To think that the school cannot enforce this uniform rule?

[ReanimatedSGB]

DS started back at school on Friday and has come home with an annoying student handbook full of various pissy instructions and threats of hour-long detentions.
One thing I noticed was that 'boys' hair must be no longer than collar length. DS has long hair. While I completely understand a regulation that long hair must be tied back for school, isn't it actually illegal for them to insist that boys can't have long hair? IE sex discrimination?

Sigh. So many we don't like rules people on here.

Nope. I work in a hospital, I scrub for surgical procedures, prep injections, do stuff that if it's not done right could potentially result in someone's death. I'm not allowed to wear jewellery, a watch, and my hair has to be tied up so it doesn't fall into my face or on to my patients. Trust me, when rules are there for a reason, I will follow them.

However, the length of a boys hair doesn't impact his ability to learn, or behave properly. (Just like the colour of my hair doesn't impact on me being able to do my job professionally and safely, so my employer doesn't care what colour or length it is, as long as it's tied up neatly) Schools that nit-pick petty rules like this are asking for kids to rebel in other (potentially more harmful ways) and it's a stupid waste of every ones time and energy.

Sigh. So many we don't like rules people on here

I love rules. When they make sense. Following all rules just because they are rules makes you an idiot.

Yeah I love a rule myself and am all for a strict uniform code etc.

Also a fan of all being treated equally.

Imagine if the schools had rules about what pupils were allowed to wear out of school hours. That would be pretty unreasonable right? A school with a haircut policy is doing exactly that.

That is not reasonable.

There was a thread a while ago by someone whose son's school had a policy of no haircuts shorter than a number 4. She had requested that but the hairdresser accidentally gave him a number 3. He was then excluded from school until it had grown back to the acceptable length.
Parents are fined if they take their DC out of school in term time but it's fine to exclude a child from education because their hair is 2mm too short?
Do any of the 'Rules are rules brigade' seriously think that that's OK? Really ?

wax completely agree.

Most of us, in this day and age, want to raise our children to be independent, confident individuals. That means giving them some freedom to make choices. Including their appearance. My eldest DS at the moment wearing clothes and sporting a hairstyle which I'm less keen on but I wouldn't dream of quashing his confidence by telling him so.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, male or female, hairstyle choices need to be the same.

Personally before I obey a rule I evaluate whether it is reasonable or not. It certainly isn't reasonable to discriminate on hair length on grounds of whether a person has a penis or not.

My DS2 had long hair until he went to high school. Periodically there was something in the school letter about boys' hair length, but we just ignored it and no one ever tried to impose any sanctions. I did notice that the only parents and teachers who made adverse comments were those with general arsehole tendencies and old fashioned and reactionary views about gender stereotyping.

My DH had long hair all his life until he was middle aged (sixties child, rock loving teenager, grungy young adult). Didn't stop him being an excellent scientist, top scientific salesperson or extremely successful company owner and director.

If it's the rules, just go with it fgs. If you don't like it, choose another school. I'm so sick of parents whinging. Rules are fair enough-let the school get on with teaching.

This thread is actually a bit of an eye opener for me; I'm genuinely shocked at the number of posters who would unquestioningly obey a rule that is blatantly discriminatory, on the grounds of, well, "Rules is rules". So many unquestioning people around.

missmouse But the point is that the school can't just get on with teaching because they're wasting so much time policing stupid pointless rules.
And have countless posters have said, lots of parents don't have the choice to 'just choose another school'.
If your DC's school said that all children have to shave all their hair off, would you just say 'OK, fair enough. Rules are rules?'.

My son has just begun a boys high school also he can't have less than a number 1 haircut, I will go along with the school rules, it's an excellent school with excellent teachers, fabulous education to come, boys can grow their hair when they go to college if they want, I really hope my son does this again as he had really beautiful long hair when he was younger, his choice now to have short hair, but like I said boys can grow their hair at college if they so,wish, follow school rules, you put them in that school, and I am very trendy and go along with what kids want, but I believe in school rules, I think this is a good set up for boys and girls who don't have any direction due to bad parenting, my view of parenting overall

Okay, so given that the length of a child's hair clearly impacts so highly on their behaviour and ability to learn, then all children and teenagers should not be allowed hair longer than collar length including girls. Or are these failure to learn and behave with long hair issues purely linked to testosterone or having a penis?

