to ignore an 'if possible' uniform request

[QueenofKelsingra]

DC1 in reception. When I bought all uniform off the list in the summer there was no mention of coats AT ALL. DC1 loves orange and I managed to find him an orange raincoat and an orange thick winter coat which he loves.

newsletter has just come home with a reminder that the kids should now be in 'winter' uniform (some still in polos and no tie i think rather than collared shirt and tie) and lists the uniform. underneath it then says in bold: SHOWERPROOF COAT (DARKER COLOUR IF POSSIBLE)

Now, if i really had to i could find the money to buy him dull darker coats. but he would kick up majorly as he loves the ones he has. Also i begrudge having two sets of coats when one is sufficient for both school and home.

In addition i walk to school along a busy road with a narrow pavement which traffic travels far to fast on and part of the reason i bought him the bright coats was to help him be seen walking to school in the dark mornings/afternoons.

so as the newsletter says 'if possible' WIBU to ignore and continue to let him wear his bright orange ones?

[Tobyjugg]

"If possible". It ain't possible. QED.

[blackeyedsusie]

I used to be the fastest tie tie-er in the west. 20 ties to tie and 15 or so set of shoe laces stood between me and my coffee...

oh and dark coats are probably because then the parents can't see the seveal sets of footprints up the back of the coat after it has been used as a doormat and football goal. after all, parents don't have washing machines or anything these days..

[FightingFires]

Not possible.

Next!

[LlamaWoman]

I hate this dark coat policy with schools.


My DC are teens so would laugh in my face if I dared suggest a neaon vest to reflective tags for their coats.

Even as teens they have to walk along a very narrow pavement along a very busy B road and another very narrow pavement along a very narrow road with buses and lorries travelling down it and they are head to foot in black!!

I know everyone would hate it but if ALL UK schools had a policy of Day Glo coats for after the October half term to the end of the Spring term/Easter/Spring break, then even "cool" teens would have to deal with it and just wear the things! If All kids from 5 to 16 had to wear them, there would be no issue.

In a world where schools are so health and safety concious these days it just seems arse backwards that they are still putting smartness above safety.

[Pixel]

When dd's school were designing a new uniform and sent home a survey I suggested a waterproof jacket with reflective piping or even the school logo done in reflective material if they wanted to be clever. I pointed out that the children were coming home in the dark, the street lighting round here isn't brilliant and there is a nasty blind bend on the main road etc etc. Needless to say they completely ignored that idea!

Ds's school on the other hand has a lovely waterproof with a fleecy lining and reflective details on the outside. It is reasonably priced compared to coats bought in the shops and so nice that many of the staff and parents have bought them too.

Bit of a pointless post but just goes to show that pleading safety issues might wash with the school and might not depending on if they are idiots or not.
However in the OP's case she should clearly carry on using the coats she's already bought because dark ones aren't compulsory or sensible.

[fredfredgeorgejnr]

Itsfab some cars have sidelights permanently on, they neither spread the lights in as many directions, nor do they have the same strength, relying on reflection to keep you safe is very much not enough.

[hiccupgirl]

My DS's school has a dark coloured logo shower proof coat and a winter coat that can be bought and the uniform policy says 'dark coloured coats preferably'.

I have no intention of buying DS (in Recpetion) a logoed coat as I'll have to get a second one for the weekend and other parents have already had issues of the kids getting their coats mixed up where they look the same. DS is wearing his brightly coloured one from last winter still and his showerproof coat is covered in bright fish which his teacher pointed out looked great and meant she always could spot him outside.

OP I would just completely ignore the uniform guidance and if anyone raises it then point out why it is safer for your child to have a brightly coloured coat.

[FryOneFatManic]

Luckily for my Yr6 DS, no coat is actually specified, so he wears what I buy.

The Yr6s at his school all now have to wear a proper tie up tie, which for primary school kids is ridiculous. Even DD, at her secondary, still only has a clip on tie.

I'm not a fan of school uniform, I've never seen the necessity for it.

[Itsfab]

A lot of cars have lights permanently on so not the issue it was.

[MassaAttack]

Schools shouldn't dictate coat colour

[fredfredgeorgejnr]

light up when light shines on them is good for night time, but not so good for dusk or early morning, that's when you need bright colours, and those are exactly the times when kids are on the street.

Also, ties, in a school uniform at all WHY? but even more so before they can be tied?

