Do you agree with school or the parents?

[Watermelon44]

Our high school has made the news because of a uniform dispute between (some) parents and the head who is recently in post.

The gist of it is that the school brought in a new rule in April that they were no longer allowing black leather trainers (eg superstars or nike air force) and instead the kids should be in smart plain black leather office shoes.

This appears to have caused ww3 with some parents, who despite having many months notice, still sent their kids in the banned trainers (100+ children apparently). The school has stuck to its guns and has isolated and then suspended those in the wrong shoes if they refused to comply.

The school has also banned girls from wearing socks, and have enforced a thick tights ruling, although socks are allowed in the summer term and if allowed by the head in any warm spells (eg the past 3 days).

Personally I think the tights ruling is worse and I have mixed views on the trainers rule.

I am interested in the real reasons behind these strict uniform rules as I feel if the real reasons were shared with parents they may be more on board with them, rather than the usual rubbish about dressing professionally eg like in an office, when my dp works in a head office in London and goes in jeans and trainers!

As this seems to have whipped up a storm locally, I am interested in other people’s views on this topic as some of the parents round here seem to have gone totally bats*it over it!!

Schools are doing far too much nowadays, shoes yes, ours actually changed to allow air force ones etc so they can be used for PE aswell to help keep costs down.
making kids wear tights, blazers, jumpers, trousers in the height of summer is ridiculous.

I don't believe uniform is a leveller, but on the other hand, when DS was in year 4 he was picked on for not having branded clothes on a non-uniform today - he doesn't care about clothes and was upset and confused by what happened.

I don't know what the answer is over all, but hopefully when DS goes up to secondary reasonable adjustments will be made for him (ASD, possible dyspraxia), otherwise we could be in for a very difficult time.

@EilonwyWithRedGoldHair So would you like his clothes commented on every day? Is that better?

We didn’t have “branded” clothes in the 60s. You wore what your parents provided and if there was a uniform, you wore it. Mostly bought from a uniform supply shop locally. Quite simply clothes kept you warm in winter or cool in summer. Non uniform schools didn’t see bullying about clothes because who had a logo? No such thing unless someone thought Startrite topped Clarks!

These days, the world has changed. DC notice clothes. They look at logos. So I’m for keeping a straightforward simple and plain uniform. Preferably in decent fabrics and widely available. Decent supportive shoes for growing feet and no £100 trainers!

I don't believe uniform is a leveller, but on the other hand, when DS was in year 4 he was picked on for not having branded clothes on a non-uniform today - he doesn't care about clothes and was upset and confused by what happened.

On a non uniform day, children are hyper aware of what others are wearing. That is pretty much the whole focus of the day. Most kids are going to make a special effort so the kid who doesn’t is going to stand out.

Thank goodness my DS and his friends use it as an excuse to wear PJs 😆

The problem with these rules is that they miss individual issues. I know of a girl with neuro diversity who hates wearing tights and the feeling of tights on her skin is unbearable. Buying new shoes might be unaffordable for some families so they might be waiting till feet grow. In any case banning children is unfair as conformity might be the result of parents decisions not theirs. I do endorse uniforms in school though it's just the flexibility needed sometimes...

Trainers are better for their feet. The leather shoes tend to be worse.

Tights are too warm in the schools at times. They're already forced to keep their blazers on and roast. They already have to wear jumpers cause they don't want anyone to see their bra.

Let the kids be kids. I see the awful skirts but the kids don't feel they're doing it for sexualised purposes. I'd prefer they wore longer skirts and I don't wanna see anyone's arse cheeks. However it's a hard message of don't wear that as it's too sexualised. But whose problem is that?

I didn't say to get rid of uniform though. I said it's not a leveller.

I went to school with children wearing hand me downs that had gone through two or three siblings and were falling apart. One child repaired a huge tear in their jumper with staples.

On the other side you had boasts about a £30 school skirt and parents who actually bought the school jumper with a badge - £28 in 1993, and hideous quality.

We all knew who the poor kids were.

And I don't want DS to be picked on for any reason. I think it's ridiculous that children of primary school age know and care about brands. I don't remember that being a thing until I was about 13, but I didn't care that much about it either.

Thats my point. I don’t think they’d wear PJs on a daily basis if they went to a non uniform school!

School everytime. It's a valuable lesson in life that there can be rules that you won't always like.

I was a bit surprised at seeing girls from the local school with their skirts shorter than their blazers. I thought they'd forgotten to put skirts on when I first saw them.

The skirts are so short I dread to think what they show off when they sit.

Someone up thread suggested they have shorts under them - the shorts must be that short they just look like black pants

My mum was in school in the early 60s she confessed they used to roll skirts up
😱, but she doesn't think they went as short as girls do now.

I was in school late 80s/90s they fashion was long skirts before the uniform evolved in to jeans.

Nike Air force are leather, generously sized, comfortable and indestructible.
Yes they are expensive BUT they will get worn outside of school so are actually great value. They make fantastic school shoes and are unisex.

I think that’s the point lots of people are missing. For a lot of families it is much more affordable to have one pair of shoes kids wear all the time - weekdays and weekends rather than separate school & none schools shoes.

Personally I thought Air Forces were really uncomfortable when I tried them on. Strangely heavy and inflexible. Air Jordan's are comfortable but not vaguely school trainer like.

I wear black AirForce and agree that as school shoes they might not be all that suitable - almost a platform sole and not very flexible. I only wear them for walking on pavements, choosing other shoes to walk the dogs, where I encounter uneven ground and tree roots. I find it hard to imagine them as the thing for a playground, running around/football.

For a small consideration I offer the service of turning up at any school wearing them. I am 68 and I guarantee they'll become instantly unfashionable.

You'll need to pay my flight from Australia.

For a small consideration I offer the service of turning up at any school wearing them. I am 68 and I guarantee they'll become instantly unfashionable.

I'd almost pay for your flight for the comedy value.

The uni students seem very taken with white Reeboks that my Uncle Chris sported in 1985 with a nice pair of beige slacks. I have to stifle my laughter that they're deemed in fashion.

@Bonelly
I agree