To not get schools issue with dyed hair?

[fitforflighting]

I suspect I may get flamed for this but I genuinely do not get it.
They have a rule against earrings including sleepers. That I get especially with younger children or in sports were children can end up getting them at worst ripped out.

I can kind of even get extreme haircuts with big shaved stars or strange styles that look unprofessional and might not be allowed by adults in a professional work place.

But this week and last term several of senior age children who had dyed hair brown/red/dark purple etc were sent home from school to re dye or put in isolation by teachers with errr brown/red/purple dyed hair! One of the children's teacher has bright purple hair. It does not make her any less of a English teacher or lesson her professionalism in school I don't reckon so what is the problem for teens?

Thehouse
The kids wouldn't wear clothes like that.

Cat there have been many many more teachers on here that have said the same and have received the same dismissive attitude

Again it's hardly representative of teachers in general.

However do those in the U.S. cops

Honestly, if you have a child move to a school with no uniform you would be gobsmacked at how much of an issue it isn't.

All years at my dd's school dress like longtimelurker's 6th formers - mainly jeans, converse, hoodies, with a few more creative souls branching out into more original arrangements. As long as they haven't got half their underwear on show nobody cares. It's a total non-issue. Ditto hair and make-up - younger years are discouraged from wearing makeup on the basis that they are actually children, but nobody checks or enforces. Most kids don't wear significant makeup and have normal-coloured hair. A very few go a bit heavy on the eyeliner, a few more have creative-coloured or styled hair. Nobody cares.

Putting makeup on in class is a whole different ballgame, and they do come down on that hard because that is distracting and inappropriate. But appearance is really only an issue if you choose to make it one - I don't understand the reluctance to believe that most teenagers will make sensible choices if left to their own devices. At the non-uniform schools locally the whole tons-of-orange-slap-and-hoiked-up-skirts look is noticeable by its absence, compared with uniformed schools.

"You teach them not to you don't remove the distraction" ideally yes, but as shown on this debate people don't always respond to logical reasoning, so we set boundaries and rules that are clear and well known to the people that have to operate by them. This stops the need to discuss and reason with indvidual students and get on with the job of teaching the majority.

See this argument actually all boils down to the wants and needs of individuals Vs the needs of all of the community involved.

Yes in an ideal world we'd allow all chidren to wear what they want, dye their hair whatever colour, cut it how they want etc etc. But like I said, British parents seem to back uniform, upthread there are posts showing the Department for Education attitude toward it, Governors back uniform etc etc. So no we are not beholden to pushy parents, we are beholden to a huge range of stakeholders all of whom we have to try to please. We work bloody hard at it, then when this is debated and we give the reasons why British schools have rules for this or that, our insight and opinions are dismissed and ignored. At the same time our profession is denegrated by poster here too!

Schools only make rules because they broadly meet the needs of all in the community, there is a level of compromise needed for all.

people don't always respond to logical reasoning
You don't say.

Agonybeetle
Unless you are a teacher you can't possibly know any of this.

Agonybeetle
Unless you are a teacher you can't possibly know any of this.

Not sure what you mean? Obv I'm not in the classroom, but I have read the dress code printed in the front of my dc's planner, I know what my dc wear to school, and I see what the dc at the school look like when they come round to our house, or at parents' evenings and concerts etc, and I hear what my dc tell me about what gets enforced in the classroom.

And other schools locally have similar codes. So stand by the fact that you can run and effective and sought-after school with minimal dress code and enforcement of appearance without the bottom falling out of the world.

FelicityFunknickle
"Perhaps it sounded like that because that is what was being said."

That would be your interpretation of what was posted.

lurker agonys post covers what I wanted to say

Are we just going round and round in circles here? I've stated previously what my own views are, and that I think non-uniform would work.

I've then pointed out that when we as a school consult parents, parents overwhelming state preferences for school uniform and so do the DofE. The parental preference was also shown when I was involved in the setting up of a new school so it isn't an isolated case. So schools are compelled to have uniform and appearance rules by some of their most important stakeholders.

I've pointed out the fact that within British society the perception of the quality of the school can be effected by the presentation of the students and how that can impact a school. Its even been stated that this isn't ideal but that its a societal issue and that until this is resolved schools are going to have rules on uniform and appearance.

Totally don't get where there is no logic in my arguments? At no point have you acknowledged that any of the points made are valid, yet you expect me to say that I think you are right? Well look up top of this post, there is my view but its not the view that society takes and that sets the paragigm within which we have to work.

You want to change that, fine, but people are currently having to work within it and they have explained to you the reasons why these rules exist and you keep telling them that they are wrong, when in fact you disagree with the system.

Paradigm, obviously not paragigm !

So fight the system instead of submitting to it

What and then not get backed by the parents? If you want change there why not do it yourself, I just want to get on a deliver the students an education, which is why I work within the system, I want to get the best results for the students.

Tell you what, why not start a thread asking whether parents would prefer uniform or non uniform, you could use it as a basis to start a petition to get it debated in Parliament.

But going back to the original post, the OP asked why there were rules on this, and this has been explained, but then lots of posters just come and attack teachers for doing the best with what they have.

Plenty of parents would get used to it

Did you not see the bit where I said: "when consulted parents overwhelmingly state that they prefer uniform".

Where's your logic? You're just dogmatic and will not accept that any other reasoning might be valid.

Cat just as yours is not representative of parents.

I have three good friends who teach in the USA and would love for there to be a uniform as they see a lot more segregation of different groups (one is a principal) through money, race and attitude. They see uniform as a leveller that they don't get in the USA. Again not representative of the entire teaching staff off America.

American teachers also have a lot more issues to contend with - I would much rather be removing a lipstick than a gun - a totally different issue wouldn't you say - the debate here is about the UK and the fact that in the UK it is the norm to have a uniform.

Felicity do you really think parents don't know anything that happens in school?
I am an ex HLTA and cover supervisor so have an idea of what happens in schools generally but I also know pretty much everything that happens in the school day. Who falls out with who, who has been naughty, who has stormed out of class, who is in isolation and why, , who has dyed hair, who has been made to put plasters over their acrylic nails etc. Maybe it is because my child has SEN and echoes the school day.

longtime my point is that parents would get used to having no uniform as they'd soon realise it's not an issue

Lurker -
The flaw in our arguments is that we don't agree with others because we work in schools and uphold the rules!

Constantly on here we have been asked to justify/answer etc. Yet when we have replied posters have said that we do not represent all teachers etc.

It's a no win situation but ultimately we do a job and it works.

But the question is Cats how do we get to that situation? Its fine to critique it but you haven't offered a solution. I've only sought to explain why things work the way they do and to defend those who have to implement things because of their job.

If parents want the system changed there's nothing to stop them trying to bring change about. I don't know why they expect teachers to do anything except follow the school policy put in place by their senior management team.

longtime relaxing the uniform would be a start? Do it gradually

How do you propose "relaxing the uniform" when teachers have instructions to implement?

But we would have to run a consultation to do that and back we go to the point about what parents want. See no win situation for teachers. Back when I was working with parents and the local community when setting up a school we tabled a proposal for the school to be non-uniform, it was rejected outright.