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.

well yes - would that wash?
Wouldn't you like at least one term of the batshit head seeing what it does to people that can talk back? (yes, i am petty and vindictive. sue me)

Lots of schools don't even have places for kids to hang jackets up. And jackets on top of blazers just isn't that comfortable.

In 500 years people will dig polyester never disintegrate blazers out of landfill sites and think WTF? 🤔

I don't want to be that poster but what did the school say when you phoned to ask for the reasoning behind this?

Complaining on here isn't the only thing you've done is it?

Yes I and many other parents have complained every year, but have been met by a flat out refusal to change school policy. The Head is notorious and it’s been escalated to governors but, knowing them, they’ll drag it out across the summer. Hence a lot of parents like me telling their dc to take their blazers off and they will deal with school if a detention is issued for it.

… and yes, the girl with the medical condition’s parents have made a formal complaint.

It was a bit of a leap for some posters to assume we aren’t fighting it.

Yeah, I don't know what decade that poster is living in.

This sort of bullshit is the sort of thing that turned me from being very pro school uniform to being anti. So many schools just enforce it for the sake of it, and to ridiculous levels.

I work for one of the big corporate Daddies- the formal business wear policy was binned in 2009

I was rather fuming at pick up today as ds’s class were all forced to wear their blazers but the other classes were not. It was 29 degree and they were sweating and looking very uncomfortable. Meanwhile his teacher is swanning around in a big flowy dress. It’s utterly ridiculous.

Mine don't have to wear them but do have to take them with them! It's like some mad power trip! And I say that someone who also works in education and whose default is to want to support school. No letting boys wear smart shorts is another one.

Me too. Also creates conflict with pupils for classroom teachers who quite probably disagree yet have to enforce stupid rules.

As someone in primary education, this is possibly one of the things about secondary that riles me up the most.

We spend years teaching children to use their common sense to dress themselves appropriately. Then they get to secondary and lose all bodily autonomy when it comes to temperature regulation.

Blazers make fuck. all. difference to behaviour. Uniform makes fuck all difference tbh. The obsession with it in UK secondary schools is entirely because the vast majority of them are fucking useless at actual education and it's the only way they feel they can exert control.

There, I said it.

At my private girls' school in the 80s, blazers were strictly outdoor wear, and were hung up on hooks as we entered the building. Indoor summer uniform consisted of short sleeved, open neck blouse (so no tie), skirt and socks, usually ankle socks, so bare legs. We could wear a sweater, cardigan or tank top, but it wasn't compulsory. Blazers indoors in this weather is ridiculous, like I said it wasn't even allowed in my school. 🤷‍♀️

I intend to agree with this. I grew up in a Western European country where we don't have uniforms. I went to a school in a posh town as a poor kid. Now I'm not saying that bullying isn't a thing over there, but I was never bullied for my affordable wardrobe, whilst classmates rocked around the school in €100 branded jeans and trainers.

From what I can see the issue in the UK is that we don't address bullying as effectively as we do in parts of Europe. Like I say, bullying exists, but not to the extent it does here.

No uniform will ever change that.

I would have been having words with teacher and head. And telling my DC to wear as many / few layers as the teachers

DS's school have said blazers are optional this week. I guess they will review next week. They seem fairly open to common sense unlike some other local schools.

I’m fairly sure that if this had happened at my school (back in the dark ages) we (the pupils) would have organised, protested and refused to wear them. What’s the school going to do if no-one complies?

My daughters school have told them not to wear blazers but the girls have to still wear knee high black socks and they have to still wear their ties. My daughter said she's starting a petition for girls to be able to wear black ankle socks in this weather.

Why? Teachers are at their place of work, they are not pupils in school.
And blaming ‘the teachers’
for draconian rules is pointless. Teachers have no say in formulating the rules, they just get into trouble for not implementing them.

@Kiwano

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

It would be a negligent parent who continued to send their kid into school in a blazer in such circumstances.

@CaveCanem As parents you need to more than fire of a complaint email. You're all letting down your kids by your limp responses.

@guineacup you won’t get anywhere without following the school’s complaints policy and escalating in line with that. They can and will just ignore you. It’s more than just a complaint email, it has to be a formal letter and follow their process. Phone calls, ranting at staff, demanding meetings etc get you nowhere. Parents have been to the press with issues previously, again, the Head didn’t budge.

You have no idea of the fighting I have had to do with schools (and more) regarding SEN and health/disability issues over the years my dc have been in school. I have had to fight, schools, the LA, hospitals/GP’s and CCG’s, have instigated judicial reviews and been through tribunals and won. I am not an impotent parent that just lets thing lie. Bitter experience has told me though, that if you don’t go about things the right way, you will get nowhere and you are far more likely to win if you follow due process. I am exhausted from fighting, but I still stand up for my children whenever and wherever they need me to.

Anyway, small win today. Most teachers have allowed blazers off during lessons, although ties still had to stay, although still no school-wide change of policy.

My daughter’s high school is like this. They can take them off in class but must wear them in the corridors regardless of weather. My daughter was carrying hers around and she was sent to the year head for a talking to.

i’m still waiting for the call back. I suspect it will never come

Our local high school sent us this text today!

"With the rising temperatures this week until Friday, we will allow pupils to attend school in 'appropriate' Shorts and T shirts for the rest of this week - No crop tops or Football colours. Thank you"

I nearly fell off my chair! In my day it was winter uniform (long sleeve shirt, tie, JUMPER and thick blazer) until an arbitrary date which if I recall was around 14th of June. No exceptions.
Summer uniform was long sleeve shirt and blazer but the kind souls let us take off our jumpers. How feckin nice of them.

This 100% - i was talking to my boss when dd1 started yr7 about how unnecessary & archaic I found blazers & she laughed and said you wait - they'd lose everything without them - so true!

It’s honestly strange and barbaric. I can’t think of a logical reason as to why children must wear blazers in scorching weather.

My kids’ primary school have very generously allowed them to roll their sleeves up 🙄🙄 whereas the school down the road has allowed a home clothes rule for the week. Have to say their kids look far more comfortable

It's ridiculous. The whole point of a blazer is you get cold you wear it, you get hot you take it off. This is how clothes work.