Another school uniform one.. Blazers

[MarmiteAndCheeseRolls]

So DS at senior sch.. There's a lot round here. Some blazers, no tie. Others logo polo t shirt and trousers
DS school is blazer, tie, trousers. Policy is blazers must be worn door to door.. Even in this heat. Sometimes allowed to take off In class.
He has a 30 min uphill ( mainly) cycle and in 28-30 degree heat I told him to put in bag until got to school. Which he did.
Had a call this morning saying he's been put in internal exclusion for not wearing blazer door to door.
I think this is ridiculous in this heat.
It's not like he left it at home.

Kids cannot learn effectively if they are boiling hot and sweaty. What’s the point in insisting on a blazer if that is actively detrimental to their education?

I also would like them to inform me who gave them the authority to tell my children what to wear when not in school

That is The 2006 Education and Inspections Act, they are allowed to enforce disciplinary rules for travelling to and from school - and may even do more, although reasonableness obviously gets harder then.

Sounds like one of the schools in my town. Hans price per chance? Ridiculous rules.

Seems pretty stupid of the school in my opinion.
We also have a door to door rule (excluding break and lunch) but like most schools in our area when it gets very hot like it has been we cancel the rule temporarily.

Our school is no blazers ties or jumpers at the moment they are vigorously enforcing it in this heat.
I grew up in a hot country our school didn't have blazers

It’s ridiculous. I remember feeling really bitter when having to wear a blazer etc at school when some of the teachers looked liked they’d rolled in from Glastonbury. If it’s so important to be smart, why can half the teachers in any school not have to adhere to the same standards. Now as a member of the public, I have no desire to see kids from my local schools walking or cycling to school in blazers in 30 degree heat. Who actually cares? It makes no difference to me whether they have a bloody blazer on her not. Also is it even possible to enforce a door to door policy? Surely schools can’t dictate what someone wears when they leave their front door??

Hot countries often have the door to door blazer rule. The kids will survive.

I’m fascinated to know where. I don’t know of any Australian schools where this is the case, for example, in the summer terms at all - and the weather over the last week

I’m fascinated to know where. I don’t know of any Australian schools where this is the case, for example, in the summer terms at all - and the weather over the last week here has been at least the equal of some of those terms - and moreover the kids there are acclimatised to heat (my niece and nephew are wearing jumpers this week. Max of 21 degrees.)

I would perhaps point out that, given the problem of childhood obesity, they might want to encourage children to walk or cycle to school by allowing them to wear weather-appropriate clothing on their journey. I used to commute by bike - I didn't wear my smart office clothes to do it. And I most certainly wasn't wearing a sweaty polyester blazer

Good for you for being logical. The school risks the welfare of a child to look smart! Stupid.

Great chance to teach about independent thinking and questioning authority.

That's absurd. I've done a legal hearing in the Peace Palace in The Hague and it was done in shirtsleeves as the weather was like today! I've also seen it in English Courts.

A poster raised a good point about it being incompatible with a sustainable transport policy.

Eh? So they're supposed to sit in a school bus wearing a (nylon?) blazer?

Bloody stupid.

Even in the '80s we had "tie off" day. After that you didn't need to wear a tie again until September

Ridiculous. Even the army goes to "shirt sleeve order" during hot weather ie shirts with short or rolled up sleeves, no pullovers.

I also find the snidey "how do people in hot countries survive?" supremely irritating. There's a few reasons eg they're used to it, there is air con and mostly they're not expected to dress up in multiple layers of clothing in temperatures like this. I was at an event at a secondary school a few weeks ago where a girl fainted because she was so hot. She was taken to the nurse to recover and the teacher immediately told all the students to remove their blazers. Mind you they're allowed to carry them and not wear them when it's hot anyway.

Totally crazy!

The school where my mum works have just had a new head who didn’t realise that he “had to” make an official announcements that blazers could be removed!

My old secondary school had many faults, but we were allowed to take our blazers off whenever we wanted, even in January if we so chose! We had to have it with us, but common sense prevailed over the actual wearing of it, thankfully. Fucking hell though, when did “allows it’s pupils to take off an outer layer of clothing when they get warm” become a noteworthy good point!?

My office has gone to dress down for the whole summer (with caveats that external meetings need to be smart, but for staff grades we don’t have external meetings anyway).

Our local high school had a consultation last year on blazers. Fortunately it didn’t go through and hopefully this year it won’t either. This is the perfect example of why it’s a daft idea. It’s a rubbish coat for winter and a sauna for summer. Kids look far smarter comfortable in shirt sleeves or jumper (with a proper winter coat). I don’t understand the trend back towards blazers, particularly in Academys. Focus the time and attention on learning. Well done for standing your ground OP. I’m contemplating shorts for the office as there’s no aircon and the fans we do have are rubbish. I’m sure I will achieve more if I can stay a sensible temperature!

I take a hard line with uniform but today, I've had one child vomit and another faint with this heat.

No way would I endorse a blazer rule in this heat. It's dangerous.

The last 3 weeks here have seen temperatures higher than Spain. So YES it does get bloody hot in the uk and we are not generally equipped to deal with it. There is no aircon in the classrooms and the uniform is not designed for hotter climates.

Our school has allowed no blazers. Any school still demanding children cycle in blazers in this heat has absolutely lost the plot.

Sorry but my child's well being trumps that ridiculous rule is what I'd be saying.

Get on your local facebook page and get other parents together to challenge this.

I'd be tempted to sit outside tomorrow morning monitoring what the teachers turn up wearing.

Out of interest what are the girls allowed to wear in this heat? The fact that half the time they can wear skirts and socks and the boys end up in trousers, blazer and a shirt and tie is always so unfair.

SunnyShades are you actually in the uk?

I think it's good discipline for kids to not always get what they want and even be a bit uncomfortable at times.

See I think it's really weird to force people to ignore their own discomfort just because they're young.

Just checked my dd's old school's website as it was, and still is, notorious for its uniform policy (even dictates colour of hair bobbles, umbrellas and coats), website states that blazers aren't to be worn (or other coats or jackets) and parents/pupils will be advised daily whilst the heatwave continues. The school is now an academy.
Local high school, also an academy, has a 'sticker' on its home page stating that no blazers are to be worn or brought to school tomorrow due to the predicted high temperatures.
Both schools state that the rest of uniform should be worn correctly as usual.

I’d be quite tempted to ask for a copy of their risk assessment of requiring children to wear clothing inappropriate for the conditions in contradiction of Public Health England advice for a Level 3 declared heatwave - particularly with regards to children taking sustainable journeys to school.

@TheMagnificentEthel

Hot countries usually have air conditioning in their buildings and the children are acclimatised to the heat.

British people aren't used to the heat we have and most schools don't have air con.

Should we all stop feeding our kids healthy food because kids in some countries don't eat regularly and survive?

British people aren't used to the heat I think that's because the temperature doesn't seem to have a gradual rise in temp it goes up drops by 10 degrees every other day then suddenly jumps up to 28/29 degrees.