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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that forciing children to wear thick blazers/jumpers...

146 replies

nomorequotes · 19/05/2014 19:04

...in hot weather is a breach of human rights?

Why do schools have the right to tell our children to be uncomfortable at school?

OP posts:
PrivateSchoolMan · 19/05/2014 19:59

(Mostly irrelevant memory triggered by this topic.)

My school used to have a marching band as part of the cadet corp, their uniform looked roughly similar to that of the Grenadier Guards, except instead of Bearskin they had a white pith helmet, with a Germanic looking spike on top! Try marching in a felt tunic in 30 degrees Celsius sunshine. On official parades with other schools and the army in the town centre, there would always be one or two band members who would (literally) keel over in the heat. Someone would dive into the ranks and drag them to the pavement.

Having said that, the same school only required blazers on formal occasions, not as part of everyday uniform. (I discovered just before I left that the uniform with blazer was classed as semi-formal dress in the school rules. I asked my housemaster what formal uniform was, apparently it was a three-piece suit, it had been dropped a few years before I arrived.)

JazzAnnNonMouse · 19/05/2014 20:01

It wouldn't make me want to learn if I were uncomfortably hot.
It's distracting.

revolutionarytoad · 19/05/2014 20:03

I don't like using such loaded language. But I do think the school should pick its battles! My school had a summer uniform. YANBU OP. This is one of the few times that I'll say, why would you expect a teenager to suffer when you wouldn't an adult? Counterproductive surely.

I don't support the heat well at all- totally understand how unfair it is.

kslatts · 19/05/2014 21:12

YANBU.

When I was at school we had to wear our blazers unless it was very hot and we were given permission to take them off. Ridiculous rule, how are you supposed to learn when you are not comfortable.

My dd's don't have this rule, today they didn't even take their jumpers.

Chunderella · 19/05/2014 21:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pointythings · 19/05/2014 21:28

It's not a breach of human rights, it's just thick. Hot uncomfortable children will learn less effectively, it's as simple as that. Fortunately DD1's school is sensible - in weather like this, they can take their blazers off in class.

As for it not getting hot enough in the UK - try being in an old crappy more or less prefab building with a flat roof under today's sunshine and then come back and tell me it doesn't get hot. It isn't about the weather, it's about building for heat - which we don't do in the UK, for obvious reasons, and so things go wrong when it does get hot.

We really need some set in stone rules from the DfE about summer uniform appropriate for the temperatures - it's the only way some schools will listen. And while they're at it, can they put an end to rip-off sole supplier deals too?

Playthegameout · 19/05/2014 21:35

I'm a teacher and I think it's bloody cruel. My classroom gets very hot and uncomfortable in summer, so my first instruction to the kids is to discard ties and blazers. It also causes problems with students losing/mixing up blazers as they obviously don't want to wear them over lunch. Blazers are so expensive to replace too. Flipping nonsense in my opinion, unfortunately my Headteacher doesn't feel the same way.

Icimoi · 19/05/2014 21:44

The blazer is a pretty stupid and impractical garment as part of a school uniform anyway. Schools only have them to show off.

DS has always disliked wearing things with long sleeves, with hindsight I think he must have a degree of sensory sensitivity. His school had a sweatshirt which they tried to insist they wore at certain times of day including assembly, purely so that they could have a hall full of uniformly dressed children and tough if they were too hot. DS consistently refused to wear this and DH and I were regularly told off about it. I made it clear to the school that I thought it utterly pointless to make children wear the sweatshirts for the sake of it and irrespective of the weather, and I wasn't going to support them on this. They backed off eventually, and there was probably a big sticker on DS' file saying his mother was an unsupportive cow.

TheSarcasticFringehead · 19/05/2014 21:52

Yanbu. I agree, it's cruel and stupid. It gets sweltering in the UK sometimes. My DC luckily don't have to wear uniforms (as we're having a fairly painful heat wave at the moment, this is great!) which means they aren't uncomfortable and therefore can concentrate better.

Original poster
nomorequotes · 20/05/2014 08:10

I will be inventing some sort of medical reason why my children can't overheat I think in due course. If I could see a reason for the bloody things I would agree they could wear them but their doesn't seem to be one!

