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?!

Then I would spend the money on the school shoes and buy cheaper trainers.

Also expensive trainers doesn't necessarily mean good quality.

If a child feels he can't live without branded shoes, the chances are that the unfortunate parent ends up forking out for those plus a separate pair for school. It doesn't do them any favours.

Nothing stopping them getting changed into school shoes when they get there. They can leave their trainers in a locker. Thata what we done back in the day.

It's so ridiculous. I don't disagree with lots of posters on hear who don't agree with schools being really prescriptive about uniform. I think England is quite bonkers when it comes to uniform. But the parent's interviewed for the article are , quite frankly, idiots. A mum is taking her child out of school because the school isn't letting her daughter wear Vivienne Westwood ballet flats FFS! And I didn't know Nike made walking boots until today.
Crazy.

More fool them!

if a child "can't live without branded shoes" someone has messed up their parenting.

Have you tried Ricosta shoes? The are orthopaedic, waterproof and seems to last whole school year and beyond / can be passed down.

Yet again, you are missing the point, possibly deliberately. If you don't have uniform rules, the active girls who want to play games won't turn up in ballet flats. If they're wearing ballet flats due to peer pressure or something similar, it will be that same peer pressure that deters them from playing games, not their shoes.

Allowing a choice of shoes doesn't impose anything on girls. Making boys wear sensible shoes does not encourage them out of idleness if they want to be idle.

There's also quite major prejudice in describing a disinclination to play playground games as idleness. If any child wants to spend their playtime reading, they are no more or less idle than the child who wants to kick balls around.

While I disagree with the strict uniform policies in the first place, I absolutely defend the school's right to enforce it. The policy will have been put on the website, emailed out, given to the incoming year 7 as transition etc.

Teachers should concentrate on teaching and let parents worry about clothing their kids.

As long as kids are clean, smart and wearing the correct items and colour scheme that should be all teachers need to fret about. Honestly I'd be embarrassed if I was a teacher telling kids they can't wear shoes with a logo

Why do you defend their right to enforce a policy you don’t agree with? These policies demonise children for things broadly beyond their control, and often lead to extraordinary punitive measures that should have no place in modern society. We have to challenge these policies, not defend them!

Nonsense.

They'd be (and is) bullying over other matters. There's showing off with school accessories and other belongings and showing off about where you go outside of school. Children can still tell that some of them are a lot richer than others and they can find themselves other children who they think make good targets on one basis or another. If they're wearing the same usually poor quality uniform clothing, that doesn't do away with everything else.

Most of us in the real world of work don't have a set uniform. The school uniform is not a young person's version of the adult's experience in dressing for work.

What about workers in supermarkets who have to wear a uniform. Do you disagree with there uniform policy.

I am usually very supportive of uniform policy, but I am fucking livid at the new rules at our school. Sixth form, so mufti - no bare shoulders. Too distracting. Today a girl was told to go home and change as her bra strap was visible THROUGH THE FABRIC of the back of her shirt.

Meanwhile, these poor distractable boys are taking their bloody shirts off, with their nip's out, to play football.

What the actual fuck?

It shouldn't be their policy or be on their website. It shouldn't be any of the teacher's business whether girls wear ballet flats or not. Ditto skinny trousers v sensible trousers. Just teach the kids!

Personally I think all uniform is shit and a way of controlling kids and stamping on their creativity and sense of self. It is not an equaliser because they still have coats, shoes, bags etc that can be cheap or branded. The working world is different to it used to be and not many people wear business dress any more. Children in Europe and the US don’t seem to explode because they don’t wear uniforms.

I would have liked a choice to send mine to a non uniform school, but these don’t seem to exist. Luckily ds is about to start college, so no more uniform! Hurrah! I was so pleased I never had to wash any of those crap shirts or naff polyester sweatshirts ever again!

The "leveller" argument just doesn't stand up to any sort of scrutiny. As people have pointed out, schoolchildren know perfectly well which of their mates have money and which don't. They only have to look at each others' phones, or how shabby their blazers get when parents can't afford to replace them.

In schools that don't have uniform, in practice virtually every child ends up turning up in jeans and track-suit tops, T-shirts in the summer. That's at least as much levelling as any polyester blazer and tie can achieve.

A uniform policy is fine. For example 'black shoes'. Not this ridiculous nit picking crap that schools do. They they even send out pictures of said acceptable black shoes 🙄.

The parents should be fined £100 if the shoes they turn up in are new and branded

It's the parents rebelling not the children every year the same conversation. Follow the rules and get on with it it's not hard.

Yes, the Nikes will probably last longer. But Nike shoes don't start at £100. You can get them for less than half that.

Yes, ideally they should, but the prospect of legal action is understandably daunting to many parents - and if they have a disabled child, the chances are they already have more than enough on their plates.

The answer to the problem is surely not to bother with school uniform.

That wasn’t the case in my seventies school days, boys would be in detention if they didn’t get their hair cut. No teachers with long hair at all.

But it does mean that the argument "Obey the rules or send your child to a different school" just doesn't work.

And try buying for kids with sensory issues....

I didn't wear a uniform until I was 14yo. Our uniform was mix and match - grey, navy or black with white top with collar (ergonpolo shirt).

It was perfect. None go their knickers in a twist or try to avoid uniform, it was cheap and we looked smart enough.

I recall my DD needing a uniform when my DH was very poorly so I'd given up work. The school paid, it was £150. They were as shocked as hell and I bought just 1 skirt, 1 pants and 2 shirts plus 1 lot of sports wear and cheap black shoes After my hubby died and I went back to work I bought her more, but I think schools have no idea just how expensive uniform is....

Honestly I wish my son's school would do something similar but the have a picture of Nike Air Force 1's under their acceptable school list. So there the exact shoes my ASD teen wanted and because he had them his little brother wanted them too. Just spent over £200 on pairs of school shoes! 😭