School ban Canada goose coats

[Unicornandbows]

I feel slightly on the fence.. What do you think?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/16/schools-right-ban-pupils-wearing-designer-coats

Wow! I'd never heard of these coats so had to google them. They don't really look much different from some of the coats in Mountain Warehouse.

Do parents actually spend that amount of money on a school coat?

I'm obviously living in a different world!!!

I hope this schools also bans new model iPhones and top of the line Samsungs. Far more children are carrying those around than -fake- Canada Goose coats.

Why the angst over the materialism over a coat (most are fake) and not the more obviously materialistic phone?

My kid goes to this school and honestly theyre all likely to be fake. Also my kid doesnt get bullied for not having a canada goose coat,she gets bullied for being autistic and "looking gay". School want to actually work on the real issues than pissing about over coats

I don't think they should be banned.

Kids are going to have to accept at some point that there will always be someone richer.

It shouldn't put pressure on parents, they should be able to say no and not encourage the keeping up with the joneses attitude.

I do think Canada Goose for kids is verging on ostentatious though so I can't feel sorry for those no longer able to show off.

My point was that bullying is never because of clothing.
It is always because of something wrong with the bully.

Of course there is some horrible behaviour towards others, often expressed in comments about appearance. This generally rears its ugly head around middle school (age 11/12/13).

But the appearance of the kids who are targeted is never the problem and tackling the problem by insisting on uniform or banning certain brands doesn't make it go away.

www.facebook.com/nmillington/posts/10156089019823315

If you want a seriously warm coat for the winter you can do better and cheaper than Canada Goose. A number of the skiing brands do 3 in 1 coats with light down on the inside and a waterproof layer on the outside.

I’m glad they banned them. The poor geese that are bred for these “designer” coats are treated in such a dreadful barbaric way

I thought this was going to be about an ethical stance not policing kids with poncy labels.

Thankfully my kids are well beyond school age but I can distinctly remember drawing a sharp breath at the price of lots of high street coats. Most of their coats came from charity shops or car boots. That way if they went missing or ended up polishing the pavement it wasn't a disaster.

When did parents start risking bankruptcy for an anorak?!

I agree I bet most of them are fakes anyway. It seems to me a bit petty to ban a brand of coat. Will they ban parents driving kids to school on expensive cars in case someone who walks to school gets jealous?

@jellybaby1 intresting to hear from someone whose child actually goes to this school.

Do you think the school does enough against bullying as you mention DD is bullied? Or do you think they have completely missed the point with the coats brand banning?

Are parents incapable of telling their children 'no'? At secondary school age they are perfectly old enough to have explained to them what their parents can/can't afford and should be able to grasp the simple concept of something being too expensive for their family to buy them

Totally agree . Should be banned because of cruelty to animals. As for buying these expensive coats for school, I repeat for school, it’s absolutely ridiculous.

All my kids have worn plain thick black coats to school. These have occasionally been stolen and name tags cut out. Inexpensive so just replaced. I can just imagine an expensive coat going missing 1st or 2nd day. Ridiculous.

Why the angst over the materialism over a coat (most are fake) and not the more obviously materialistic phone?
Most schools I've worked in have been a no phone zone. Phones must off and in bags out of sight at all times. If the phone is seen or heard then it gets confiscated.

We've had our share of crying 'theft' and 'you can't keep their phone they need the phone for emergencies etc'.

Funny that the parents who are quick to claim their child needs their phone aren't as quick to tell their child to follow simple rules. After all if it was essential then they'd not risk losing it.

The bottom line is that some parents and children think rules don't apply to them and act like it's some sort of traumatic experience if their darling can't show off.

They are extremely cruel and unethical whether real or fake. Canada Goose has become a low end brand in spite of the cost which means hopefully it will soon go out of fashion along with the stupid pom pom hats that women (mainly) insist on wearing. It's not a good look having a bit of dead animal on your head...makes you look like a callous idiot.

It's not a good look having a bit of dead animal on your head

I use fake fur pom-poms on my hats.

This is what school uniform is for. The clue is in the name:- uniform. Everyone the same regardless of parental wealth.

As a teacher I loathed mufti days. They highlighted the rich kids and made many children miserable. Parents were pressurised into buying things they couldn’t afford to save face for their kids when the deal was that they had already bought the expensive uniform. The discipline was always extremely difficult to maintain all day when the pupils were in their own fashion gear. Many, especially, girls, wore very inappropriate clothing for learning. The face of one kid who always forgot and wore uniform was excruciating.

I have nothing to say in favour of anything but practical, boring, sensible uniform appropriate for learning and a good, non fashion, uniform warm coat for keeping the cold and rain out. In fact, I would say it is the basis of a good school.

I can’t believe you’ve used the phrase ‘wealth shaming’ op. That can only be used by people very out of touch and with lots of spare cash.

Ridiculous to buy kids such expensive coats, horrible for the kids who’s parents can’t afford it.

But more importantly Canada goose coats should be banned on ethical grounds. Since when was it ok to wear real fur again? These parents should be teaching their kids that having money doesn’t mean you can ignore cruelty just to look ‘good’

"Ridiculous to buy kids such expensive coats, horrible for the kids who’s parents can’t afford it*

This really isn't how the world works. Do people just go around pretending to be homeless, so they don't upset homeless people? It's not in any way horrible to buy something for your child, quite the opposite really

You can get down-filled coats from Next for about £100. Canada Goose is about the brand, not the quality.

Of course there’s the possibility that some kids could be wearing fakes.

As a teacher, I think this should be one of the lesser priorities in school. Unless of course it is causing bullying. It’s maybe a lesson that different families can afford different things and that’s life.

If the school doesn’t like it, they need a stricter uniform in place rather than banning specific coats that families have paid for.

Pinkyyy. Most of us, with a certain level of income, have the good sense and good taste to know when is an appropriate situation to display our affluence and when will just make you look like a dick.

Let me give you a clue, buying a ridiculous school coat for your kid is not an appropriate situation.

Well said tinkly,

I come from a background where we were actively discouraged to ‘display’ our wealth. We were reminded that we are very fortunate but also that money cannot buy a good character.

‘Honestly, if someone's sense of identity and self is so fragile they require expensive products to manage life then they have more issues than uniform rules.’

^^ this.

TinklyLittleLaugh I wouldn't say that there was such a thing as an appropriate time to 'display your affluence' this is not something I feel the need to do. If I like something and I can afford it, I buy it. I give no regards as to whether it will sufficiently 'display my affluence' that would be distasteful