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?

[Topseyt]

When my eldest started secondary school back in 2006 I had to spend and absolute fortune on logoed uniform because her school wouldn't accept anything else.

I bought all the stuff on the list, including the sports kit and was feeling very impoverished as a result.

At their first PE lesson the teacher suggested that it would be great if an additional tennis kit could be purchased too!! I ignored that, as did a fair number of parents. As far as I know it was never mentioned again. Tennis can be played in normal PE shorts and t-shirt and I wasn't willing to spend any more.

Ignore. They haven't listed a particular coat in the uniform requirements, and haven't actually tried to insist on one this time around either. You won't be alone.

[ilovesooty]

It isn't a problem is it? School hasn't suggested any parent replace coats already bought.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

I would turn into one of "those" parents and start firing off complaints about encouraging children to wear low vis clothing when many of them will travelling on foot in the dark and how stupid those instructions are.

[Yarp]

YANBU

And as an aside, whilst I think some degree of school uniform is sensible, having a regulation coat strikes me as impractical for school staff who have to deal with lost property, and children who are rubbish at finding their stuff, and a bit too much of an attack on individuality. Plus dark colours are the least safe.

I resent the fact that state schools are going so far down this line. School uniform shops are raking it in though...

[SauvignonBlanche]

I had this when DD was young just after I'd bought her a beautiful new coat. I sent them a snotty note reminding them of the 'Be Safe, Be Seen' campaign. They didn't say anything else.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Mine always had really bright winter coats; we walked/cycled to school, they were less likely to lose them, and they looked great out of school too.

One of the less well off Mums at school took me aside the other day and asked me if I would be getting DS the new logoed school coat. I told her categorically not, two winter coats is utterly unnecessary, they need one they can wear out of school too. She looked very relieved.

[QueenofKelsingra]

Thanks for the responses. I think I may compose an email highlighting the fact that bright coats are safer, especially as a lot of kids walk to school (village school) and we have continued issues with parking around the school so lots of kids having to step out around parked cars etc.

I think I will convieniently 'forget' this suggestion in following years too (until DC are too 'cool' for bright orange coats!)

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Solidur]

And another thing.....

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

[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.

[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

[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!

[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!

[museumum]

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

[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.

[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.

[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?

[MassaAttack]

Schools shouldn't dictate coat colour

[Itsfab]

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

[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.