school crack down on hair colour

[mrsfuzzy]

new school year and problems already! ds is 14 and like a lot of girls her age experiments with her hair, for the first time during the school hols she tried a semi permanent raspberry colour on her red hair [god knows why- ex p let her do it] anyhow i was cool with that as it doesn't look that obvious, as she washes it it becomes less obvious, however school are cracking down on these things make up, uniform etc as they did last year, but she brought a note home yesterday saying to remove the dye or steps will be taken, i wasn't fazed by this as each wash reduces the colour, but how do people 'get away' with flouting the rules about such things one girl has dyed her hair jet black with blue streaks over the hols and mum told me she is not going to remove the colour for anyone, one lad keeps one side of his head shaved in spite of repeated warnings, mum says she ignores them, i accept the school policy that's not the problem but aibu to wonder why it seems the 'easy targets get picked on' to set an example? any thoughts or similar experiences anyone?

For now DD has not really fallen foul of the new rules. I am still exceptionally annoyed that she was challenged over her hair colour whilst other girls are still being ignored with green and blue hair.
FWIW I wouldn't dream of sending her to school with a non natural hair colour and I don't believe the colour she has now is non natural.

What I do want, and I've said all through this thread is consistency that if you are going to tell off one child you will also reprimand the child with the parent who's more likely to kick off. That consistency holds together any policy. Whats the point of a uniform policy that will only be enforced with children of compliant parents. That only succeeds in angering both child AND parent.

We shall see where the new term goes, for now I shall bite my tongue and continue to marvel at the array of multicoloured hair wandering down the drive of an evening and all the boys in trainers.

I am so glad that my children go to a no uniform school where no 'time is wasted focusing on small issues and teachers are completely free to teach with the result that effective learning is facilitated.

Fights about uniform are a complete and utter waste of time for everyone. At this time of year the boards are flooded with threads about the incredibly stupid petty rules that some schools like to enforce, requiring excessive spending by parents, uncomfortable children and a really horrible atmosphere for the new starters.

Our local school manages to be completely comprehensive, high achieving and not have a uniform. Like many many schools around the world. The uniform obsession is an almost uniquely British obsession.

Totally unnecessary drama, largely unwanted side effect of successive governments' attempts to make each local pool of schools compete over admissions.

'Look at us with our shiny blazers! & complete absence of pink hair! We're obviously the best! Not like those scruffy buggers down the road in polo shirts!'

Clamping down on uniform periodically is a quick, useful shorthand by which a HT can convey a message to the kids that they are under scrutiny generally.

Getting the girl with a lip ring to take it out won't make her achieve better GCSEs - in fact, it might piss her off enough to have the opposite effect - but it sends a message, to her peers, from the school, that Yes, Actually We ARE The Boss Of You.

I really don't think it does anything for academic achievement. The only correlation I've ever noticed between appearance & attainment in my subject (English) is that the goths & emos seem to do very well. On that basis, maybe I should give up all that teaching I do in afterschool A/A* booster sessions & just have at the conventional looking ones with the Directions hair dye?

I do wish people would give over with blaming teachers for this sort of wholesale pettiness -I don't know any classroom teachers who give a chuff about kids' hair, earrings or shoes. The rules on student appearance are set by the governors or the senior team, & we're expected to enforce them, which I think most of us do conscientiously.

But it often seems to be implied that we get some sort of satisfaction out of confiscating jewellery & nagging about hair colour. I've no idea why. Arguing with teenagers over stuff they're only going to sulk about isn't fun unless you're another teenager, & why parents of teenagers, who know this, think that it's something their dc's teachers do for a laugh is beyond me...

If this thread were the Daily Mail it would be accompanied by a picture of a huffy looking child and indignant looking parent

I have dyed hair, piercings and tattoos but it is MY informed decision as an adult and I an aware of the prejudices I face because of it. I understand bthat it can be limiting in terms of jobs I have applied for but I will live with that.

If you can't live with the rules laid down at school, you are really going to struggle when you leave and get your first job. And mummy a d daddy won't be able to back you up there.

Parents should be teaching their children that rules need to be adhered to even if you don't like them. Is it any wonder we live in an age where most people are self centred and do whatever they want.

Really? I've not noticed any of my colleagues (who generally think uniform is a very odd idea) have any problem following the rules at work. But then most of the rules are not completely arbitrary. People who think it important to dress however they desire generally have the choice of going into careers/jobs where that is not a problem. Plus going to work leads to getting paid, which may be a sacrifice worth paying for wearing particular clothes or behaving in particular ways.

School children generally have zero choice, and little tangible reward so having to follow arbitrary rules with a very direct personal impact not surprisingly pisses many of them off. Which seems stupid as good teacher pupil relationship makes a huge difference to learning and respect.

nooka

I've not noticed any of my colleagues (who generally think uniform is a very odd idea) have any problem following the rules at work. But then most of the rules are not completely arbitrary.

I agree and would add that a lot of uniforms in the real world are well designed for practicality as well as appearance. Don't know how practical a polyester blazer is, which you are not 'allowed to remove' in a heat wave though.

Because teachers are the ones which deliver the school policies, it is not surprising they are often the ones who are held accountable. The SMT don't always make themselves easily available to parents, apart from the HT a parent might not know who they all are. A parent won't necessarily know all the political wranglings that go on within a school. Where there is inconsistency a parent might assume that is due to the teachers having a certain degree of autonomy to apply their own discretion, which would mean the individual teacher is accountable.

