To wonder what this school was thinking?

[stillreallytired]

student is forbidden to wear a hat despite suffering hair loss

Is it just me or is this taking uniform rules far too literally?

School uniform is such a crock of shit! Such a waste of time and energy across the country. Imagine if all that money and was put towards workbooks. Typical scenario in any school- kids wearing £200 of scratchy unsustainable clothes sharing books

Couldn’t agree more.

I’m sure it wasn’t individual teachers and I’d just like to make it clear I wasn’t criticising them.

Fairly telling that one of the posters on here that agreed with the school hadn't even read the article 🙄

Am glad theyve seen sense. I don't know much about this girls illness, but I hope brighter times are ahead for her.

Rules getting in the way of common sense and compassion.

I went to a secondary school with a distinctive (hideous!) expensive uniform and lots of petty rules about it, one of the reasons why I'm generally against the idea of uniform now. But even there, decades ago when I attended, the two girls who were ill and lost their hair were allowed to wear baseball caps or any other kind of hats they wanted.

Have schools gone backwards in their dealing with a child with a disability or medical issue?

When I was at school, same age as this child, there was a girl in my year with alopecia. She wore a hat to school all the time. And we had a strict uniform. Yes, she stood out. But we all knew what the problem was and, my God, she was defended against any comments by her peers! She chose what she was comfortable with, what she knew worked for her.

If a cap and hoodie work for this child I can't see the problem. She shouldn't have to try to work with a scarf, wig or any other item of head covering. She wears a cap and hoodie at home, she feels comfortable in them, she knows they cover what she needs to cover and that's all the school had to know. 'In discussion'? What a crock of shite.

The other thing that bothers me about this school (though not confirmed) is that in the first article it was stated, twice (once by a parent) 'Nikki-dawn Lindley, whose son joined the protest, added: “The kids have gone wearing hats and the school has refused to let them in and closed the gates not informing any parents just sent out a msg saying your child has not registered.'

So they locked year 9 kids out of school...a major safeguarding issue and, if I were a parent (whether my child was involved or not), I'd want an explanation from both the head teacher and the safeguarding lead. Because the safeguarding lead was obviously not doing their job properly in allowing kids to be stopped from entering school without parents being aware or asked to pick their child up. God forbid something had happened to a child.

I'm glad she got her needs met but it shouldn't have come to this. If my old school could sort this kind of medical need out, 44 years ago, a school with all their SEN/Safeguarding/disability discrimination legislation now should never have let it come to a press intervention.

Poor girl, I'm glad the school changed their mind in the end. My brother's hair fell out when he was in school, and school allowed him to wear a bandana (I was a horrid little sister though and kept pulling it off, feel bad now!) and another boy wore a cap because of cancer related hair loss.

Weirdly my school actually had a hoody as part of its uniform. Think I was the only one that wore it though, everyone else wore the jumper option.

I agree the school was wrong , incredibly so. You can see the sort of attitude though, when a PP is more concerned about "scruffiness" than a child's wellbeing. That's the right priorities right there

I have to say when I read the article it was wonderful to see her peers lobbying for her and standing up for her. Sometimes the younger generation show their adults up in the most heartwarming ways. It filled me with a lot of hope for the next generation.

They shouldn't have had to do it , it's a ridiculous response from the school.

I have to say when I read the article it was wonderful to see her peers lobbying for her and standing up for her. Sometimes the younger generation show their adults up in the most heartwarming ways. It filled me with a lot of hope for the next generation

Agreed. In the scheme of things its an incredibly easy fix with zero conflict of rights/interest.

If they make this much of a mountain out of the molehill what the hell do they do where there's a huge clash of needs they have to try and manage.

I’m so tired of wanky school uniform policies in the U.K. Most of Europe, the USA etc manages perfectly well without them at all. It’s just ridiculous and this proves how little common sense a lot of schools have.

That's awful. There's a student at the school where I work who has lost hair to chemotherapy and we've all been told quite specifically that we are not to ask him to remove his hat. It's not hard to be considerate!

Well done to the other pupils for supporting her. I would be embarrassed if I worked at that school ( and yes as a former teacher I know it would be a wanky management decision).

@LondonJax

Have schools gone backwards in their dealing with a child with a disability or medical issue?

When I was at school, same age as this child, there was a girl in my year with alopecia. She wore a hat to school all the time. And we had a strict uniform. Yes, she stood out. But we all knew what the problem was and, my God, she was defended against any comments by her peers! She chose what she was comfortable with, what she knew worked for her.

If a cap and hoodie work for this child I can't see the problem. She shouldn't have to try to work with a scarf, wig or any other item of head covering. She wears a cap and hoodie at home, she feels comfortable in them, she knows they cover what she needs to cover and that's all the school had to know. 'In discussion'? What a crock of shite.

The other thing that bothers me about this school (though not confirmed) is that in the first article it was stated, twice (once by a parent) 'Nikki-dawn Lindley, whose son joined the protest, added: “The kids have gone wearing hats and the school has refused to let them in and closed the gates not informing any parents just sent out a msg saying your child has not registered.'

So they locked year 9 kids out of school...a major safeguarding issue and, if I were a parent (whether my child was involved or not), I'd want an explanation from both the head teacher and the safeguarding lead. Because the safeguarding lead was obviously not doing their job properly in allowing kids to be stopped from entering school without parents being aware or asked to pick their child up. God forbid something had happened to a child.