So, yes we should impact our son's self esteem and clipper their hair off while they sleep against their wishes to ensure that some stupid rule is obeyed and that all teenagers can become homogenised clones.

If you don't like school rules, why then are you insisting on sending yoyr son to this school ? Didn't you know the rules before hand ? Or you did and hoped you will get away with it ? World is full of rules, uf you find rules in your workplace ridiculous, I bet you rather quietly look for other job then voice your opinion. School is not different. Gender has nothing with it. Will you complain that this school forbits boys wearing dresses ? Also nits are very common at schools. You will be glad that your son has shory hair if he got ones !

Sheeple.

Member are you on glue?

Rules, there for the guidance of wise men and the blind obedience of fools.

This is a cliche but nevertheless always relevant.

I just don't understand the fuss, I really don't. The school is not asking anything unreasonable.

miss but it is. It's asking that a rule is obeyed which discriminates against boys.

And if this thread was about the enforcement of a hair length on girls, the response would be so different.

The school is not asking anything unreasonable.

Of course its unreasonable. Not only is discriminatory. It's asking that a school rule is applied when out of school. Uniform is one thing, it can be removed when they come home. This is dictating someones personal appearance in a semi permanent manner i.e. hair doesn't grow long overnight whereas make up/nail varnish can be applied and removed on a daily basis. Why is that not unreasonable?

Didn't you know the rules before hand ?

Do read the thread

Schools that nit-pick petty rules like this are asking for kids to rebel in other (potentially more harmful ways)

Precisely. This is another key problem which gets overlooked all too often. Setting capricious rules and enforcing them anally means losing credibility and can well be counterproductive. How would your chidlren react to you if you told me they must wear blue in July and red in August? Would they listen to you when you tell them that other rules are for their own safety?

Also, the guff about uniforms being conducive to good grades, or walking with your hand behind your back helping you achieve your best in life, etc, remind me of the Brain Gym. Does any one remember it? Ben Goldacre debunked it very well in Bad Science (both the book and the website). look it up. It was a set of exercises meant to stimulate the brain. Things like moving in a certain way increases bloodflow to the brain , makes you smarter, etc. All unsubstantiated bull, of course. Yet it took a while to debunk it and to rid our schools of this rubbish. Yes, our schools were actually forcing children this voodoo science rubbish!

Also:

www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/parents-anger-bishopsworth-schools-new-200506

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4702896/Is-strictest-school-Britain.html

You can't make this stuff up. Maybe criminal checks are not enough, and headteachers and governors should undergo some kind of mental health check?

Note that these petty rules have little to do with enforcing proper behaviour, just like challenging them doesn't mean bringing up a spoilt brat. One can have a zero-tolerance approach against bullying, disruptive behaviour, etc, without agreeing that pupils should lose days of school for wearing shoes which are a bit too shiny. How is the correct level of reflectivity measured, by the way? Just curious.

The most important thing you can ever teach children is that there are times when you need to look a self-appointed authority in the eye and say 'Fuck right off.' Because most of what is wrong with the world now is down to those people who get off on wielding completely arbitrary, unreasonable, selfish power over others.
We do our children no favours at all by telling them to obey their 'better's unquestioningly. If a rule is there for a good reason (as many rules are) then that reason should be clearly explained. If a good reason can't be given, then the rule should be ignored.

Don't respect authority that doesn't respect you.

How can shoes be too shiny

Are they not able to polish them?

Patent is shiny ffs what's he problem?

Perhaps they should worry less about shoes and more about the grammar they are teaching.

Such a hurry are they in to humiliate children they don't even proof read the lanyard

If the school suddenly decides to impose a ridiculously OTT regime, you could always keep your kids off, and tell the council that you want a place for them somewhere that teaches respect by showing it: if enough people do it, it will hit the school in the pocket.