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?!

Any uniform policy in a state school is absolutely ridiculous and should only be followed by parents if they so desire. The state has AN OBLIGATION to educate children. They can't get away with refusing to do so just because they don't happen to like the pupil's clothing. This is not 1960. Schools are there to teach, not to judge.

But then the girls who want to carry on playing playground games are unlikely to turn up in ballet flats anyway.

OK, but if you are going to have a uniform, which most schools in the UK do, then it doesn't make sense to allow logos and expensive branding.

Whether or not we should have uniform is a separate debate, but as I pointed out above, a YouGov survey from last year showed that 65% of British people are in favour of uniform in secondary schools.

Oh I hear you here!

Apparently my kids school were teaching them to be well rounded individuals with a clear sense of right and wrong, capable of independent thinking.

Then they had to ask permission to remove a jumper......

So independent thinkers that can't work out if they're too hot alone? Ok.

Unless they feel pressured to do so because all of the cool and popular kids are.

God, I could not agree more!! I don’t give a shit what colour wee Jimmy’s shoes are , why does it matter? Blazers? Fucking pointless - I’m in Glasgow where it’s chucking it down 85% of the bloody year. Shirt and tie? Just… why?

I feel sorry for teachers they were respected and paid well. Now they are bringing up feckless parents children and are shown no respect from the parents or children. Teachers are leaving because of what they have to put up with.

Thank goodness for Scotland where they cannot refuse to educate you based on what you wear. My dc go to a school where they are asked to wear dark colours if they can that’s it. They wear hoodies and joggers. And they all manage to learn just fine, comfortable, warm in winter and cool in summer. Having shoes that are a different colour doesn’t stop them learning. Ridiculous to have uniform at all.

I'm afraid that sort of reaction is exactly why the tabloids print these clickbait stories every bloody year, and it's a real pity that their readers fall for it. The reality is that some report got hold of some harassed mother and said "Ooh, I bet you're absolutely fuming, aren't you? I bet you'd like to pull your daughter out of that school wouldn't you?" and the unfortunate woman (who was actually only mildly pissed-off and had zero intention of taking her kid out of school) says "yes" to get rid of him, or to be polite, or because he's wound her up. Job done, lots of frothing at the mouth self-righteous Mail readers guaranteed in the BTL comments section.

More Fool you then.

Do you never say No?

And if you notice, that wasn't really my argument or point.

My point was when you send your child to a school (whether you had a choice or not), you agree to follow the rules of said school.

You may need to take off those rose-tinted glasses. If any child at your DS's school wants to be a bully, they will not be deterred in the least by the fact that they can't pick on someone not wearing logos. Bullies don't actually need reasons at all, but if they want to pick on some perceived deficiency in another child they can and will do so very easily.

Our school in Europe has no uniform. All the kids are just wearing leggings/joggers with comfy tops/jumpers/dresses. They have specifically said in emails to us parents that they value children being individuals with their clothes and hair, but nobody is wearing anything crazy, even the teenagers.

They do insist that younger children arrive in clothing that is suitable for the weather. If you tried to send your child in something that would leave them unacceptably cold or wet there would be words I'm sure. I think with the teenagers they let them get on with it and wear a t-shirt in the snow if they want to be stupid, but it's much colder than the UK here so there's a limit to how silly you can be.

They know what's allowed. They just hope the child will get away with it and then throw a tantrum when they don't and they'll have to rebuy shoes

And longer hours of unpaid work, endless administration and being expected to be an enforcer of outdated and pointless rules that get in the way of the role they trained and perhaps even felt called to do.

Personally I have loads of respect for teachers, though virtually none for school "CEO"s and ego-centric heads and their vanity projects.

Logoless shoes is a ridiculous policy.

Every year the same bloody palaver of parents making a hoohah about their little darlings's uniform because they think they can get away with ignoring the school uniform policy. 🙄

I'm not British and never had to wear a school uniform but I managed to read my children's school policies and get it right.

The problem is he is desperate to fit in and gets incredibly anxious about being different. So if a pair of shoes can give him the confidence to go to school, I'll happily buy them. Especially as everyone else is wearing them. My point is I wouldn't have to there was a uniform policy meant no one was wearing them!

Buckles are fashion now? Does that mean it’s slip ons or lace ups only?

And yet once again, nobody gave a toss about the crumbling concrete 🤔😂.
Antiquated school uniform uniform policy trumps the buildings falling down.

The education system is a shit show!

I would say that perhaps footwear does have an impact on learning. If there are students spending a lot of money on the "cool" shoes and others cannot afford those that could impact the way the less affluent child perceives school. Everyone having the same type of shoes levels the playing field for the students IMO.

It is not asking for a single source branded item, notice has been given, policy is clear. I am with the school. Especially as they started on day 1, did not wait.

I would support the parent refusing to send their child back there being prosecuted. I would sooner fine the parents who think the policy should not apply to them, than those going on a once in a generation or lifetime holiday.

Are those designer shoes suitable for school? No, for many reasons. Would I send a child home on day 1 or put her in isolation for wearing them? Absolutely not. Day 1 is about welcome. Sort the uniform out later.

I used to take the head through the uniform policy and explain to him why what I was wearing wasn't actually against the rules due to the poor drafting of the policy 🤣

Yes I was a PITA and I am sure he hated me.

It has probably been better preparation for my future career than most of the actual lessons!!!

I remember back to school shopping. We were not very well off but my mum was very determined to have school shoes that fit properly. The problem is that I have very short wide feet (I’m still only size 3 as an adult but most girls shoes are too narrow for me - the shoes my ten year old son wears are about right for me!) and one foot bigger than the other.

So around every shop we would trail on an impossible task of findin school shoes that would fit me as my mum got increasingly annoyed as though I was having small feet to spite her. After half a dozen shops finally a pair would be deemed satisfactory.

Of course next day we would discover my feet had swollen by that point and so my feet would be rubbed to blisters anyway.

And I was a kid who liked school. But I hate shoe shopping to this day.