly askew."

Or alternatively, a school with a bit of a reputation for inefficiency, struggling with discipline, mediocre exam results, but oh if we can only get the pupils to look like Etonians, they will be like Etonians.

That was my first thought, anyway

yes but you should remember that without the logo the children might not pass their exams, what a load of rubbish, the whole power struggle with uniform is just such a waste of time.

I remember when my school introduced a lovely new logo'd pullover. It cost rather a lot and we lived in a deprived area.

The day the press arrived to photograph us in our nice new uniform, none of us actually had it

So our kind and understanding headteacher suggested they just take a photo of one class (ours) and lent us all pullovers for the photos

I'm also reminded of the African dictator Jean-Bedel Bokassa many years ago who, when the impoverished school children couldn't afford the expensive uniforms his clothing company supplied, fed the children to his crocodiles
Perhaps be glad he isn't in charge of the school?

That is ridiculous I feel bad for the year sevens. Next week they will still be having issues setting in because they are scared of the teacher and the systems

I'd move your child to another school.The head may back down over this issue but there will be countless other ridiculous regulations which will have similar flash points.
Also some schools who put the children into isolation do not do anything with them once there, therefore affecting their learning.
Those sent home will probably count as an unauthorised absence and will mean involvement from Educational Welfare Officers.

As a parent with a child in their final year of a school like this, it only gets worse. As one stupid rule is defeated another is drawn up and this means children who have been unfortunate enough to not be able to comply due to outside factors (supply not being able to meet demand etc) are caught up with ones who don't give a stuff and tarred with the same brush.

It doesn't take many of these new rules, no notice, send pupils home combos to get Educational Welfare involved over a now worrying trend of absences.
That way, you are made out to be the troublemaker who can't be bothered to ensure their child's compliance, because well once or twice we could accept but its happening all the time.

Look at the Germans. No school uniform and they never achieve anything do they?! A basic uniform is fine. Just let parents buy the £2.50 trousers from Aldi. FFS . YANBU.

Who wants to take my money off me? I'm offering 3/1 on not really that the headmaster isn't, in fact, a headmaster but styles himself either a "Principal" or an "Executive Head".

Disgusting behaviour. I would move child.

Dictatorship by sound of it!

We got a head like this 4 years ago. Enforced stupid school rules sometimes incorrectly (hair colour) suspended pupils whose hair was deemed too short, we ended up with press and most days police riot van outside the school. Once the head stamped on the parents and children she started on the staff, she was eventually removed by the governors for bullying staff but in the meantime she destroyed my daughter's education as she was doing gcse and it was too late to move her. Thankfully her sixth form is working hard to fill in the gaps left in her basic knowledge. Get your ds out of that school now as this will not end well.

I've generally found that people in RL who behave like this HT are the ones who are so scared of losing control that the thought of giving an inch in compromise terrifies them. He is obviously a very frightened little man who is out of his depth in so many ways.

I bet its a converter academy.
Heads who have been let off the leash change the uniform and the timetable.

And to those who say change school : not an option in many areas

I also bet it's an Academy. We have a similarly money grabbing, power crazed head at my dc's primary (academy). They've just made logo'd PE kit compulsory at a cost of £40 per child and it's only available by ordering through the school.

I would honestly think about changing schools. If this is how the head has handled day 1 and uniform problems, how is he going to manage more important issues throughout the year?

Why did they stop the whole school tie and shirt thing? The idea was you'd buy a tie in the first year for a few quid, it would last you the whole time you were at school and could even be passed onto younger siblings. Parents were then free to shop around for shirts, jumpers, sweat shirts etc.

I think many head teachers think that parents must be made of money these days.

What a dick! He's lost the plot, if he can be this ridiculous over uniform when you can't even get it then he's not suitable to run the school to be honest!

He's going to look very very silly in front of all the other school heads when this story is published.

I don't understand how sending a pupil home, or excluding them from mainstream lessons, for a minor uniform infraction, is a reasonable step, and probably will only lead to severe reactions from parents.

Surely a more measured response would be detention, letter home, and give parents a chance to correct the mistake before resorting to sending people home. It's what they did at my school!

This is just madness!

