To think it's not hard to adhere to uniform rules

[Puzzledconfusedandbewildered]

Yet again in the fail a school has had protests from parents (and police presence) due to 50 students being turned away on day 1 for breaching the uniform rules

Aibu to think the rules are the rules and if you want your child to attend that school you adhere to them?

Talking about the correlation between uniform and good performance, I see that this year this school achieved 42 per cent A*- C grades in GCSE. By contrast, a couple of non-uniform maintained secondary schools near me got over 80%.

Haven't read all the way through but using the excuse that the wrong bra colour is "distracting for boys" is offensive in the extreme. Shouldn't we be teaching our boys to control themselves!?
As an aside, generally on the continent they don't have school uniforms yet still manage to turn out doctors, lawyers, teachers etc,etc!

This is clearly a good way around the "no time off in term time (because it's vitally important that children are in school every day and if they miss any time at all they will FAIL)" rules.

Want to attend a friend's wedding and can't get authorised absence? Send your child to school with a small buckle on her shoe that morning and the school will send her away (because it turns out that it's only sort of important that children are in school every day and it's more vitally important that children don't have buckles on their shoes).

This is all madness. Children should not be denied a right to education because of what socks they wear. As for the bullying, if my child was being bullied I would take a very dim view if the school's response was to start arsing around policing how tight other kids' trousers were. Sounds like the head hasn't got a handle on what is going on and is making up for it by concentrating on the non-issue but easy to make a noise about matter of uniform.

Well this is what happens when you privatise education via academies who then go on to employ the cheapest and least experienced HT's they can find. It's no wonder the HT's have an inferiority complex and try and show their authority is such a shallow, lazy and baseless way. Also shows what a poor education system where we have, a huge amount of adults and parents that can't grasp the concept of facts, their is no evidence of correlation between better marks, less bullying and wearing a uniform.

Shouldn't we be teaching our boys to control themselves!?

Yes, lets all blame the boys, who probably haven't even noticed or cared. It's the teachers that decide this, not the children.

Uniform isn't one of the causes of bullying.

The causes of bullying come from inside the bullies.

True true all of that. It's depressing. This gonk has presumably been parachuted in by whichever greasy non-accountable spivs got the contract to run the school and this is the only way he can think of to be seen to be Doing Something. And a certain type of parent laps it up because as long as you say you're being tough and taking a strong line even if there is no pedagogical justification whatever for what you're doing, well, at least you're laying down rules and rules are inherently good.

sandyholme, putting random words into quote marks and capital letters has nothing whatsoever to do with dyslexia, and it is rather offensive to dyslexic people to claim that it does.

You need what some consider to be 'petty' rules so that you develop an attitude of respect and order.

I've seen some illogical statements in my time, but that has to come near the top in terms of illogicality. What you need in order to develop an attitude of respect and order is sensible rules. Dreaming up petty rules and imposing them strictly only results in you and your organisation being despised, and rightly so.

I think the hysteria of schools sending children home because they aren't in the correct uniform is bullshit. There is no evidence that having a strict uniform improves learning outcomes.

This is probably the kind of argument some parents are going in with, and it's irrelevant. Wearing correct uniform - wearing uniform - is one of the school rules. If parents don't like the rules, they can campaign through the proper channels to attempt to change them or find a suitable non-uniform wearing school for their dc's, or even start their own. But they don't get to tell the school which rules their d's will follow, and which they won't. People are reaching insane levels of entitlement these days.

The causes of bullying come from inside the bullies.

Very true. Addressing bullying by making people appear a certain way so as to not attract bullying is akin to telling victims of domestic violence, which is also a form of bullying, that they should change their behavior so as not to antagonize the abuser.

I am in Scotland.

Our uniform rules are much better, I think.

Children have to wear the School 'colours' eg red/blue/green jumper/sweat

and plain dark trousers in grey/navy

and sensible black shoes.

All of which can come from Asda / M&S or the like cheaply and easily.

I'm in a rural area where they are also sensible about boots / wellies and the like as some kids walk.

