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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

or is Headteacher power crazy? (Uniform thread)

190 replies

RedHorse3 · 04/09/2013 10:56

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.

OP posts:
DanicaJones · 04/09/2013 13:17

To be honest if the HT had asked someone to roll down their sleeves and they ignored her three times i can understand her getting irate. At least the kids were given a 'uniform pass' that lasts until October. I know high school teachers have to start off very strict and then relax as time goes on, so hopefully things will settle down soon. Hopefully..

DanicaJones · 04/09/2013 13:18

I agree it's a lot to expect a HT to never raise their voice.

CiderBomb · 04/09/2013 13:23

I think it's horrible to yell and scream at eleven year olds on the first day of high school, when they will be feeling anxious anyway, over something that's out of their control.

I'd got to the papers if was you.

Dahlen · 04/09/2013 13:24

Power crazy, definitely.

I think I would go down the route of writing a letter. That way you get to say what you want without being talked over and will receive a response in writing.

Unfortunately, this sort of thing is becoming commonplace as schools realise that uniform sales are a way of upping income. The better schools are far more lenient about enforcing it and more understanding of the students' circumstances, but they're pretty much all adopting this approach because education simply doesn't get enough money. Sad

There is no correlation between uniform and educational performance or discipline. There are valid reasons for choosing uniforms in schools, but these are not two of them.

The British education system is supposed to be free, and while schools are free to choose their own uniform styles, I believe they have a statutory obligation not to make the uniform so expensive that it encourages selection by making a full uniform very difficult for some parents to manage. £24 for a pair of socks is ridiculous and flies in the face of that.

I'd also point out that failure to ensure adequate supply of the new uniform when rules were to be enforced that stringently shows incompetent management and an inflexibility that is totally at odds with the requirements of a good HT. Either the rules should have been relaxed or greater effort should have been made to make the uniform available.

I'd definitely mention how unprofessional you found her interpersonal skills, not just with you as parents but also with the students. I'd point out that the first few days at a new school will dominate how a child views the rest of their secondary experience.

I would follow up by saying that I expected a full apology for rudeness and a review of the uniform policy at the school. I'd also be looking at a new school, however, as if you send this letter it will be untenable for your DS to remain there.

It may be worth copying in your letter to OFSTED or the Local Authority, because while schools are being given greater freedoms to do what they want, the more parents who kick up a fuss about this sort of unfair uniform policy, the more likely it is that the government will listen and enforce rules about certain aspects of it.

RedHorse3 · 04/09/2013 13:26

OK, point taken on the shouting.. I remember what secondary schools like and can imagine the frustration of being a teacher of large amounts of teenagers. I can see I probably BU amount that.

OP posts:
DreadLock · 04/09/2013 13:30

Keep said child off school until supply of correct uniform arrives. Write to governors, head and LA stating that you will not send your child to school to be remonstrated with, for reasons beyond his control.

DreadLock · 04/09/2013 13:31

Plus it sounds like a fuckwit estblishment. I'd probably be looking elsewhere for my dc education.

MadeOfStarDust · 04/09/2013 13:35

Is it really so easy for everyone to "change schools"? Where I went to school there was "the" school - and no other within 30 miles.... Here there are 2 secondaries within 20 miles - both oversubscribed...

Plomino · 04/09/2013 13:43

OP , can see exactly where you're coming from . Two of the elder DS's school has changed this term to an academy , with exactly the same scenario , to a blazer , white shirt , various coloured ties according to house , and specific black trousers available from one supplier . One . There are over 2000 uniform wearing kids in the school . Now to be fair , the school has given each existing pupil one pair of trousers , one blazer and one jumper , but the jumper is awful , and no one can work on one pair of trousers for long . So there is also a HUGE backlog here . And then there's the PE kit to change as well .

Fortunately the head has held his hands up , acknowledged the massive backlog even though the orders were in in June , and there is an amnesty till Christmas , but really ? Really ?

And let's not even talk about the debacle over the change in school accounting , so paying for everything online is actually impossible because no one thought changing the school name might affect their banking details .......

DoubleLifeIsALifeHalved · 04/09/2013 13:43

Wow, what a great way to alienate pupils and parents from the school.

