Just read the bloody uniform policy!!!

[flingoringo]

I've just read an article about a school in Gateshead where lots of kids were sent home or out in isolation on day one of term because they were wearing the wrong shoes. The offending shoes seem to be mainly a Vivienne Westwood ballet flat (with a big silver VW emblem on the front) and a Nike walking boots. Lots of kids wearing the same, from yr7 to yr11.
Parents are up in arms, obviously. One mentions the CoL crisis so the need to scrimp and save to spend A HUNDRED QUID on the Nike shoes. One mum said her yr7 daughter won't be going back she's finding her a new school.

The school (taken over by an academy in 2019) says the policy is clear, plain black shoes with no logos. That they have done their best to help yr6 parents understand what was to be expected once on yr7.

Now I don't necessarily agree with schools being overly strict with uniform policy. But I do accept that I have to agree to follow the rules at the schools that I chose to send my kids to and if we chose not to then of course they'll be consequences.

AIBU to think it's it's completely ridiculous that this happens every bloody year?!

ballet flats are a ridiculous choice for school, no protection, and severely limiting in playground games

Correct. They'll also wear out very quickly indeed.

YANBU

Some uniform policies are draconian, expensive, and hard to follow. But this doesn’t seem to be one of them, so yes, in this instance I agree.

I don’t get why grown adults are so obsessed with trivial things when it’s a sensible policy. It’s not like the policy is asking you to buy a really specific and costly item. Just wear the uniform and get on with it.

When I was 14 I dyed my hair rainbow colours and refused to wear a tie and all that. I thought I was fighting the power. I grew out of that phase by the time I hit 18.

I found it really hard to find suitable shoes for my ds, that were comfortable and suitable for his feet (he has to wear insoles), but didn’t have a logo or “look like trainers”.

Honestly, what you wear on your feet makes no impact on learning. These academies with the polyester blazers are so unlike the modern workplace.

Schools near me have stupid uniform policies.
But the schools have it laid out in clear language on their websites.

If parents find it too hard to follow those simple policies, I wonder how they manage to keep a job etc .

I agree, OP. Also, what example is that setting to the children on how to deal with disappointments and challenges? We need to teach our kids the correct way to challenge authority. Kids who are taught to disregard rules and just do what they want are unlikely to become functioning members of society. (Unless they want to be Conservative ministers, that is).

Vivienne Westwood and Nike?!?! What happened to the days of a good ole' pair of kickers school shoes??? Just had a look online and some of them are half the price of that ballet pump and with much more support, wear and grip for colder icier days!

Well quite. If the kids had been sent home for wearing supermarket trousers rather than pricey school logo ones I'd be completely on their side.
But that's not what's happening here!

Most kickers are on the photo examples of not acceptable for my son’s school. They have small logos on the side which aren’t allowed.

With the Nike shoes anyway it could be the parents don’t want to have to buy two separate pairs of lesser quality shoes for school and home

Why can't some people just do what is required and buy their kid some school shoes?

School uniform and all the minutiae is so utterly pointless and a waste of teacher time and energy, let alone means kids who otherwise are generally fine end up in trouble because they've got the wrong socks on.

Ridiculous escapade.

TBF the Nike shoes are alright if they're all black.

I find the whole thing ridiculous. As long as they are safe, any shoe should be worn IMO. There are enough news articles right now about kids not attending school. Making this worse over something silly is stupid.

My son isn’t at school yet, but he has to wear orthotic insoles which means I have to find him shoes where I can easily take the existing insole out. The rules out all of Clarks. So he will be sent in whatever I can find and what’s comfortable, and the school will suck it up.

@SocialistSally aw jeez! The world's gone crazy!

I agree with this. Plus my kids have sensory issues, which makes the whole thing doubly complicated.

Don't see the issue with either pairs of shoes tbh. Ballet pumps are so simple cheap & comfy.
Walking boots well kids learn better if their feet are warm and dry.
Just schools not doing what they are paid to do. Teach!

The all-black Nike ones were deemed acceptable by our kids' school, so lots of parents of fashion-victim teenage boys bought them. The school then changed the rule midway through term, gave parents no notice and started isolating kids whose parents couldn't or wouldn't replace the bloody things overnight.

Of course the VW ballet flats are preposterous. But schools aren't helping with the crazy pettiness, us-and-them attitude and utter lack of regard for families' financial reality. Uniform has become another pointless battleground and another reason for kids and parents to loathe the years their children spend in school.

Unfortunately, it’s all we could afford for dd this year. Luckily they only cost £6, come with a strap to keep the shoe on, and don’t go against school policy

It's also always the Vivienne Westwood flats parents that are up in arms. They always quote CoL crisis too. Those shoes are so expensive and completely unsuitable for growing feet.

Totally agree, no child of mine would ever wear ballet flats - I'm a podiatrist and don't want my child to grow up with hammer toes and worse from wearing these shoes.

They will need to replace the expensive ones twice as fast with twice as much wear.

There are plenty of cheaper shoes of reasonable quality. Nobody believes Nikes and Westwoods are the only sensible shoe available.