To think we could all have been done twenty minutes earlier

[Todaysrollercoaster]

Have been given a form group for the first time in four years.

Tax payers, be glad. Twenty minutes of my time and your money on

SHOES. This is important because if you don't wear the right ones you won't learn anything.
SKIRTS. Too short and you're asking to be raped.
Top buttons MUST be done up and God forbid if you wear any perfectly normal addition to an outfit of jewellery or nail polish.

Let them fucking wear what they want and let me teach, FFS!

My DS has to ask to remove jumper/tie if it's hot, thankfully most teachers are fine with it but there are some that aren't. My DS tends to lose colour in his face quite quickly and throws up when he gets too hot, surely kids learn better when they are comfortable rather than feeling hot and sick. They also all got lined up on their first day for a uniform inspection and some kids even got pulled up for wearing white socks.

Surely what they wear has nothing to do with them learning.

I thought how shiny a soldier's boots were had no effect on how they fight, but they put a shitload of emphasis on that!

Personally I think what kids (and adults for that matter) wear does affect their learning, but in the sense that casual comfortable clothes are better.

So OP you basically disagree with your schools uniform policy?

Have you considered teaching at a school without a uniform if it causes you so much angst?

i was once suspended from school for dyin my hair blue. so, i was a fantastic student, who came every day, never was any trouble, gave all my homework in on time, gave my time to the school freely and willingly, but the colour of my hair was such an issue i couldn't be on school grounds. its ridiculous controlling nonsense. i'm all for rules, but not rules for rules sake.

Aside from the ridiculous idea that students need to keep a jumper on and schools that insist on selling uniform through annoying expensive uniform shops, uniforms are a good idea.

There are so many kids (and parents) that struggle with any form of discipline or conforming to rules and think that it's ok to ignore them. If you decide to send your child to a school with a uniform then you should adhere to the rules of the school or send your child elsewhere. I am fed up of hearing about people saying their precious darling was singled out for having a short skirt when they have actually taken the regulation knee length skirt to be altered and paid for it

Employers are already struggling with young people who lack dicipline, work ethic and basic skills. I have witnessed young people in the workplace that really struggle with the concept of a dress code and dress inappropriately or do not adhere to uniform requirements. They do not care about the rules because these things do not apply to them.

I'm 53 and I struggle with the concept of a dress code (with obvious exceptions for safety and lack of offence). Thankfully I am finally able to work somewhere where we don't have one.

Bullying isn't about what the victim wears! It's about the bullies emotional situation

If only Hacker, if only! I think if there are any in the UK they are rare as hens teeth.

It isn't the uniform as such I object to but the disproportionate amount of time dedicated to discussing uniform problems in staff meetings, challenging uniform problems, contacting parents about uniform problems - when actually, there are real, well, problems we could be tackling!

Resolve the uniform and you'll resolve the behaviour

It's not by chance the top performing schools are the best turned out, implement things like standing for the teacher, asking to take blazers off etc. All these little bits add up.

Or could it be the top performing schools have compliant children from supportive homes?

No - surely, surely not. They just have the best teachers and make those kids wear the uniform!

Several schools locally with no uniform. Plenty to choose from.

I very much doubt ifsted have really said anything about skirt length, especially as they normally state that uniform isn't anything to do with them and is down to individual schools. I think your SLT are lying to you.

I work at a primary scho with no official uniform. We have a dress code and children do have the choice to wear uniform items inc some with the school badge. Parents voted for it, not staff. And currently we have over 3/4 of the school in uniform, probably more tbh.

There are many jobs where a uniform or dress code are required. It's not just children who are subject to the following of rules when it comes to clothing, hair styles, etc.

Not always.

Look at the schools that turned round from special measures to outstanding rated. How many of them went back to basics with discipline.

I suspect you are right re SLT but nonetheless it's something a child shouldn't be hearing from an adult and all in all I'm sick of droning on about what kids wear when a) I don't care and b) I don't notice. But it's my job blah blah ...

I have never in ten years come across a school without a uniform in the UK. Ever! :)

i know many a shite school with a good ofsted lunch

If you decide to send your child to a school with a uniform then you should adhere to the rules of the school or send your child elsewhere.

HA bloody ha!
as if there is a choice unless you can pay for private

Went to a pretty strict private school... Never had to ask about taking a blazer or jumper off though. It's unnecessarily controlling and potentially a health and safety issue....not to mention the impact on learning from being too hot to concentrate.

I'd like to see lunchpack try to be a teacher.... Somehow I don't think you'd last long with your uncompromising attitude... I'd wager you'd either have a nervous breakdown or leave before the term was out...

Flashbangandgone

That was the point I was trying to make earlier (but you said it better and in many fewer words) - and the reason I feel qualified to imagine that outcome is that I reckon I'd be just the same - I take my hat off the teachers, coopers (and even football refs even though I don't like footie).

Spot on flash.

coopers=coppers but the coopers too :)

God I hate the having to ask to take off a jumper or a sweatshirt rule! I had an interesting conversation with a member of the SLT at DS's school when they brought it in. I asked if she had to ask the Head if she was allowed to take her jacket or jumper off if she was hot. She looked at me as if I was mad - I pointed out that it was exactly the same, and why did primary schools spend so much time making children independent only to have secondary schools treat them like little children?
A colleague had a daughter who suffered from haemaplegic migraine which was triggered if she got too hot. The daughter was refused a request to take her sweatshirt of which did just that and she ended up in hospital. When my colleague met with the teacher concerned, he told her that research shows that children learn better when wearing a sweatshirt!!!! Colleague requested a copy of the research - funnily enough, she never received it!

As a teenager, I moved from a school with a strict uniform - skirt length, ties the right way round/right length, blazer etc etc to a school with no uniform at all. (Not because of the uniform issue) After about 2 weeks, I stopped trying to look cool, and just wore comfy, sensible clothes, as did 99% of the students.

Some people think that the way kids dress on dress down days is what they would look like all the time if there wasn't a uniform, but this just isn't true - kids are just excited that they can express themselves for a change, if they had the opportunity all the time the novelty would soon wear off.

In addition, I noticed the same thing when I went to University, the people who had been used to non uniform just dressed normally, whereas those who had had a stricter uniform looked like they were going out clubbing to lectures....

I certainly don't know a single secondary school in my area which doesn't have a uniform.

I would welcome working where there is no uniform because it would be one less pointless task for me to do.

I once took the matter up with my former headteacher. He told me that whenever they sought parental opinion about uniforms, the parents who bothered to reply overwhelmingly supported not just uniforms per se, but the formal uniform with tie and blazer.

If it were up to me, I would prefer that there wasn't a uniform at all or that it was trainers, joggers and sweatshirts/t-shirts. I have absolutely no interest in wasting teaching and learning time inspecting what pupils are wearing and arguing with them or their parents about it.

With my own children, I just bought them the standard uniform listed by the school and that's what they wore. I didn't encounter any problems with it or with the school all the time they were there.

BTW, forgot to mention OP - you were very lucky not to have had a form group for four years! Well jealous!

The daughter was refused a request to take her sweatshirt of which did just that and she ended up in hospital.

If that had happened to my child I would have been furious beyond words! I'd have alerted Ofsted to a safeguarding issue... I'd have had difficulty in not smacking the teacher who responded with that. Would have seriously considered going to the press too (after I'd served my time for smacking the teacher!)