Enforced wearing of blazer (wool) in hot weather

[Sweatingcobbles]

I know in the grand scheme of things this week it isn't a massive crisis but aibu to think it's stupid that in 29 degree weather today school refused to let the children take their fairly thick wool blazer off.
They said it is to maintain smartness and an office like uniform.
I'd rather kids could concentrate on learning and exams rather than feeling sick or ill.
Ironically I was in the office today with sandals and a short sleeve top.

morningrunner

If I said someone was behaving in an intimidating way towards me right at that moment, I would expect them to send someone out to speak to that person about their behaviour. It is utterly unacceptable to walk into someone's workplace, hunt them down and start shouting at them. Make an appointment or fuck off.

Olives would be more sensible than blazers on a 30 degree heat walk home .

Despite what my posts on here might appear I am hugely respectful of the work teachers do in general. I have come out in support of teachers on MN. In real life I publicly support the school in front of my DCs. I am lucky that my DC is in a primary school so has yet to hit all the challenges of secondary. The school also has a flexible uniform policy and the head is lovely but managed to run a right ship at the same time. Staff turnover is low.

In two years at the school I have never complained and in fact have complimented frequently and in writing about the hard work staff do. The only time I have ever raised an issue was over my DD getting a bit red in the sun regularly; I discussed with the teachers to ask their advice. If they had not addressed the issue then yes, my line would have been crossed and I would have complained. Issue addressed that day so no need to.

morningrunner

Not because I think it. It is illegal to intimidate people. The fact that one person is a teacher and the other is a parent is irrelevant.

Trifle

I would expect teachers to exercise common sense, and recognise that there are situations where for the sake of children's health, a rule should be relaxed in certain circumstances. A sunny 30c classroom is clearly somewhere in which there's a health issue in enforcing the wearing of woollen jumpers.

To be so blinkered that you apply a rule at all times regardless of the circumstances is dangerous. I'm reminded of a West Wing episode where 15 or so Saudi schoolgirls died because the religious police wouldn't let them leave the building because they weren't dressed modestly enough...

coconuttella

I agree, but I am not the one you should be telling. It is my job to comply with school policies. If you don't like those policies, feel free to tell me, but I will refer you to a discussion with the Head. You don't have to send your child into my classroom, so you as a parent are just as responsible for agreeing to uphold those policies as I am.

morningrunner

It is indeed. Look it up.

I don't have to tolerate intimidation just because I am a teacher. I will behave professionally, teach your kids, put up with all manner of disruptive behaviour from children, but a grown adult shouting at me? Heck, no.

Do people think the police are never called to hospitals because of people being abusive? I can't see why it would be any different in a school.

ElectricDreamers

Exactly.

I can't help but note the entitled outrage when people realise that actually, I am not their whipping boy and no, I do not have to stand there and be abused.

And if you think that the police are going to come our just because you think a parent's behaviour is unacceptable then I think you woukd be sorely disappointed . They might have something to say to you about wasting police time though

You know in hospitals there are posters reminding people that if they are abusive or threatening and intimidating to hospital staff they can get arrested?
You know there are similar ones on trains and public transport?

Why the hell do you think teachers should put up with intimidating bullies who think that kicking off, yelling etc is the way to do anything?
No school staff would listen to you, you'd become one of 'those parents' and if you were in my school you'd end up being one of those parents who we don't allow speak to anyone other than the head. Reason being, we are paid to teach, not to deal with rude and intimidating parents. Damn right we'd be allowed to call the police.

A colleague of mine had an issue with someone like you, she passed it to me, I held the line, was verbally abused by said parent, passed it to senior leadership, senior leadership pulled the parent in for a meeting and have had it made perfect try clear that his way of dealing with school staff stops.

The very fact you consider it a joke tells me everything I could possibly need to know about your attitude to school staff. It's bloody disgusting

MaisyPops you are so right, teachers should not have to put up with intimidating bullies. As in parents who complain. But neither should pupils have to put up with intimidating bullies as in teachers who make them suffer in uncomfortably hot clothes when the weather is stiffling.

Not all parents who want to raise a complaint are intimidating bullies. I'm not than happy to take calls from polite individuals who wish to follow proper procedure.

Most teacher on here have said that kids can take their blazers off when it's hot. I'm bored of saying it.

Sadly, there's a lovely cohort on MN who think one poor situation just proves their "mean nasty power hungry teacher" story they've got going on.