Thinking about it, I've had several jobs you had to wear a uniform for and the employer always provided it. I even had one employer who washed and ironed it for you too and another who gave you shoes as well. Schools on the other Hand can demand your kids have uniform, charge what they want for it and unless you are able to home school or get another school place you get no say? It's disgraceful.

Just got back from meeting. Did not go well, and I'll admit that mabe I didn't help matters. Got shown to office by random teacher, shock hands with head( female btw) and sat down. Had another random staff member writing notes ( minutes of meeting?)
She was rude, spoke over everything I / Dp said & tried to cut meeting short. Dp pulled her up on her shouting at a pupil this morning over rolled up sleeves. Her reply? ' I'd asked her numerous times to roll down, what would you do?' How many times? I asked. 3. Said I would not of shouted, and hope that she does not speak to ds like that whilst he is here. She said if he doesnt do the same and ignore her... Questioned as not in her policy to shout , or is it.? No answer. Just repeatedly told me I was intimidating.
I had to ask her to allow me to finish what ever I was saying, before she had her piece as that was how meetings worked.
Anyway when I finally got my say about the subject I was actually there for, turns out kids were all pulled out of class to get a 'uniform pass' that last until October. She says she was justified and no, not disruptive to the new yr 7s at all.
Nothing solved. So so rude, and didn't give a shit.
This is not an acadamy btw.

It soon will be.
More than half the secondaries in the country already are.

That's disgusting. So they basically gave 2 months notice that the ENTIRE school were going to need to change their uniform, from one tiny local shop with supply problems? And they wonder why not everyone has the uniform on the first day back?

Year 7s shouldn't be getting a bollocking on uniform in the first week anyway - they won't have really seen other children wearing it so might not be familiar with how it's supposed to be worn correctly etc (things like whether you're supposed to wear the jumper AND the blazer at the same time, how long the ties should be, stuff like that). Shouting at year 7s over anything other than bad behaviour on their first day is unacceptable - the rules are still brand new to them.

I would be considering a different school. And national newspapers.

Oh, x-post. She sounds like a total dragon. I'd still be looking around for other schools.

I think I would be looking for another school, pronto. I do not like the sound of this HT at all.

Insisting on logo trousers and skirts has got nothing to do with raising standards, imo, and everything to do with raising money for the school. Fwiw, our local secondary school has very sensible uniform rules - plain black trousers/skirts, white shirt, school tie, and either a v-necked jumper, or a cardigan or fleece that can be left sufficiently open at the top for the tie to be visible. Sixth years can wear a blazer.

When we moved the dses into this school (because of a house move), it was 7th in the Times league tables for scottish secondary schools, and it has a brilliant reputation locally for behaviour and achievement - people move into our catchment to get into our school.

Now, if our school can achieve all this with its current uniform policy, why does your HT think logoed skirts and trousers are neccessary.

And I am boggling at £24 on PE socks. I thought it was bad at ds1's previous school, where they needed the school rugby socks (£6 a pair) but generic sports socks would do for everything else. Mind you - that was the only bit of the PE kit that was reasonable. They had to have a rugby shirt and rugby shorts, plus indoor PE kit, rugby boots, and indoor and outdoor trainers - and all of this, apart from the footwear, could only be bought from the school shop, where it cost a fortune. At one point, I had to replace ds1's PE kit (because someone thought it would be a jolly jape to take it and hide it, and it didn't turn up for over a year) - and it cost us over £125!

Awful... Even more so given the fact you tried to discuss it in a civilised manner with her at the meeting and she was so rude to you. My guess is that you will have no end of problems with her. I'd be tempted to contact the governors, local press and be looking at other schools in the meantime. :(

Take it to the Governers, Take it to the press, take it to the LEA.

Outrageous behaviour.

However, You may have been a leetle bit U to tell a teacher they can never raise their voice. Sometimes they have to.

However the whole school sounds like a bloody shambles and I'd be writing and complaining until the Head was suspended.

In DS's school. the uniform is simple, and supermarket/catalogue stuff is fine in school colours. Crested stuff is available and not compulsory. I make sure he wears crested stuff for school trips and photographs. The school is excellent.

A little perspective is needed by your son's control freak Head!