School ties

[FarewellNoel]

DD's school (primary) are insisting all pupils, including those with SEN wear ties at all times in school. DD tells me their classroom is 'boiling' and that the thermometer on the teacher's desk suggested it was above 30 last week. Am I unreasonable to send her in without a tie when temps are predicted to be in excess of 25? Currently around a quarter of parents persistently send their child in without one, with another 10% or so not sending them in with one on hot days. The school is actively cracking down though and kids have been told off today for not wearing them.

When did we first start dictating that schoolgirls must wear male clothes on a daily basis - and be disciplined if they don't

Utter madness.

At ds's ex-secondary the girls don't have to wear ties, which obviously causes resentment among the boys. At least they don't have blazers. It is crazy though - but I think the general silliness about uniforms needs to be sorted out, not just this point. I don't disagree with uniforms in theory, but I think the rules should be simple and stop making a fuss about how big a heel is, for example! Also stop making parents buy expensive branded uniform when supermarket options will do.

She already wears a tie it's about been hot like all the other kids.

Our primary school just has polo shirts or normal shirts all year, no ties at all. Ties are stupid.

Surely most schools have a summer uniform? Like shorts, summer dresses etc.

Ours has the same top half all year around (polo or shirt without tie). Can wear shorts in the summer or summer dresses, but my DD refuses both. She will only wear trousers, no skirts, no dresses, no shorts.

I think school ties are an example of something easy we could ditch as a nation to help reduce our consumption and therefore carbon emissions. They are a ridiculous waste of resource.

In the 80s children with sensory issues were put in special school children from a poor home life were put into our local special school too special needs children were also locked up in the family home back in those days too we had a cousin somewhere with down syndrome we visited once she was forcibly removed and shut away from us my mother cried on the way home and we never visited again I would like to think society has moved on from this

BTW this was local policy not national before I get the inevitable pile on pretty much any child who acted out was removed from main stream and put in the special school to be "corrected" some came back some didn't

When did we first start dictating that schoolgirls must wear male clothes on a daily basis - and be disciplined if they don't

What nonsense. Why are ties "male" other than historically that's who wore them. Either ties for all, or ties for none/optional.
Personally I think uniform should be
Trousers/skirt/shorts and polo top/shirt.
Summer dress.
Jumper

No boys/girls. Let them wear the items they prefer. My friends DD hated skirts and dresses but wasn't allowed to wear shorts because they are 'boys uniform'. What a load of crap.

Sounds like my daughter's school 😬

Ties in primary school are utterly ridiculous.

I completely agree with that. I've always thought it very random getting girls to wear ties.

I completely agree, it has gone too far in many secondary schools and even some primaries by the sounds of it.

At my DD's primary they wear a polo shirt, school skirt/trousers etc and a jumper/cardigan. They have logoed polos and jumpers/cardigans but plain colour is also fine. Any sensible shoes can be worn (my DD wears trainers) and they don't make a fuss if someone slightly deviates from the official uniform - i e my DD had pink sparkly trainers when she started and she wears leggings sometimes. As long as the DC are in sensible clothes and shoes for their day it's fine. The school does very well academically and behaviour wise so personally I don't see what is wrong with a relaxed/flexible uniform policy.

Absolutely. This is why I can't stand the 'in my day we just gone on with it' well, yes you were able to, those that couldn't were excluded.

Sorry meant to say that is very sad about your cousin 💐

I would actively avoid a Primary school that has shirts and ties as a uniform. I don't like to see young children having to wear such formal uniform. The best learning is done when children are comfortable and Primary aged children should be up and about being active.

Thankfully our local Primary has comfortable but smart polo shirts all year round.

Our Secondary has shirts and ties for Autumn and Spring term but with the option of an open neck polo shirt in the summer. In hot weather blazers and ties can be removed.

Common sense really.

What nonsense. Why are ties "male" other than historically that's who wore them. Either ties for all, or ties for none/optional.
Personally I think uniform should be
Trousers/skirt/shorts and polo top/shirt.
Summer dress.
Jumper

Not just historically. How many women do you see nowadays wearing ties when dressed formally/in workwear? Of course, anybody is free to wear them, but they are not culturally female clothing in the UK. They look even more silly when a woman/girl has a big chest.

Why not tell the boys they have to wear the summer dresses too, explaining to them that it doesn't matter which sex historically/currently wears them? Good luck with that!

This, My DS cannot do up his top button. He simply can't. If you want a screaming meltdown with him ending up a vomiting wibbling mess rocking under a table then yes he can do it up.

Thank fuck the school understand this though.

Ties are completely unnecessary, I agree with simple comfy uniforms, but ties look and are silly for young children.

have not RTFT but: i think the UK obsession with ridiculous school uniforms is completely batshit.
Not allowed to take off blazers? Have to wear a tie? and all the rest.
Even our partners wander around in short sleeved open necked shirts in summer. And we are a horribly traditional company in so many ways.

I don't know any men who wear them either.
And if you look I didn't mention ties in my "I think uniform should be" list. Because I don't think anyone should have to wear them.
Unless dresses are compulsory for girls then it's not a direct comparison to say should they be compulsory for boys. I think they should be an option for both.

I don't know any men who wear them either.
And if you look I didn't mention ties in my "I think uniform should be" list. Because I don't think anyone should have to wear them.
Unless dresses are compulsory for girls then it's not a direct comparison to say should they be compulsory for boys. I think they should be an option for both.

Apologies, your comment sounded very much like it was saying that just as many females as males (or nobody at all) traditionally wear ties - and that it was nonsense to suggest that there is any difference.

I agree that far fewer men are wearing them now, but surely you've seen men in a formal setting (or newsreaders on TV) wearing them?

I agree that they should be got rid of - horrible unnecessary things - but I was referring to schools that have them as compulsory for both boys and girls, and was making a comparison as to what would happen if they made a traditionally female-only garment compulsory also for the boys.

They don't need to make such adjustments. In my school children with ASN can loosen the tie/ remove blazer in class. Their shirts can be as soft as they can find. Do you expect mainstream, secondary pupils to wear polo shirts?

I say this as mother to a child with ASD and ADHD.

Haha no. I just meant that because something was traditionally male it didn't mean women couldn't wear it.
But in the interests of fairness then if its compulsory for one it should be compulsory for all (sen excepted). So if girls have to wear skirts whether they like them or not, boys should also have to wear skirts.
Make it all optional (from a list, not no uniform at all) imo.

DS2 was checking the wording on his school uniform list recently because the girls can wear skirts but he can't wear shorts and it's hot. Sadly skirts were listed as "girls" uniform so he can't wear one. I told him to identify as a girl on hot days

I would adapt it. Sew the clip on tie to a piece of elastic - loose fitting.
DS has had a tie as part of his uniform since age 3. As long as the short sleeved shirt is overly big (so loose collar) and then the tie goes under the collar, it’s fine. He now has a proper tie- he cracked tying it himself quickly enough and can have it on loose. He doesn’t do the top button on his shirts.

Absolute madness to make anyone where a tie in hot temps.

Our schools we have a choice of shirt & tie or polo shirt (all year round). Additionally in the summer some of the girls wear gingham school dresses.

We are in Scotland and almost never get temps above 22C

Do you expect mainstream, secondary pupils to wear polo shirts?

Why wouldn't they? DS1s mainstream secondary had polo shirts.