Secondary school uniform

[Bumbelinadance]

AIBU to say I just kind of feel the focus should be on educating children not their appearance . Ds just started secondary school Who decided a fully buttoned up to the top button shirt and tie was required
...? He hates how that feels all day. Restricting !
He is in a regular state school , yet his uniform was so expensive my parents Kindly stepped in

Surely it up up to the children to decide what path they go down as adults surely ?They can suit it and boot it if they choose to go into a profession where a certain dress code is required .
Comfortable trousers or joggers / skirts if preferred at a reasonable price and a school logo jumper might shift the focus from appearance to learning

I am all for a ban on designer logos and trainers to avoid a haves / have nots scenario
But I really dont get the English uniform obsession

Also I feel hugely amazed by our teachers and support them fully , feel the profession like most of our key workers ( ambulance drivers, nurses , police etc) is underpaid and under appreciated
But I don’t think their job should be to enforce a terribly old fashioned view that an 11 year old should wear a blazer. I also feel very strongly my child should be allowed to express himself as he wishes with his hairstyle and dress PROVIDED HE REMAINS POLITE AND RESPECTFUL TO HIS TEACHERS / ADULTS and meets the schools expectations with academic effort and behaviour
If he wants tramlines in his hair how does that affect whether he gets an a or a d grade ..?

They are there to learn
Achieve their potential
Be told they can be an astronaught if they work hard enough
Not told their appearance defines them

It isn’t really accepted in the workplace so why is it happening in our schools ...?

Myfrei Ds in the USA send their kids to school in clothes they are comfortable in ,so they can focus on learning

I think polos and sweatshirts look terrible.

My primary and secondary school both required full uniform - shoes, socks/tights, skirt or pinafore or summer dress (primary), kilt in secondary, proper shirt, tie, jumper and blazer for secondary. We could wear trousers if we wished in secondary.

The pe kits were also a uniform. Shorts and t shirt in primary and pe knickers, skirt and t-shirt in secondary. We could wear jogging bottoms too.

All schools in the borough were the same, except for a few primary schools.

I think the erosion of standards in uniform is disgraceful. Walk past a secondary now and it's a wonder kids ds are allowed to walk around like it. Leggings instead of trousers, porn video secretary blouses, lycra mini skirts that show arse cheeks, skirts rolled up enough to see what breakfast was. I think a properly enforced proper uniform is much better.

beksyt
In a school there toilets so no need for a child to hold the toilet for any reason. Using the toilet is a basic human right. No child should be denied this right.
How do you get on in life with that attitude?

Eliza9917

My children certainly do not look terrible when they go to school thank you very much. They look smart and I can rest knowing they are comfortable.

Eliza9917
My secondary child wears a polo with blazer and trousers in the summer term, and looks just as smart as in a shirt and tie.

at 11 year olds wearing polo shirts to school being “disgraceful”. Holy moly. What year is this again?

beksyt

I really hope that child tells their parent and the parent complains about you.

When you drink a full bottle of juice or water or a tea or coffee, do you need the toilet straight away? Probably not, it takes a while to sink in sometimes.

One the reasons I chose DS school was how strict they were on school uniform including hairstyles and shoes . Surely you could just pick a school that's laxed about school uniform then you wouldn't have anything to complain about

There’s not really a choice for most people re secondary schools. All our local secondaries are oversubscribed, so you just have to go to the one you are closest to, usually. That said, there is always HE! If I felt THAT strongly that my dcs shouldn’t have to wear uniform, that’s what I’d have to do. As it is, I’ll play by the rules, but I reserve the right to think those rules are arbitrary, a waste of teachers’ and pupils’ valuable time and a cause of unnecessary friction between teachers, pupils and parents.

I agree with uniform in principle but think it should be practical and affordable.

My uniform at high school was shirt, tie and v neck jumper, for years 10 and 11 you had to have a blazer in the colour of the school. Non of it needed to be logoed and as long as it was the school colours it was acceptable. It was one of the best schools in the area.

I think the push for logos and expensive gear for state schools is too much, I know I couldn’t afford it for my DD to be in full logoed school uniform.

I don’t think primary aged children need anything other than a polo shirt and smart trousers/skirts.

I really hope that child tells their parent and the parent complains about you.

For crying out loud she had just had lunch. Why complain?

For crying out loud she had just had lunch. Why complain?
How long from lunch to hometime? Can they drink in class?

I'm not allowed drinks in my work area. I can drink at the water cooler but usually just drink on breaks, then need the toilet an hour later.

As for going to the toilet, learn to cross your legs until break time. I never let my year 6 class go.

Always? What if you see blood to rolling down a girl's leg? Still make her wait?

All this about feeling of belonging, and work uniforms and even guide/scout uniforms, there is a huge difference, that difference is you chose to be in that group.

Also uniform for work is usually supplied by the employer. If schools had to provide even 1 set of uniform they would quickly abandon it.

Most adults can wee when they like at work. I simply don’t get what you hope to achieve (other than control) by preventing a (non-Micky-taking) child from going to the loo. Pretty unpleasant tbh.

If you go to the theatre or cinema it’s not unreasonable to have a wee before the show starts and during the interval if necessary to avoid disturbing others

How long from lunch to hometime? Can they drink in class?
2 hours 5 minutes.
No they don't drink in class time.

If you go to the theatre or cinema it’s not unreasonable to have a wee before the show starts and during the interval if necessary to avoid disturbing others

Indeed. And then what if you happen to need another wee half way through the first act? Would you raise an eyebrow if you were prevented from leaving the theatre to have a piss? I imagine so. Especially if the person preventing you was supposed to be someone who cared for your welfare.

I’m not saying that anyone who needs to go to the toilet should be prevented from going, just making a point that it’s often possible to avoid needing the loo at certain times

2 hours 5 minutes.
No they don't drink in class time.
If they are having a big drink at lunch then I would say it is perfectly reasonable to need the toilet within 2 hours.

@timeisslippingaway Polo shirts are casual wear. I can assure you that your children don't look smart. They might look clean and presentable but they don't look smart.

Always? What if you see blood to rolling down a girl's leg? Still make her wait?

Yes always unless they have a doctors note. Girls should deal with periods at break and lunch too.

Never been to a theatre where a performance went on for 2hrs without a break. And you will frequently see parents taking their kids out for wee while at the cinema.

And that’s one rule I will support my kids breaking - if they need to go up the loo and the teacher refuses they have been told to go anyway and I will take responsibility for the fall out. I didn’t even realise this was a thing teachers were allowed to do before MN.

Always? What if you see blood to rolling down a girl's leg? Still make her wait?

Yes always unless they have a doctors note. Girls should deal with periods at break and lunch too.

Jesus beksyt. You denied being unkind towards your pupils earlier in the thread. You seriously think you wouldn’t be being unkind doing this? Seriously? If I ever found out you’d done that to my daughter I would remove her from the school. That’s fucked up. I think you might be in the wrong job, assuming you’re being genuine and not deliberately goady.

Jesus beksyt

If I thought a girl needed to go because of her period. I would make an one-off exception and that is all it should be.

To my knowledge I have never had a girl leak in my class.