Being expected to wear blazers today

[AskMeMore]

DDs school have said they still have to wear blazers to school today. It is very hot here. I have just told her to take it off if she wants to. No way am I indulging the school in this level of ridiculousness.

Alloalloallo surely schools have no say on whether students are wearing blazers/uniform out of school? Maybe they could say "blazer on!, "tie on!" as they leave or arrive but beyond the school gates they're damned unreasonable and it's unenforceable.

So Ds1s secondary has just sent an email stating NO blazer or tie required for the rest of the week, to be reviewed on Friday going forward.

No all secondaries are awful about it.

Exactly, offices have become much more casual in the last 15 years.

Maybe not as casual as flip-flops and beach wear but ties are no longer required for men.
I actually think part of it has been driven by women in more casual tops.

We had a Facebook post today saying no need for blazers, BUT tied must be worn and shirts tucked in...

Dd's school, no A/C and they expect them to wear jumpers, no blazers here. I'm glad she's off for study leave doing A levels. She said one kid fainted in the gym doing exams from the heat.
All this rubbish about being smart getting ready for work is tosh. Unless they are all going to be undertakers, I've not seen any business people in suits in ages.

@ReliantRobyn I visit and deal with dozens of companies every month as part of my work. Not one of them requires a suit and tie. Even MNers who work in professional services in the City are saying it's much more relaxed now.

Most places wouldn't want you to come in a track suit (though many wouldn't care) but imho "business attire" is dead in the water. Smart casual is 100% the norm now.

In my experience this trend started 10-15 years ago and was massively precipitated by COVID. I'd love to see s asales graph for tie sales over the last 10 years

Daft. DD2 wears hers (though they don't have to at the moment) as she likes putting everything in the pockets and leaving her bag in the locker as much as possible. But even she might have to give in to using her bag soon.

When I was at 2ndry school blazers were wool/felt & for outdoor use only!

If it was too cold for a blazer you were in a dufflecoat!

We had an email before school reminding us of ‘uniform rules’. Blazers and tie must be worn at all times, if given specific permission for them to be removed in a lesson for some reason, they must be put back on to walk between classes and for break/lunch times.

No air-con, 1950’s/60’s building with poor ventilation and massive windows.

Dd’s friend was given a detention yesterday for complaining to a male teacher who was wearing an open necked, short-sleeved shirt, when he told her to put her blazer back on in the corridor. The girl concerned has a medical condition and has fainted multiple times at school recently.

According to dd, all the staff are in lightweight, open necked clothing with short sleeves, whilst punishing any pupil that dares to try and cool themselves down. If dd gets a detention I will be challenging it and telling her not to go to it.

Oh and the school rules dictate ‘full uniform, including blazer and tie’ to be worn at all times on the walk to and from school, as they are representing the school!

Dd ended up quite ill from the heat yesterday. She normally walks to and from school, but dh had to go and fetch her and I am picking up dd and a couple of her friends today as well.

The only time I have known school relent was one day when the temperature reached 34 degrees and even then they had to put it all back on to walk between lessons, when hundreds of pupils are crushed into the corridors at once. It’s madness.

Our local secondary love blazers in all weathers and they can only be taken off if permission is given by a teacher then must be put back on to go to the next lesson. No air con. In this case it's definitely done as a power play move to let the children know their place.
Amazingly I can't think of a time when I ever had to ask whilst working to take off a suit jacket.

Have you formally complained to the headteacher and then the governors,@CaveCanem ?

Isn't it time parents banded together and insist that all teachers wear similar clothes to the uniform? all in jackets, everyone in a tie (women included) no trainers etc?

Most work places need smart attire. Give your head a wobble.

Most work places (offices etc) also have aircon. Most schools don't. Making children overheat in layers of polyester in > 25C because "business" is at best negligent.

Careful you don't spray everyone with your sweat whilst you wobble your head.

DH works in the tech sector. He has high level meetings all the time with gov officials and multi national companies.

One of the highest earning people I know never wore shoes in meetings.

It's just baffling, and I find that income generally correlates very badly with lack of clothing choices. Swish, upmarket firms generally have a "dress for your diary" policy, and a pay well enough that their staff wear lovely, classy, fashionable but COMFORTABLE clothes.

I still have a grudge against a former boss who made me "up my game" into nasty, Apprentice style business wear to meet a huge new corporate partner. All their top dogs were in smart cami tops and sandals FFS. I couldn't take my jacket off because I'd sweated right through my dress.

Wouldn't it make more sense for parents to band together and insist on sensible summer uniforms for secondary school pupils?

"Undertakers" 😁

Don’t schools still have summer dresses for girls? Much cooler although it’s another thing to buy!

Why are you and other parents meekly accepting this? It's pathetic. You're their mum ffs. Be a mum and stand up to them!

Teachers say that school uniform keeps kids in line, but all it did when I was at school was make me resent the rules because I saw them as illogical.

I think it makes kids more intolerant at following orders, not better.

Dd’s friend was given a detention yesterday for complaining to a male teacher who was wearing an open necked, short-sleeved shirt, when he told her to put her blazer back on in the corridor. The girl concerned has a medical condition and has fainted multiple times at school recently.

@CaveCanem, I hope friend's parent has entered a formal complaint about this blatant breach of basic safeguarding requirements?

oh yes, the time we were setting up stands for an exhibition and helping the people building the stands as a last minute emergency thing, but our boss knew the head honcho of the huge massive enormous richest man in the world type company was coming by to have a look and made us all wear skirt suits. For climbing up ladders etc. And the fucker turned up in cargo shorts and a ripped t-shirt and flip flops because it was a hot day.

And asked us why we were cosplaying as air hostesses.

Surely a blazer is worse than useless in case of rain!

I visit a number of offices for work purposes and universally I find people wear smart casual. In this weather, women are mainly wearing short sleeved dresses or shirts, and men likewise are generally in short-sleeved shirts. And absolutely nowhere demands that people wear blazers or jackets till they have permission to take them off.

I think you're way out of date, @ReliantRobyn

They are wearing pe kits here, shorts or skorts and t shirts

Suits are quite "low status"* in the City now.
Far more likely to see a full suit and tie on the concierge at reception, the security guard or a junior salesperson visiting with their wares than on the head of a department in a big corporate/bank now. Bosses are in expensive chinos and linen shirts or polo shirts here today. Plain trainers or maybe boat shoes. And we have excellent air con.

I fail to see how being forced to wear a blazer helps your pupils gain good jobs. It might prepare you for the army with strict inflexible rules and a requirement not think for yourself?

*I don't hold the view personally about status of these jobs.