Primary School closed bubble expected to wear school uniform at home for video calls

[BrainAyche]

YABU - they should wear school uniform at home for video calls
YANBU -let them wear their own (appropriate) clothes for home learning

My primary age child's school bubble has closed. They'll be having some video calls/lessons with school, and he's just told me they will have to wear uniform for the video meetings.
AIBU to think that is a bit daft? Unnecessary? OTT?

While I generally agree that uniform for schools is a good idea, for us personally, it is a faff and not having to nag my awkward child to put it on and hang it up every day would be a tiny perk to the challenging two weeks that is ahead of us.

AIBU to think stuff it, and let him wear what he wants?

And do they really think so little of the parents that we can't figure out what 'appropriate clothing' might mean?

@BrainAyche You'd be surprised what chumps some parents are. I had a meeting set up at school for early April. School actually rang me to tell me it was cancelled so not to come in. I said I had assumed in full lockdown that it would be cancelled for blindingly obvious reasons, and the secretary said she'd had to phone all parents with meetings arranged, as some parents had actually turned up at school expecting theirs to go ahead!

Some parents are not the sharpest knives in the drawer...

I wouldn't want to be that parent that made a fuss over that. But I'd just go with the top half and let your child wear whatever clothes they'd wear otherwise.

I wonder if in the countries where uniform is not required parents bring their children up to have more respect for teachers and value education. I know that is certainly the argument for Finland, where they have very relaxed rules but don’t seem to have the behaviour issues schools in the UK do.

@ineedaholidaynow

How hard is it to put a school jumper on a child, you could even put it over other clothes. Parents complain when schools don't provide work, they complain when schools do provide work. I wonder if other countries have this problem

A lot of those other countries (Germany, for example) do not have school uniform. So problem immediately solved.

Ignore this, OP. Just make sure that the children are sensibly dressed. They cannot enforce this and will look like interfering dicks if they try. If questioned then reply simply that it is your home so your rules on dress will apply.

First the school should be applauded for going through all the effort of setting this up, videos call are a great help.

Children would wear that uniform to go to class, they wear it to see their teacher, such a non issue.
It's a very good lesson teaching them not to be a slob on "official" video meeting. It's not hard to wear a top and the school jumper.

@CitizenFame

Yes, YABU. Unless you’re trying to teach your child that he can ignore rules so long as he feels they’re daft and “a faff”?

This.

A lot of those other countries (Germany, for example) do not have school uniform. So problem immediately solved.

they still have a dress code! A uniform is much easier and straightforward to deal with.

my dc go to a school without uniforms.
only rules are that the clothes must not have gig writing/logos or slogan on them and that the torso and bottom needs to be covered.

in reality this leads to a 'uniform' of jeans & jumper/t-shirt.

same rule for both sexes.

@HollywoodHandshake the 5 page dresscode i mentioned above is from a german school. Many teachers and kids would love a basic uniform instead of having to navigate the dresscode and the fashion parade...

@Topseyt I seem to remember a PP from Germany describing their remote learning they had in the summer term. It was full on and compulsory, no ifs or buts.

It just seems so sad there are many parents in this country who don't seem to value education in the same way. Already on this thread we have had parents complaining about having to wear a school jumper, how they won't be able to cope with a video call etc etc

My view is perhaps coloured by the fact my primary school aged child has to wear a shirt and proper tie and logo'd jumper everyday because the HT was on a fucking massive ego trip and noone stopped her basically unnecessarily fussy and uncomfortable clothing. Don't even get me started on how expensive school uniform excludes and creates debt spirals.

Anything that creates an additional barrier to participation should be avoided.

If our school insisted on this the camera would be staying off.

Children would wear that uniform to go to class, they wear it to see their teacher, such a non issue.
It's a very good lesson teaching them not to be a slob on "official" video meeting. It's not hard to wear a top and the school jumper.

My children are 7 and 9, they have many years to learn about appropriate dress and conduct on “official” video meetings. I’m not going to impose uniform on them at home. If school closes they won’t be at school, they will be at home and learning, wearing whatever they feel comfortable in. I’m working from home they see me and their dad dress appropriately - they have good conduct modelled at home, there’s nothing to be achieved by creating a false environment for them. It’s more important in my view that they see learning as an every day activity regardless of what they happen to be wearing.

Jellycatspyjamas

but you are happy to waste the school time?

What YOU think is appropriate is personal, it might or might not be. There are enough sad face of parents trying to push their kids to school with completely inappropriate version of the school uniform.

If EVERYBODY sticks with uniform, there's no need to waste time and energy discussing what is appropriate.

It's not a false environment, you are on a video call with teachers and school mates. When you finish the call, you can go back in your pjs if you really want to

It just seems so sad there are many parents in this country who don't seem to value education in the same way.