[DanyStormborn]

They probably put "if possible" as they know they sent the request of the coat colour a bit late and some parents would have already bought one. Use the orange one this year and buy a darker one when he's grown out of the orange one.

[Itsfab]

I think darker colours for coats because PTB think they are smarter.

My son has a school coat. It is a lightish blue, a hook on the outer bit for hanging, lots of bits that light up when light shines on them.

Their ties are all clip on so no H&S issues.

[museumum]

I'd ignore it. We cycle so ds is in fluro yellow. Safety is far more important imo.

[Solidur]

Oh, ok - thank you, I thought that I was being very dim, Queen!

Still, I'm a bit about primary school children wearing a tie at all; I guess that as soon as they can tie it they wear a regular tie? Still makes me wince, little children wearing them.

I have issues, though: I refused to learn to tie a tie and my dad did it for me. I slid the perfect windsor knot up and down all week then he'd re-do it!

This caused problems when DD1 was learning from DH - she absentmindedly untied her tie once when DH was away and I had to send her down the road to Granddad to redo it!

[QueenofKelsingra]

solidur they have ties on elastic until they are able to tie them themselves.

I have no issue with uniform, I think its sensible for the most part (at £3 from Tesco, not at £11 from logo-uniforms-are-us). if they had a school coat that was part of the uniform that would be different and I would buy a hi-viz tabard for the walk to go over the top. but as they don't have one and therefore there is a playground full of different colours (albeit most are darker colours but a good few are bright red/blue) anyway its not like its a smartness factor.

this started out more of a 'it wasn't on the uniform list so i'm not changing' but the more I'm thinking I'm actually quite shocked at the stupidity of the suggestion for safety reasons. dalek you have it spot on, that would be madness. I feel a letter coming on!

[Oldraver]

I cant for the life of me understand why the fuck a reception age child needs 'if possible' a dark coat. We have to put up with enforced school uniform on primary children...at leats let them have some choice of flaming coat.

DS's school has lots of problems with unclaimed 'lost' uniform. The teachers/head stand there wondering why when at the end of term a table is set up with a huge pile of identical jumpers. I'm sure because all the kids are identikits they just walk past yet another red jumper and it doesn't register. I am sure if they were wearing their own clothes there would not be so many 'lost' items. I cant remember anyone loosing clothes when I was at school

[merrymouse]

Never mind dark winter evenings and mornings, you need to be able to pick out your child when you are at the playground/park whatever.

[Solidur]

And another thing.....

Reception children wearing ties?
The health and safety implications are making me weep. Is this really A Thing?

[dalekanium]

Where's the sense in schools getting children wear dark coloured coats in winter, when it's dark and miserable and rainy anyway? I'd love to know

And in direct contravention of the recommendations in the Highway Code.

Can you imagine any workplace risk assessment stipulating workers must wears dark colours when going to and from work so they are near invisible to motorists.

Sigh.

[Viviennemary]

I agree with just letting him wear the coat he's already got. Less chance of it getting lost or taken home by mistake by another child. And better visibility in the dark mornings.

[QueenTilly]

1. Reception? So one of the year groups that really needs recognisable coats?
   
   
2. Dark coats for school children? It's all been said already. But it shouldn't need pointing out to the school in the first place.

[Solidur]

Yes, definitely ignore! What on earth does the colour of a child's coat have to do with the school?

At the school where I now work, which both DDs attended I see every colour of the rainbow, likewise DDs had various winter coats throughout their time there.

I'd look sidewise at "Summer" and "Winter" uniforms too. I remember when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was at middle school girls didn't have to wear ties in the summer but nowadays?

I regularly see girls in (permitted) summer frocks teamed with (logoed, permitted) jumpers and warm tights.

[CruCru]

Ha ha. This reminds me of my old secondary school. They sent a list of school uniform requirements on the second day of the Autumn term which included white socks and black shoes.

It was a bit unfortunate because everyone had had their uniform bought for them in August so a load of kids (me included) weren't going to have the correct uniform.

[Wellwellwell3holesintheground]

We had a reminder home about black or brown school shoes. Only it's not on the website, not on the uniform policy and not on anything from them when the DC started (now yr6 yr3 and reception). I emailed and pointed this out and asked if the governors had made policy change.

I had an apology and confirmation that they were thinking of changing it in September 2015