I'm glad she got her needs met but it shouldn't have come to this. If my old school could sort this kind of medical need out, 44 years ago, a school with all their SEN/Safeguarding/disability discrimination legislation now should never have let it come to a press intervention.

As a parent of two children with both SN and SEN who have been in both Scottish and English Primary and Secondary Schools I would say that YES, Schools have 'gone backward' hugely on SN / SEN issues.

There is a great deal of 'window dressing' about such issues and very little is accomplished. What could have been done as 'common sense' in the 1970's/80's/90's is not 'not allowed / possible'. It wasn't always done of course, but sometimes common sense prevailed whereas there is now a whole host of things a lazy school can point to as reasons why they 'can't' (not always financial either).

The initial ruling here has nothing to do with Education (after a year of almost no proper school for many kids) and everything to do with bullying (on the part of the School).

Absolutely disgusting. I hope the ensuing publicity makes them extremely uncomfortable.

@52andblue - agreed (sadly)

Clowne by name Clownes by nature

I assume they allow head coverings for cultural reasons so how is a medical condition any less important? I could maybe see where they're coming from if the reason is that baseball caps and hoodies don't look smart, but the child needs to be offered a suitable alternative.

I'm glad they've backtracked and the girl now feels more comfortable at school.

Pleased to hear about the other kids standing up for her, they should all go to school wearing hats until the school allows her to wear one. Hair loss is a big deal, hair is a huge part of a person’s identity and she’s also struggling with chronic pain- poor girl.

@BetterThanKleenex

My friend's son had terminal cancer and wasn't allowed to wear a wig/hat at school. Absolutely atrocious. He had to leave the school because of it and spent his last months at home, instead of at school where he was happy. These uniform rules are so stupid and incredibly ableist.

Fucking hell, this is heartbreaking

Poor girl!

There should have been no need at all for protracted "discussions" about this. The school should have been perfectly capable of making this reasonable adjustment in seconds instead of making a big song and dance about it.

This is the sort of thing that really turns me against school uniform, which I used to be much in favour of (less so now). It is the application of rules for the sake of it, with no no corresponding application of empathy or common sense.

This episode has reflected poorly on the management of this school, which I am sure is very frustrating for its other more reasonable members of staff.

@Hallyup6

I assume they allow head coverings for cultural reasons so how is a medical condition any less important? I could maybe see where they're coming from if the reason is that baseball caps and hoodies don't look smart, but the child needs to be offered a suitable alternative.

I'm glad they've backtracked and the girl now feels more comfortable at school.

I doubt if cultural reasons are very much of an issue at that school. (Obviously I can't swear that there isn't a single Muslim girl at the school but I used to live in that village.)

@TheKeatingFive

School uniform is such a crock of shit! Such a waste of time and energy across the country. Imagine if all that money and was put towards workbooks. Typical scenario in any school- kids wearing £200 of scratchy unsustainable clothes sharing books

Couldn’t agree more.

Totally agree. So many stupid policies and school staff spending too much time policing the uniform.

I looked at my old secondary school last week which had a reasonable uniform when I was there. Not any more. Compulsory this, compulsory that, and all to be bought from one store. And it's a state school. It makes me very cross. I support uniforms, but make them simple and easy and cost-effective to buy.

And the lack of compassion for this poor girl was unbelieveable.

@Thatisnotwhatisaid

Pleased to hear about the other kids standing up for her, they should all go to school wearing hats until the school allows her to wear one. Hair loss is a big deal, hair is a huge part of a person’s identity and she’s also struggling with chronic pain- poor girl.

I was very impressed that the other kids stood up for her. I don't think they would have in my school!

Ah, blind rule application and lack of understanding...some schools are very good at this...fortunately teenagers are very good at protesting and being stubborn.

@Latelatelate

All these stupid school uniform rules that apparently improve learning eventually all seem to prevent children who want to learn despite suffering other difficulties from doing just that.

Would you get rid of all uniforms everywhere or just in school?

I'd get rid of the very rigid uniform of shirt tie and blazer in school.

I'd have a infirm more reflective if the rules of uniforms we see worn in every day life.

So polo t shirt and a choice of jumper/fleece.

My bank uniform is choice of trouser and shirt/t shirt , skirt and shirt/t shirt etc.

I have never seen a uniform requirement in any job that's close enough to school uniform to argue that school uniform is necessary to teach pupils how to wear it.

I'm very pro mental health and hate that whatever shape and size you are as you mature through puberty you have 1 style of clothing you are forced to wear for 7-8 hours a day 5 days a week because it apparently helps you learn. I don't agree. I think kids learn better when they feel comfortable and also good about themselves.

I'm not totally anti uniform or the idea of collective identify - just the way this has gone too far and is becoming unrealistic, unrelenting and oppressive.

@RaiseTheBeastie

But any other sort of hat is still going to make her stand out amongst her peers. Would a beanie or a scarf be any better? How does wearing a cap affect any pupil's ability to learn?

How would wearing trainers affect the ability to learn? But most schools don't allow them as part of uniform because they're not smart enough.

A number of other head coverings - scarf, bandanna, wig, beanie, combo of those - would imo be smarter.

She's a very ill child FFS. Not quite the same as some kid arguing they should be allowed to wear trainers.