I value education. I have two children one with complex learning difficulties and had no support from school throughout lockdown. I also work so yes having both children on a live video lesson at the same time while working is pretty impractical if I also want to keep my job, especially given the support my DD needs to engage in online learning.

That’s doesn’t mean I don’t value education - the amount I’m paying in fees for specialist tutoring would attest to that. I don’t value abstract and arbitrary rules about how my children dress in their own home.

but you are happy to waste the school time?

In what way am I wasting the school time? If the school want to spend valuable time online addressing kids not wearing uniform that’s their choice, they could just accept that children are working in a home environment and teach them.

In fairness it’s a moot point for me because their HT would never be so small minded as to impose uniform, she’ll be glad to see the kids in lessons.

Jellycatspyjamas
you are wasting school time because the school has to address every parent like you who think they know best.... You are not special, if you think you are too good for uniforms, so are the other families.

It's exactly the same argument about uniform full stop. There always these parents moaning and ranting and wanting to leave their children express their "creativity" and free spirit. Choose another school.

There WILL be parents complaining about inappropriate behaviour, and it's not fair on the teacher to have to be confronted with them in the first place.

I have been in schools with, and schools without mandatory uniform as a child. So I DO know how it work...

I have to agree with @ineedaholidaynow . If or when DS has to revert to being schooled at home I'd be over the moon if a full days online teaching was the plan and absolutely fine with the uniform requirement as it will promote the environment of this time being for learning.

I find it really sad that people are carping about such a minor point. Sure let your DC wear what they want and switch off the camera, but bear in mind this school appears to be working very hard to provide a high quality home learning experience so perhaps it would be best to work with them and let them focus their time and effort on that.

Jellycatspyjamas
you are wasting school time because the school has to address every parent like you who think they know best.... You are not special, if you think you are too good for uniforms, so are the other families

I don’t think I’m too good for uniform - my children are appropriately dressed for school, they’re attendance is good and their behaviour excellent. I just don’t think the schools authority extends to my children in my home.

The school have no need to “address” anything with me, if they chose to pick this as a battle when they have so much else to deal with, that’s their choice. They could focus on teaching my child which is their actual role.

HollywoodHandshake the dress code for my children's large secondary school in Germany is one phrase: no offensive slogans. Thats all. There's nothing at all for the primary.

The children and teens wear jeans and a T shirt or jumper mostly. Clothing is never mentioned by teachers - I asked my 15 year old DD about it and she looked at me oddly and said pupil's clothing isn't anything to do with teachers, why would they talk about our clothes?

As a secondary school teacher in the UK until 15 years ago I witnessed vast amounts of teaching and learning time wasted on enforcing uniform rules. Poor children still get bullied - wrong shoes, second hand jumper, stained/ too small shirt. Any little thing that can be personal or modified (pencil case, shoes, bag, coat - how you wear your tie...) is under a microscope in UK secondary school the way it isn't in non uniform school here.

@BikeRunSki It’s so children don’t rock up in PJs!! why not? In lockdown my dc primary guidelines for zoom said pjs are fine. In one lesson a boy in year one was sat eating his breakfast in a vest and pj shorts.

The schools are wasting their own time if they choose to focus on what a child is wearing when at home, and if my dc's schools did this I would never again have any sympathy for them when they complained they were overworked. Creating your own totally unnecessary work is a choice.

I find it really sad that people are carping about such a minor point.
Indeed. Really sad that this is what schools find to be important at this time. Pathetic, in fact.

I don't think it is unreasonable for the school to set expectations of a 'home learning' school uniform, along the lines of

• jeans, joggers, leggings, skirt etc
• t-shirt
• school sweatshirt
• no pjs, dressing up clothes etc

Full uniform seems OTT though.

absolutely fine with the uniform requirement as it will promote the environment of this time being for learning.
@rookiemere how ridiculous so your child can’t stuffy at home, comfortable in joggers and a hoody?

I'm amazed schools were saying pjs were fine, with my safeguarding hat on I would be questioning that.

The other thing is that last term many schools were muddling through lockdown, there were no standards, curriculum was suspended, they did what they could. Families muddled through too. This term schools have been told they need to carry on teaching the curriculum whether bubbles burst, schools close.It must be pretty much business as usual. So they will be adopting a more structured process and so I assume they will want families to do that as much as possible too.

I would have zero problem with this. At least he won’t have to scrabble around looking for clothes Undies, jeans or trackies, tshirt, it's not difficult. My 14 year old has never had a problem dressing himself on weekends, holidays, mufti days, even when he was 4.

The school/home thing I don't get as many children wear uniform after school, mine just removes tie and blazer.