Wonder why it's ok to be so rude to parents whilst screaming 'intimidating' at the first sign of dissent? What do they think the first day of secondary school was for the children? Errr... Intimidating?

(that's assuming you werent actually being intimidating?!)

sonlypuppyfat · 04/09/2013 13:52

My DD has to wear a blue polo shirt under her logo sweatshirt its also supposed to have a logo on that no one can see. They are £8 each I have found a pack of plain ones in matalan Three for a fiver

RedHorse3 · 04/09/2013 13:54

If I was intimidating, I really didn't mean to be. I was V. cross re her whole attitude & I did end up taking over the meeting. I had to be really firm in getting her to actually fucking listen to me. I felt like she had rubbished the meeting before it even started. Her opening line was ' so what IS the point to this meeting?'

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WestieMamma · 04/09/2013 13:59

What a ridiculous situation. When my daughter's school changed uniform from brown to blue it was only compulsory for new starters, so it was gradually phased in.

Talkinpeace · 04/09/2013 14:12

At my junior school (private, v posh) the summer dress material was changed every couple of years.
One gained the most kudos by wearing the oldest fabric pattern one could - handed down and held together with interfacing.
Hate this obsession with "new"

RedHorse3 · 04/09/2013 14:16

See, I'm unsure on what to do now. I hear all the 'move school' posts, and understand. However, we moved here in March and Ds settled into his new primary school really well, loads of new friends etc. Wanted to go to this school as all new friends were going, and to be honest its the best of a bad bunch- have 3 public schools here, a private which we can't afford, a new free school and a couple of grammers. Other 2 public schools, one has a Notice to Improve and the other has been taken over by an Acadamy recently. My chosen school is average Ofsted report.

OP posts:
orangeandemons · 04/09/2013 14:16

office of fair trading guidance

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 04/09/2013 14:26

You shouldn't have to move schools because the Head is a power crazed fool. Move the Head.

lagoonhaze · 04/09/2013 14:39

Head should have preempted problems had plan in place!

RedHorse3 · 04/09/2013 15:18

Judging by the amount of replies I've had with people having the same probs, it makes me wonder why nothing has been done as a country about uniform. £24 for socks? What a joke.

OP posts:
burberryqueen · 04/09/2013 15:21

it is because of all this 'keep calm and carry on' shyte, imo.
I just saw a guy in LIDL wearing a 'get angry and take action' t shirt which amused me - perhaps we should?

Charlesroi · 04/09/2013 16:02

It sounds like a money-making exercise to me. Logo'd stuff?? Do you get a tax break FFS!

Our school had rules about colour of uniform but you could buy what you liked (Tesco or Harvey Nicks) and sew/iron on the (inexpensive) school badge.
Schools have become like any other monopoly privatised company - charge what they like and tough shit if you can't pay.

shrum · 04/09/2013 16:18

I think my DD goes to this school RedHorse3 - absolute nightmare!

There's just one style of trouser and surprise, surprise they don't fit all the different shaped girls, of which my DD is one. I spent the last few weeks of last term trying to find out what we were supposed to do and failed to get an answer from school.

We found out on Monday the school have had to agree to cover alteration costs so she now has trousers on order. She has the new skirt but prefers to wear trousers on PE days and I've been told she'll get the uniform pass to wear her old ones till the new ones arrive but she's scared of being sent home so is sticking to the skirt for now.

Dread to think what the cost of all the alterations is going to come to!

littlemisswise · 04/09/2013 16:28

It'll only get worse.

DS2 has just left the school DS1 started 7 years ago. They had 3 uniform changes and a PE kit change in that time. The HT was a powercrazy woman too. The kids couldn't even take their blazers off if it was really, really hot while the teachers strolled round in short sleeves and Summer dresses. They were threatened with not being able to take their GCSEs if they had they had the wrong socks on.

RedHorse3 · 04/09/2013 16:31

Shrum- if in fact your dd & my ds ARE at the same school, I'd be v. interested to hear your opinion on the Head in the years your dd has been there. Being new to the area, I don't know anyone else to ask opinions of it.

We are fairly deep SouthEast of country

OP posts:
RedHorse3 · 04/09/2013 16:32

No exams over socks! Gets worse

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