OP posts:
mumofthemonsters808 · 20/05/2014 08:21

DD's school has a very sensible approach to this, where they grant permission for blazers to be removed on both warm and scorching days. Staff also take their jackets off.For the life of me I can not understand who would want a school full of hot, uncomfortable, smelly kids, surely it would help the tone of the day if the kids felt cool and comfortable. I understand the need for smart appearance but the rules need to be relaxed when it is warm. As for insisting jumpers are worn, absolutely ridiculous and I feel sorry for these kids.

WhatsTheEffingPoint · 20/05/2014 12:27

I agree why should the kids suffer and overheat when the teachers get to walk round in whatever they like. Maybe teachers should have a uniform just like the kids? i would round up a group of kids to do a feint from overheating

Stinkle · 20/05/2014 13:13

YANBU

It's absolutely ridiculous to force a child to wear a blazer in hot weather. How can being hot and uncomfortable have a positive impact on learning?

Twice yesterday DD asked to remove her blazer in class as she was uncomfortably hot, both times the teacher refused.

I support their uniform policy on the whole but not in situations like this, nor when she was given detention for wearing walking boots to school with her normal shoes in her bag when we had all that flooding

HayDayQueen · 20/05/2014 13:16

Hot weather? What hot weather? It hasn't even topped 30 degrees.

FriedaMensch · 20/05/2014 13:18

I totally agree with you OP.

When my DC are the age to transfer to secondary, petty, inflexible uniform rules are something that I will do my utmost to avoid - it would really put me off a school, even if it seemed great otherwise.

GnomeDePlume · 20/05/2014 13:33

Yes but being clad from head to toe in dark polyester will improve GCSEs, behaviour and respect for teachers. It's a fact!

Or am I mixing up fact and utter cobblers?

Gileswithachainsaw · 20/05/2014 13:40

It's the same in winter isn't it? Only no coats allowed only jumpers and blazers?

Dragonlette · 20/05/2014 13:47

My school has the rule that blazers should be worn unless permission is given to take them off. In pretty much every lesson in the warm weather the teacher starts by saying "take off you blazers if you need to", but loads of the kids choose to keep them on. Some of them even choose to keep their jumpers on as well Shock

My classroom gets incredibly hot, particularly when it's full, and I can't imagine sitting there in a jumper and blazer but loads of my pupils do, and refuse to take them off. The reason they give is usually that they don't want other people to see their sweat patches.

Stinkle · 20/05/2014 13:51

My DD is allowed to wear a coat, but we have to wait until the head gives permission - we get a parent text to tell us when it's ok Hmm

The same Head who rocks up in a warm/dry/air conditioned car wearing weather appropriate clothes each day.

DD refuses point blank to wear a coat though, so I'm saving that battle for when she sees sense

DD's blazer is horrible. Crappy polyester that's freezing in winter, and hot and sweaty when it's warmer.

MyrtleDove · 20/05/2014 13:54

HayDayQueen you can easily get heatstroke in 25 degree weather, if forced to wear a blazer/jumper and sit in a hot classroom.

HayDayQueen · 20/05/2014 13:57

Sorry MyrtleDove, was just being a bit facetious!!!

In Australia the rules were for EXPECTED 36 degrees and over, and 40 degrees and over, in classrooms with no airconditioning.

Once air conditioning was in place then you acted as normal.

5madthings · 20/05/2014 13:58

I just called my boys School re this, apparently they've been told They can take them off in class but must wear them between lessons, at lunch break and on the journey too and from school! My boys get the bus, hot and busy so I shall tell th

NobodyLivesHere · 20/05/2014 13:58

It's a stupid arbitrary rule designed for no reason other than to exert power. in the same way my secondary school didn't allow us to wear our coats inside the building...why?!?

5madthings · 20/05/2014 13:59

I shall tell them they can take it off on the bus regardless as ds2 came home feeling hot and I'll yesterday as he had kept his blazer on for the journey home!

SpeedwellBlue · 20/05/2014 14:01

Twice yesterday DD asked to remove her blazer in class as she was uncomfortably hot, both times the teacher refused.

she was given detention for wearing walking boots to school with her normal shoes in her bag when we had all that flooding

Absolutely bloody ridiculous. I'd be wondering what other stupid policies they had.