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

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

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

I've been trying to persuade the kids I teach to take off their school jumpers. They are melting! Still they keep them on. Weird :)

I have a hatred about school uniforms in general. I'd rather have my DC wearing NORMAL clothes to school

Me too, luckily my lot go to a school with no uniforms.

I agree OP, in hot weather they shouldn't be expected to dress as though it were cold.

I haven't worn my jumper or coat today, I didn't send DS (age 5 so still in Primary school) in wearing his jumper or coat either.

I don't see the issue with boys of all ages wearing smart school shorts either.

Surely pupils dressed in smart, weather appropriate clothing will be more comfortable and more inclined to listen and behave in class that pupils who are too hot to concentrate on anything other than how hot and miserable they feel?

Schools can be utterly ludicrous about uniform. I suppose the ones that insist on pupils wearing blazers think they are preparing them for the big world outside, but the reality is that this wouldn't be expected in most workplaces so they're not actually preparing them for anything.

DS strongly dislikes wearing long sleeves, to the extent that I strongly suspect he has sensory issues. His school obsesses about pupils wearing their sweatshirts but he very rarely does. I'm afraid that they've got me down as unco-operative parent because I refuse to insist that he wears the thing and regularly argue with them about it. I've dropped a few heavy hints about failure to make reasonable adjustments, health and safety issues and the like, and so far the school hasn't dared to start imposing punishments.

My DS is at an ancient crumbly grammar and even there, jumpers are optional and the blazer doesn't have to be worn if it's hot. I thought that was par for the course?

My classroom was over 27 degrees today. I came home feeling rather ill from it. Still some kids kept their blazers on!

I'm afraid this makes me want to print off this thread, take it into ds's school to the head teacher, who wants to impose a uniform, and rub her fucking nose on it.

Note: I will not do so, and would never be anything other than civil and supportive to any person in authority at ds's school. I wish she would adopt the same rule to the parents and indeed the children.

YANBU. When it's hot outside, it is even hotter inside. Kids learn best when they are comfortable. I think every school should have a cool, summer uniform option available to their students.

We got a text the school was giving permission for the children to not wear blazers in the hot weather that was kind of them eh

it's absurd

hayday such fond memories of my 'winter uniform' during a Queensland winter. No aircon ay my school. One heater per classroom. One fan per classroom. 30'c on some winter days while wearing wool!

YANBU! Japan have the same climate as us but have summer & winter uniforms. Summer is a light colour while winter is a darker colour. High schools have to wear blazers but they're thinner, sort of like cardigans. A lot better, I think we should take a leaf out of Japan's uniform book.

Not sure about human rights but some schools certainly do have odd uniform rules. DS's high school insists on blazers but not jumpers. They have to wait to get permission to take them off but apparently most of the time it's given. The schools policy is in place according to the head to avoid blazers being left in class or lost, saving the child a detention for lack of uniform and parents £30 a time! The teacher operate on a policy of 'if I'm hot you will be too' so everybody takes jackets off at the same time. It works.
The primary school switched to summer uniform at Easter so jumpers and cardigans are optional.

Dd's school have the option of a polo shirt for summer which doesn't have to be worn with a blazer.

If they don't want the polo's they wear normal white shirts with tie - they don't have to wear jumpers but must wear their blazers.

DS has to wear his blazer, tie and cap anywhere on his way to or from school but the blazer (and cap obviously) is discarded as soon as they get to the building (he's primary and the same rules for the junior school). It was the same back at my school many moons ago.

Can't imagine trying to sit and learn whilst wearing your coat.

It's getting them used to wearing a uniform, and ready for work when older.

I agree with you, it annoys me. Teachers will be wearing summer clothes in this hot weather but Children are expected to wear blazers / jumpers.
How can anyone be expected to concentrate when they feel physically hot and uncomfortable.

I am a nurse we have to wear tunics usually but In hot weather we wear scrubs as they're much lighter and its physically impossible to work at your best when you are feeling overheated.

Its such a dictatorship when school do this. Teachers can dress comfortably for the weather but students are basically denied that privilege due to their age and position of vulnerability.

It's getting them used to wearing a uniform, and ready for work when older.

That old argument again?

1. In the vast, vast majority of workplaces, the wearing of full suits including jackets is not a requirement these days. Especially for women. There are exceptions (cabin crew, for instance), but in most workplaces the dress code ranges from smart to smart casual. In many places there is no uniform rule at all, just a dress code.

2. Why do we need to prepare them for work starting from primary? Are our kids really so thick that it takes them 13 years to learn about appropriate work wear?

3. Leading on from 2), at which point do we stop spoon feeding them? Let them attend their first interview in Daisy Dukes and flip-flops and not get the job. They'll soon learn and never forget - that is preparation enough.

Possibly one of the problems is, I'll bet, the Factories Act, which covers schools and cites minimum temperatures, hence the closed schools in winter, but not a maximum, because they don't expect it. It never gets hot so they don't need to take the blazers off.

The reverse applies in Australia, where schools take account of high temperatures and will close early if it promises to hit 35, by a whole 20 minutes. On the other hand, I wear a thermal vest, hat, gloves and coat to classrooms, because, er…. it never gets really cold in Australia,

Back to uniforms. While Australian schools look like an Enid Blyton wet dream, they do have summer and winter uniforms.

Most workplaces don't insist on suits and ties though. D

DS wouldn't use his Dad as an example because even though he works in an office he very rarely wears a suit or tie, it's not considered necessary. Plus it's daft to assume that everybody will go on to work in an office environment.

HowsTheSerenity - what was your "winter uniform?" I'm especially surprised when I see Australian uniforms as I didn't think it's that cold there.

Getting us up at 7am to drag them to school for 9 is more a breach of human rights

To be honest I think this type of thing should be looked at in terms of Ofsted as it can only be counter productive to learning.