Power dressing in school?

[Smilegrumpypants]

I'm a teacher. We've recently had a change in leadership and the head has made a lot of changes including a strict dress code.
I've always dressed smartly in dresses and skirts but teamed with cardigans. My outfits are always pressed and clean and I wear minimal jewellery.
A middle leadership role has recently come up and I am keen to apply for it. After a meeting this week the head asked to speak to me. She said that she would welcome my application but I should consider changing my outfits to include blazers and tailored jackets and trousers. That she felt cardigans and flat shoes (!) aren't appropriate in senior roles and I would be taken more seriously.
She often says odd things (don't get me started, whole other thread) but as this new role doesn't include an increase in pay and still includes a full teaching schedule, I am reluctant to invest in clothes that I won't suit or enjoy wearing. I've never been told I've been dressing inappropriately before.
This is all coming from the head that wears fishnets and leather tunics.
Advice please, thank you!

Thanks for all your responses.
I shall probably do the jacket thing (if I can find one that doesn't make me look too rediculous.) I won't be wearing heels, I like running round the playground at break too much.
The head is odd. Some of the men have been asked to wear ties. The suggestion was nixed as we work with children who have diverse behavioural needs.
She has banned tattoos and one guy used to wear linen trousers, they are no more.
We also are not allowed to wear 3/4 length trousers although it hasn't been explained why.
I want the job as I think I would be really good at it. I was going to barter for a higher wage during the interview process. She is standing firm on no tlrs.

Should read: banned tattoos from being visible (I have none.)

i’m a teacher at a primary school and it’s amazing to see how differently the female teachers dress! i tend to wear dresses, tights, and ankle boots. one of the year six teachers wears tracksuit bottoms with a plain long sleeved tshirt and pumps. one of the newly qualified teachers wears those cropped wide legged trousers and a cami too no matter the weather. the only person i ever see in heels and blazers is the school secretary!

Try and look on it as an easy way to convince her you can do that job. After all, if it's only clothes, it's not like you've got a boss who ignores fancy suits and focuses upon actual ability and results.

I found people like that are surprisingly easy to keep happy - you provide them with stuff that looks good - attractive displays, colour graphs, spreadsheets with subtle colours for each section, full colour resources and they tend to go 'oh, lovely!' and not actually get around to dissecting the content.

I had loads of grief about Appropriate Clothing from one head. I was told I must wear 'clothing and footwear commensurate and reflective of the professional position you hold within the school'. Cool. I'm a lighting and sound engineering professional when I'm not providing instrumental tuition. I've worn full blacks and steel toecaps rather than skirts and cardigans ever since.

Oh the first day I did this, I was nearly coralled and bollocked for it, but I cut the Head off at the pass by smiling and saying I'd love to stop, but the foldback chain was picking up a 50Hertz buzz from an inevitable ground loop and, although I'd tried using a couple of TR bundles, it wasn't long enough between numbers 2 and 3 on the chain and I therefore had to run a second TR to XLR from Aux 2 on the main board rather than the sub into the multicore snake to come out of number 37 and then XLR it so that there was a balanced signal going into the back of monitor two and then slave that with another shielded bundle because I couldn't use the passives, as they were needed for the main mix stack coming out of the Yamahas with Speakon and the longer Tip and Ring was going into the Stagepas. All before 10.30.

I also make really good posters.

She left me alone.

I find it quite ironic that everyone is saying that teachers should dress how they feel comfy and there is nothing wrong with cardigans etc. Well I actually think that 100% - but the irony is most school children are expected to wear uncomfortable and inpractical expensive crap to school. (although the OP said it's a sen school so her school may be different).
I so wish schools would worry more about education than what people wear.

I'm in a management role in secondary, and I vary from sparkly doc martens and purple tights to irregular choice heels and black skinny jeans. Some one saying this to me would infuriate me, as how could this possibly apply to a male teacher? I LIVE in cardigans, can you even teach properly without one??

Onestepsdewys I am interested in your views - do you work in a school or corporate setting? Are you manage,net and do you encourage your female employees to follow the dress code set out in your message?

I find the advice in manicures, make up and edgy haircuts quite unusual for this day and age - and even if I agreed with it I would never try to enforce it in my office as I would be slapped with a discrimination complaint (and ridicule from my peers and bosses).

I’m at the Bar and wear wig and gown and bands so not sure mympersoective is working correctly on this one but I was quite outraged when I read what she had said !
Is it some kind of role where meetings with governors/managers will be regular or similar ? Not going to comment on your
Description of her clothes as that would be hypocritical in this thread.
Good luck. Sorry you are having to deal with that on top of a very stressful job.

I remain amazed that people believe cardigans are not smart enough for work wear.

My colleagues in corporate finance regularly wear cardigans over dresses - and the teachers at my daughters school do too. I have never considered it sloppy!

Well I agree with everyone else that its ridiculous that you need to wear a blazer etc to apply for the more senior role when you always dress smartly/professionally. But then I also think its ridiculous that teens and younger children have to wear blazers and ties even in the boiling sun.

