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

Bowchicawowow completely agree. Reading this thread and knowing that school has certainly been an eye opener to MN snobbery!

If I had a goose down coat-I would be scared to wear it. The price 😱
Let alone let my kid wear one for school.

NationalShiteDay The absolute corker for me was the poster who talked about her dc who attended an ancient boarding school who wouldn’t know what a Canada Goose jacket was. These people haven’t a clue how these kids in Birkenhead live.

Okay so the kids parents in this area can't afford them, that's fair enough, they're expensive. Why then are they choosing to put themselves on a bad situation by buying fakes or by spending money they can't afford to spend on real ones? If they are in a deprived area then their teenage DC will be aware of their circumstances and they are essentially creating a problem for themselves by not being up front about what is/isn't attainable within their budget

My point being that kids ask for the world and parents should be honest with them- especially at this age- about what they can afford to buy

It's always been like that though Pinkyy. I remember kids at school in the newest air max and kappa tracksuits when they were on free school dinners and never got a holiday, shared a room with 3 siblings and their parents weren't ever at work. I didn't understand it then and would nag my mum for the same clobber and she'd say no. I knew we had more money than these kids and would get annoyed at her.

It's not a new phenomenon.

The people I have on Facebook who share pictures on Christmas eve with a living room full of presents waiting for their kids are the ones in low income job or on benefits. The presents are on credit or have been saved for all year. It's a need to prove that they aren't poor. Some poor people get resourceful and are realistic. Others are determined to look anything but.

Pinkyy because everyone wants the best for their dc even if they have to fake it or suffer for it.

pinky There are a couple of current threads that I think may she’d some light.

The Dad who was unable to retirieve his 5 yo from a play date one. Plenty of posters pointing out that the Dad needs to step up and parent his recalcitrant child, but a few saying how difficult it is and how they don’t like upsetting their precious DC.

The what looks Mummsy thread. Pages judging Mums for wearing perfectly sensible, practical clothes for the school run.

The boringly dressed parents whose children know to stop pushing buttons when the look and/or the voice are deployed, won’t be the ones buying their children expensive designer coats.

Ali1 That’s way off the mark. It is far more complicated than simply not being able to say no to your dc. It’s about being ashamed of being poor and wanted to display wealth to disguise it.

I teach in FE rather than school and have only just realised that the odd learner who will not take their coat off in the perfectly warm and sometimes overheated classroom is probably keeping it on because it is one of these expensive coats. No one else notices or cares.

It's not just that though because if it was we'd all be buying our kids these ridiculous items. I could probably afford one for my 13 year old (if we ate beans on toast for a week) but I wouldn't. He has a perfectly decent winter coat that isn't overly branded. We don't hold material goods in high regard, we're secure and confident enough to know a coat does not make us.

Some purple out so much importance on their perceived status and are really insecure that they feel they need this coat to prove they are alright, they aren't poor, they can look after their kids. Then the cycle goes on and spreads.

Bow wow - I don't want the best for my kids even if I have to fake it or suffer for it. They can have what they get. I teach my kids to be individuals and follow their own path. Possibly that comes from my growing up poor and not having all these status symbols that silly folk drool over.

It’s about values. I completley agree that it’s easier to find the confidence to say “no” if you live a settled, financially stable life and were brought up in a settled and stable household yourself.

My point was that it’s OK to be boring and it’s OK to say no.

But the point is that those people who are going to these lengths to have this logo on them do think it 'makes them'. Why else would they do it?

You have different values and are probably more confident in your parenting. I bet you that if you scratch the surface of these parents they had bad childhoods and are trying to compensate. I am not saying it is right but I think it is wrong to sneer at them.

Bow wow I know I have different values to people with difficult lives that was my exact point. To be clear. I’m not sneering at poor people.

I’m suggesting it would be better to stop sneering at people who don’t feel the need to display expensive attire.

Pinkyy When you are on the bottom rung of life and you know it, you buy your kid a fake designer coat because you want them to feel valuable. It doesn’t make sense to you but it makes sense to them.

Well then you're still wrong in my eyes because you shouldn't be teaching them that they need a coat to feel valuable

Of course that’s true Pinkyy but you need to look at it context. Where they live, their parents life experiences, their life opportunities, the relative deprivation they experience. They don’t have the security of having an education in an ancient boarding school, nor do they realise, because their middle-class mothers drummed it into them that outward displays of wealth are tacky and showy. These people live different lives to you and your dc Pinkyy.

Love the posts about middle class snobbery while being condescending at the same time

I feel the headteacher had the right thought process but didn't deliver an appropriate solution. I think it is up to the parents to make their children feel valued and have confidence within themselves. The false sense of wealth to keep up with appearences doesn't help the families either.

My son's high school had a strict uniform policy as there's strong evidence of uniforms increasing student's academic achievements, sense of belonging and the unified appearance, avoiding style competitions etc which included no hair dying or wacky cuts which immediately excluded students. If schools state their policy at the outset there's no argument but if its too flimsy and arbitrary the school are fighting a losing battle. BTW, what parents would want to pay a fortune for such coats.... Are the parents making a kind of designer statement? Really?

canada goose jackets are cruel , and i havent seen anyone mention the fact that 2 animals are killed or plucked alive for fashion!

My son's high school had a strict uniform policy as there's strong evidence of uniforms increasing student's academic achievements, sense of belonging and the unified appearance, avoiding style competitions etc which included no hair dying or wacky cuts which immediately excluded students.
@Liketoshop Can we have a link to the strong evidence please!