Hair length / sock colour doesn't affect education.
They are not there to 'learn to respect authority' via their clothing - that's the Army!

I'm not sure I'd want my children to learn to respect authority. I mean, have you seen some of the people in positions of authority?

I think that the major missed point in this was thta the head was cracking down on uniform because of the bullying that had gone on the previous term

He may have said that but its bullshit. No-one gets bullied because their jumper is the wrong shade of black, or their hair an inch too long. And even if they did, you deal with the bullies, not tell the victims to change their clothes.

I understand it's not fitting your narrative that were in these other mystical countries when you have no uniform there are no running battles and the teachers simply have no issues

Speaking from observation of the US, of course there are issues. Nobody is saying getting rid of uniform would solve issues in the UK.

But likewise, nobody in the US is saying that adopting uniform would make a difference. This is probably because American schools are for the most part run by a professional management team that pays attention to research when making decisions. Plus American society in general tends to value practicality and relying on your own judgement.

What is being suggested about the UK is that uniform is used (without any suggestion from research) as a magical solution to problems that are actually amenable to better strategies. Or else, if things are going well in a school, it is assumed that magical articles of clothing are somehow contributing.

I understand it's not fitting your narrative that were in these other mystical countries when you have no uniform there are no running battles and the teachers simply have no issues
That part was C&P'd, should have marked it, sorry.

No child should be sent away from their education because of what they are wearing. Surely this could encourage a few to ignore school rules to get out of school!! A letter to parents is the only thing required. Even a fine is ridiculous. I agree that the rules should be followed but a child's education is priority..... but at least I know what to do if I need to get them a day off that would otherwise not be granted.

I have never worn a school uniform and went to 2 very good schools. I'm educated to Masters level. Whole thing seems a little outdated and I'd be against it if it wasn't cheaper than buying regular clothes!

People are reaching insane levels of entitlement these days.

I don't see it as entitlement. I see it as an expression of attitudes that arise via the class system that probably should be put out to grass.

The term bespeaks a worldview in which some groups are expected to put up and shut up, fork over money for extra socks when they already have a drawer full of perfectly fine socks, blazers and other items of clothing that it's perfectly clear to anyone who can observe it, have no impact on outcomes in school.

Parents are stakeholders in the education of their children. If you overtly treat them as part of the problem you will not get the best out of them. You really have to believe despite what you may tell yourself you see, that parents want the best for their children, and when so many parents are clearly so disgruntled, it is time to climb down from an indefensible position and open a dialogue.

The purpose of uniform is not to improve academic outcome, so your post is moot

1. Not making lack of wardrobe a way of bullying poorer kids and kids competing on dress. 2)Clear expectation on dress, not wasting endless hours on arguing with students and parents on whether an outfit meets dress code or not. 3)Teaching kids to follow rules.Do you think it matters if military recruits don't have perfectly ironed creases and spotless boots? No! But it matters if they can't follow instructions absolutely when they are servicing a tank etc. Nearly every job has rules or protocals which must be followed. 4 Gives student a safe way of rebelling

Talking about the correlation between uniform and good performance, I see that this year this school achieved 42 per cent A- C grades in GCSE. By contrast, a couple of non-uniform maintained secondary schools near me got over 80%.*

So what does that anecdote prove?: My DCs' school has a strict uniform and 100% GCSE A*- -C

Nearly every job has rules or protocals which must be followed.

This is such a fallacious argument. Nearly every job has rules and protocols, yes, but they don't all have to be followed. In my job, if I think a protocol for something I do is wrong or bad or inefficient, I come up with a better way of doing it, I don't just blindly follow.

I know it's the fail but I skimmed the article earlier and it seemed to have more substance than the typical 'school turned away my precious because she's dyed her hair green' type outrage story.

There was a picture of shoes which I struggled to see anything wrong with (I was expecting three inch heels or ballet pumps). Another pupil was turned away because their black trousers were faded black (due to washing) and not black enough.

I think the new headteacher is probably cringing and regretting his actions quite a bit by now.