To think school uniform has had its day

[Grumpybutfunny]

Okay I'm northern like this poor kid, tho not that close to the Scottish border. Is it unreasonable to say, when schools start saying kids should wear an inappropriate coats, just because it is school uniform that its time for parents to fight back.

I've left for work at 7:30 and it has been minus 2-3 all week. When I'm scraping ice off the car, a kid shouldn't be walking to school in a summer fleece with a rain jacket over the top. I've been freezing in my duvet coat.

Uniforms were a great leveller, but in the age of social media they still see what kids are wearing outside of school or what car the parent does the school run in. Surely what's more important is that they are comfortable and warm.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/jesmond-park-academys-uniform-policy-26016890

I honestly think most schools only insist on a uniform to cream off a percentage of costs. Its disgraceful.

My local high school has done that too and without exception every kid is in the uniform-absolute victory for common sense and a win for the school with all the kids wearing the uniform

What child is going to want to wear a logo coat on the weekend or in holidays? Unreasonable for parents to have to buy two coats.

My daughter is year 8 secondary school and attends a school in London were they wear uniform and I agree with the uniform policy.

However she can wear any coat she wishes as long as it is black to travel to and from school and she can wear a pair of wellies if she wants and a balaclava as long as she removes it before entering the school but it must be black .😬

My DS's school was failing, so they introduced a stricter uniform policy because that was the answer apparently.

This sums it up for me.

They are a great idea if done well. I went to an outstanding grammar and the winter uniform was a logoed sweatshirt, trousers and coat in school colour. Easy, smart enough, and warm. The kids from the high school near us now have hideous nylon blazers which look cheap and cold

Our uniform is a black logo hoodie and black bottoms joggers jeans, cargos or skirt and tights. All black shoes and any hair or piercings. It is 14-19 years though

I must be from an alternate dimension because its the exact opposite where we are. Big puffy coats even in the height of summer. It's the mans not hot phenomenon.

It’s been Freezing here in London and my daughter has been wearing her blazer and a big coat for school.

Most teens here seem to wear coats.

so you haven't even bothered to read the article then?
Why bother replying?

This made me proper laugh. 😂 On the more serious side, I can remember 30 odd years ago, my driving instructor bemoaning that kids have to wear dark coloured coats as part of uniform so that they are not easily seen going to school on dark mornings etc. My dd has grown up abroad with no uniforms. The kids all wear hoodies and jeans - a kind of self imposed uniform if you like. All the advantages and disadvantages - meh! It's not made the slightest bit of difference imho. Some people have more expensive trainers than others?

My daughter would not wear a proper winter coat because there are no cloakrooms or lockers at her newly built school and she would have to carry it around all day.

When did blazers become a thing anyway? We didn't have them when I was in secondary.
I was at school from 1983 to 1997. Wore a blazer from age 8 when we moved house and I started a new primary. In 1993 I was in what is now year 9. At my school boys had to wear the blazer all the way to the end of year 11 but girls only in the lower school (till year 9). All the girls were given a vote on whether to abolish the blazer altogether, bring the boys back to us so only compulsory to yr9 or make it compulsory for everyone all the way through. Overwhelming vote for making it compulsory. All at a bog standard comp.

I wished the school I moved to for 6th form had a uniform. It was anything goes. Uniform was so much easier.

My secondary school never had blazers either but my daughters secondary does and to be honest with you it looks smart and she even likes it.🤣

Yabu. School uniform is essential. I saw the Jesmond Park thing. You can easily wear thermals under that with gloves, hat and scarves.

Why do people on here think that living near the Scottish border are akin to Siberia? I actually grew up in REAL Scotland and guess what it's mainly wet and windy rather than frozen. Usually less than 5 degrees colder in winter than the south of England. It's summer that's rotten!

We had to wear a wool blazer to school from primary 1 - sixth year. We were never allowed a coat. We had a jumper and a scarf too (both school issued). Uniform was part of discipline in school. It created order and equality. It was always available second hand.

They guy in jesmond paid £200 + for a north face coat. How does it feel to poor pupils seeing him coming in in that? I don't get the argument tgst wearing whatever you want is fairer because it exposes inequalities between pupils. Also school uniform is generally cheap and neans you don't have to buy so many non school clothes. The boy also Had strep throat , very common throat infection. What's his school coat fit to do with it? It's bacterial!

Agree.

Just like uniform in general.

I've never understood the argument that it's supposed to save you money. It doesn't! It means you buy two lots of clothes. One of which is just so your child can access education.

If uniform is necessary schools should provide it.

From the comments it seems the school has form for being ridiculous and inflexible. They put a chemo patient in isolation for having a shaved head!

Mine were the same!

To me it is not uniform that is the issue but rules around it. Some schools these days are over the top.

My state grammar in the nineties had a reasonable policy - navy skirt, navy jumper and white blouse. Only the tie had to come from a uniform shop, everything else could be got from supermarkets or the PTA second hand sales.

Shoes just had to be black and flat. I mainly wore lace up DM shoes. Over coats could be any style but a "dark plain colour" preferably black or navy.

It always makes me chuckle when schools say that uniform is part of the discipline and order in a school. In nigh on twenty years working (peripatetic so in an out of 5 different schools each week) in schools the ones with the most formal and expensive uniforms were very often the least disciplined schools. The discipline atmosphere in a school is entirely set by the SLT, not uniform.

Since covid DDs school has had a uniform of black or navy trousers or skirt (no jeans as they’re a pain when wet, but school trousers, joggers or thick leggings), a white or red shirt or polo shirt and a black, navy or red cardigan/jumper/hoodie. The HT has said she intends making that the new full time policy as it has saved time and energy on dealing with kids wearing the wrong thing, speaking to parents, there’s less conflict and a more relaxed atmosphere and more children are happier coming to school. Test results this year have backed her up.

Sone parents aren’t happy with it, but given that the local “you must wear this expensive uniform only available in one shop that’s open for about 20 mins a week” school has just absolutely tanked its inspection I suspect they’ll all come round to it.

Extending school uniform to coats is stupid and expensive for parents. Our school initially said that coats had to be black. At the time, both DCs winter coats were not black and in perfectly wearable condition- why should parents have to pay out for another coat just for school, especially when most people only have one winter coat anyway?
They've either relaxed it or DCs have chosen black now they've grown out of the others, I don't know which. They rarely wear them anyway!

I think school uniform is a good thing, although DD’s school is very relaxed about it and there is no insistence on logos etc. So it’s pretty cheap and straightforward for us.

I don’t think it should include coats though.

This made me laugh. We used to wear ballet flats and mini skirts back when I was at school. It certainly wasn’t the school making us wear them, we could have had nice sensible trousers and sturdy shoes from Clark’s but we thought we knew better 😂