Difference being my secondary enforces uniform policy fairly and across the board. My secondary wouldn't consider sensible boots under trousers on a rainy day as flouting uniform rules, my secondary wouldn't humiliate a child in front of their peers but deal with the issues one to one behind closed doors. My head has common sense which in turn garners massive respect from her staff and pupils

Funnily enough the effects of this are a much more rounded pupil who's well turned out. They always look smart, even with their boots under their trousers and oddly they respect that staff who don't spend most of their time bollocking them over petty, meaningless things

Gosh, 'your' school sounds wonderful Charlie....

We shall see where the new term goes, for now I shall bite my tongue and continue to marvel at the array of multicoloured hair wandering down the drive of an evening and all the boys in trainers

Ooops! Or maybe not.

Sorry - early morning fail. Apologies Charlie struggling to read this morning!

Nooks/daftdame. What I was getting at is that in life you need to follow the rules - like them or not. If you go through school with the attitude that rules don't matter ( and if your parents back you up on this) it will hardly help you after school

It's not about hair colour or uniform really. It's about accepting that there are some times in life where you.need to stick to rules and you can't have it your own way all the time.

Ilovemyself I agree, most of the time you do need to follow rules. Sometimes rules need to be challenged though, if they are deeply unfair.

Have you read the other uniform thread on here at the moment?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1843422-or-is-Headteacher-power-crazy-Uniform-thread?pg=8

Just glanced at your link.

I agree that the head in question sounds like an arse.

I believe school uniform is a good idea - subject to it being affordable and good value. It is just the typical Daily Mail type parent that wants to complain when they knew the rules only too well but either don't want to or can't control their own children that seem to be the biggest problem.

I'm certainly not Daily Mail .

Iv always felt that school getting het up over hair colour is a waste if time, however would i let my child go ignore the rules? No i wouldn't, no matter what i think im not going go tell my child its ok to break them. Letting them think its ok to break small rules is not going to help them in the real world when they get a job!
I cant believe people getting wound up over a tie! I think its quite fair. Its not going to scar the child if its taken off them, more than likely half the kids are going to go out their way to lose them.

more than likely half the kids are going to go out their way to lose them.

That's the point really. What does it achieve. Ill thought out IMO. I wouldn't make a fuss either if I thought my DC was able to cope with this / the consequences.

However if a child was losing sleep over it, or bullies had threatened to take their tie I would have to contact the school. Would not be best pleased about it, as it is avoidable if any forethought had been given to the consequences of such rules, but I would address the issue in a reasonable manner with the school.

Because teachers are the ones which deliver the school policies, it is not surprising they are often the ones who are held accountable. The SMT don't always make themselves easily available to parents, apart from the HT a parent might not know who they all are. A parent won't necessarily know all the political wranglings that go on within a school. Where there is inconsistency a parent might assume that is due to the teachers having a certain degree of autonomy to apply their own discretion, which would mean the individual teacher is accountable

That's the whole point. They're not accountable, they don't make the r7ules and shouldn't have a certain degree of autonomy. If everyone realised that the rules need to be applied consistently all round there would be less confrontation in the classroom and less time wasted.

I do wish people would give over with blaming teachers for this sort of wholesale pettiness -I don't know any classroom teachers who give a chuff about kids' hair, earrings or shoes. The rules on student appearance are set by the governors or the senior team, & we're expected to enforce them, which I think most of us do conscientiously. But it often seems to be implied that we get some sort of satisfaction out of confiscating jewellery & nagging about hair colour. I've no idea why. Arguing with teenagers over stuff they're only going to sulk about isn't fun unless you're another teenager, & why parents of teenagers, who know this, think that it's something their dc's teachers do for a laugh is beyond me...

Absolutely.

If you go through school with the attitude that rules don't matter ( and if your parents back you up on this) it will hardly help you after school

Agree with this as well.

ilovesooty I know this is a bit of a circular argument but rules cannot be applied consistently as there will always be extenuating circumstances. Many are pointed out earlier on in this thread. Now if you want to legislate for every extenuating circumstance the set of rules is going to be very cumbersome indeed.

Teachers do need some degree of autonomy for many aspects of their jobs. Otherwise it would not be a profession. You would be able to just give the teacher a rule book and say there you go.

As it is consultation is necessary. I would also add this consultation should include the parents and children as they are part of the school community. That is what being accountable involves, accepting your own responsibility and consulting with all sorts of people: parents, other teachers, SMT and children. Where this does not happen is where you get problems.

^ and if the rules are vague, various interpretations.

If there are extenuating circumstances headteachers, parents and pupils should be working together to see if they can be accommodated. Individual teachers shouldn't have to waste classroom and learning time in doing so. Individual teachers shouldn't need to exercise their own autonomy in applying uniform rules and expectations.

ilovesooty The kind of system you are referring to will require a lot of documentation and could be quite unresponsive, as this documentation could require quite hefty administration, it will take time, if the uniform policy is as strict as some of the policies mentioned up-thread. It would be no good for excusing children from wearing alternative shoes if their school shoes have gone missing, through no fault of their own, after P.E., or a child who has got their shoes soaked through in a downpour, for example.

Would it not be simpler just to allow the teachers to use some discretion?

Or do you just want to 'wash your hands' from all responsibility and accountability regarding applying uniform rules?

I would expect the Head of Year or immediate pastoral head to authorise such emergency situations, not the classroom teacher.

ilovesooty If that works. They are not always first on the scene though and this kind of issues will add considerably to their workload.

Are you in a leadership role yourself?

I've been a Head of Year and regarded authorising such situations as part of my job, yes. I would not expect, as a classroom teacher, to have to waste time in a lesson deciding whether a pupil's non compliance with uniform was justified.

Or if the shoes had gone missing after PE I would expect the PE teacher to send a note confirming that, not for the child and the next class teacher to have to sort it out in the lesson.