I've seen teachers called bullies, power hungry, accused of breaking human rights, seen parents on here talking all about how they're going to go and kick off etc.
And usually it's for things like: timmy got a detention, Charlotte got her fidget spinner taken off her, my child was verbally abusive and got told off but he couldn't help it, Daniel was told to wear black school shoes not black trainers, Sarah was told she had to wear an appropriate length skirt, Gemma got a detention but she says she didn't do anything, Harry got a detention but I said he was OK not to do his homework, Mike wanted to go to the toilet straight after lunch (didjt go at lunch because he was playing football, he was so deslerate thay sat in class and drank half a litre of water and that breaks his human rights, teacher did sports trials and the favourite read best athlete got picked, my child auditioned for a play and it went to the more experienced children, my child easy kept back because there was 5 of them in a group and all were involved but technically my child didn't throw the object so I'm annoyed. Teacher told my child off (last week I was told by a parent thay "how dare you speak to my child like that". Like that actually meant a quiet whisper at the end of class that if he behaves like that again he will have a detention)

And my favorite, you're bullying my child because you're always telling him off. Yes, because they're always misbehaving and keep needing to be told. If your child behaved then maybe I wouldn't be speaking to them so much.

Do I think there's some poor practice goes on in some schools? Yes. No sector is perfect.
Do I think some parents on here just think the world revolves around their offspring and they love to challenge any rule that's not personally convenient to them? Absolutely. I see it week in week out at work and when you see some threads on here it's not rocket science to realise how teachers spend a disproportionate amount of time in a minority of kids and parents.

Probably so that they don't lose them in all the moving about

I think having to wear inappropriate clothing for the weather is ridiculous and potentially dangerous.

Have you actually read where lots of teachers have said most of the school's they've worked in kids are not forced to over heat in blazers?

Or are you just one of those people who loves an opportunity to accuse teachers of.being nasty and/or dangerous?

Dd's school changed this spring from optional blazer in the summer term to compulsory unless they are told they can take it off. I was disappointed so I stormed up the school. Just kidding, I moaned to my friend about it and she said her son's school already has this and it's fine as obviously the teachers aren't going to make them keep it on when it's too hot as then they'd have a load of grumpy teenagers on their hands. She was right, it's fine, dd hasn't complained once as they can take it off in lessons. Can't remember what she said about breaktimes. Only thing she's ever complained about to do with school is some of the kids in her primary school class. I agree with her on this, they were horrible and so were their parents.

And exactly what trifle said is the reason I've directed some friends childeennto ask teachers politely why the HT AND GOVENORS enforce the wearing of blazers in high heat.

ElectricDreamers
What a lovely measured response.
It's actually nice to have non-teachers pointing out that we aren't some kind of human rights abusing, power hungry monsters.

Only time I ever insist on them having them on is in assembly when we are in a well air conditioned hall. I also wear my blazer/jacket to assembly too.

Something to consider morning is that over my career I've had parents scream at me and staff on parents evenings (on one occasion so much that another parent actually went and bought me a cup of tea from the PTA stall and asked if I wanted 5 mins to myself), I've been verbally abused by parents on the phone, I've had them turn up on site after hours at my room and demand a meeting, I've had parents threaten to get me sacked for sanctioning their child, I've seen colleagues be accused of things that are entirely false (when I was a kid I remember us all having to write a statement about a teacher. We didn't know why but it came out that some brat in our class made an allegation that was all lies). I've had a couple of dad's over the years think that standing up and leaning over the table at me and getting right in my face pointing is OK (one of them justified it because 'as a 50 odd year old man...'), I've had the excessive demands followed by 'I pay your wages' and I've had parents tell me that their child was right to assault me because I'd asked for it. Just recently I've been told I shouldn't work with children because I dared to back a junior member of staff with their behaviour management.

That kind of behaviour in a hospital would get you removed. That kind of behaviour on public transport would get you removed. Yet for whatever reason teachers are expected to put up with it year in year out.

That's why I get jumpy and arsey on any thread where people starting going on about how they can go and put the teacher in their place etc.

Being the sort of arsehole who is aggressive to medical staff in a hospital doesn't stop someone having kids. They will then be the sort of arsehole who is aggressive to teachers. One and the same people.

HCP here and unfortunately in my (of course this is only my) experience shouting at staff does not get you removed. It should, but it usually doesn't. I have been shouted at, sometimes extremely aggressively, more times than I can remember. The posters are up but people have to be really aggressive or physical to get removed. I moved specialities and do much less frontline stuff now so it very rarely happens to me but I still hear about it lots.

Totally agree it is not acceptable Maisy to be shouted at.

Teacher replied (in her shorts and vest top)....

Am I the only one who thinks that this isn't how a teacher in school should dress - that it's more suitable for the beach or the garden? Unless she is teaching PE, which I take it this one wasn't.

Peregrina
I'd be cautious before taking that at face value mind. I have NEVER in my entire career seen a colleague wear thay to work.

I have a lighter weight office wear. It's 3/4 tailored trousers and I wear it with a sleeveless chiffon blouse and blazer. I also (shock horror!) remove my blazer when it is hot... and let the kids to the same!

Point being that if someone wanted to put a sensationalist spin on it then they could try to argue that my summer blouse and 3/4 office trousers and no blazer was 'shorts and strap top' because that way it sounds super shocking when really it's just summer office attire.