I'm a governor at a primary school and a query has been raised by a parent of a child with sn about the shirt/tie rule asking had we considered a polo shirt instead. Its the teachers (SLT) who have vetoed the gvrs even considering it because apparently the uncomfortable but smart uniform (that not even business people really wear these days and you certainly don't think you should have to wear) promotes good behaviour. Gove's influence is alive and kicking in our primary schools.

If you do ever get to the upper echelons of middle mgt or further in your blazers and high heels have a thought for what you might be imposing on your students.

I am obsessed by the cardigan commerts!! One last picture I promise

@mumoftwinsandother relax!
You don't know for "certain" what I think, so please don't assume.
We don't enforce a strict school uniform code for students due to sensory issues. I'm not sure if you misread my original post? No need for me to spare a thought for the children I'm already thinking about.

. Love the card pics!!!

*cardi

She wouldn't be impressed with me then - I wear trousers, cardigans and flat shoes. I'm the Head! I'm more interested in what you do and your relationships with children and others. Shallow woman 🤦‍♀️

Where did the last four decades go? You can't be instructed to wear heels. Can you even imagine the furore if a Male HT told female staff to wear heels? So is it somehow acceptable if a woman makes this rule? It's reasonable not to have double standards when it comes to male and female staff but that means equivalence, not identical dress codes.

Did I miss something or did you say you worked in an SEN school?

High heels and blazers have no place in any school let alone one where the kids have sensory/contience/mess issues. And I say this as a parent of a child with SEN. You should be wearing clothes that can be thrown in the wash at the end of the day. You should be wearing shoes that enable you to chase kids across the playground.

Pay lip service to your head's idiotic ways, get promoted and then work towards changing her ludicrous ideas. I mean ffs, really?

If it was1st April I would have thought that this was an April Fools day post.
What sort of head wears fishnets and leather tunics when there is a strict dress code in place?
That said throughout the whole of my time at secondary school there was a fabulous perfectly coiffed classroom teacher who wore stilettos and a different just above the knee pencil skirted suit everyday of the week. She also drove a sports car with a personalised number plate and we all, even the boys, considered her to be the height of glamour and sophistication

Wholeheartedly agree with PPs about the flat shoes thing - I was pulled up on this in my first professional position after getting my degree. My boss awkwardly mentioned that I should bring heels in to a client meeting (I always wore flat black shoes to work. They were definitely business attire) I laughed and said they hurt my back. His response was that flat shoes were a sign to clients that I wasn't "trying hard enough to make a good impression".

I went out and bought myself a pair of very masculine looking leather brogues. They looked very similar to my boss's shoes. It felt like a triumph at the time. He wasn't pleased and made my life quite difficult after that.

I wirk in an additional support needs department in primary, your head would hate me, i am a jumper jeans/trousers and trainers person. I often have to run after runners, support where behviours are involved, deal with bodily fluids, move around the floor, and my movements skills in story telling can only be surpassed by the fact my trousers keep trying to fall down.
I am there to do a job, my job is to work with my kids, build relationships, get down to whatever level they need me on and to support them to achieve and do the best they can. Impressing parents and management are so far down my list that they never surface day to day.
Your head is an arse! So your heals mean you can't move as fast or pivot as well, your center of gravity is off, but hey the poor child you are supporting in their walker doesn't need you to dash and grab, the child on the floor always wanted a hole in their hand from your heel. Also your lovely fitted blazer relly suited the blob of medication or blended food attatched daily.
Op do what ypu need to do but ypur daily attire sounds perfect for your roll.

I think dressing more smartly is a good thing (blazers etc as cardigans can be fuddy -duddy) BUT I would be outraged at being asked to wear heels. Uncomfortable devil contraptions for women.

Heels should NEVER be required as they can be a health hazard. I've got bad blisters from the admittedly cute heels (irregular choice) I wore on Thursday, and am hoping they heal enough by Monday to put proper shoes on. If you have to play the game, a blazer should be enough.

If the head has tipped you off with what they feel is appropriate dress code I would adhere to it.

There are times to rebel and question, when someone has access to what you want then is not the time.

Buy an outfit for the purpose.

I work for a large corporate - stretchy dress, tights and ankle boots for me is dressing up for the informal 'management' dress code. I wore this level of dress for my most recent internal interview.

I would never ever wear heels to work, SPD affected my pelvis forever and I'd be in absolute agony. Blazers well meh they look shit on me tbh but if I had to then okay.

I am really quite baffled though that this HT is expecting you to buy a whole new wardrobe for the priviledge of doing more work for no more money? Is there actually competition for this appealing-sounding 'middle-management' role? Maybe look at different schools who pay TLRs and just get a single blazer for interviews.

I'm still stuck on fishnets and leather tunics...

@teateaandmoretea they are interviewing 4 of us so I think there has been a fair bit of interest.
Whilst I will play the game, it bothered me that wearing a blazer and heels was deemed appropriate attire to teach children and still seem approchable.
About the the fishnets and leather tunic. She wears it artfully but I do raise an eyebrow when I see that outfit. It doesn't break the staff dress code (but she breaks it anyway when she adds a scarf!)