School not allowing children to wear jumpers

[Mac3321]

Dd15 has just gone into year 11 at school. They went back last week and the teachers were pulling children out the classroom to uniform check shoes, nails, blazers, lashes etc.
They were cutting the bows off of the girls school socks if they had them on.
But they also told the children that they weren’t allowed to wear their jumpers (plain black v neck which is stated in the school uniform policy) it doesn’t state that the jumpers can only be worn at certain times.

Their reasoning is that it isn’t cold enough yet and they will tell the children when they can start wearing them.

My daughter feels the cold so easily, She near enough always has a coat on but obviously in class they have to take it off but she said today the classrooms were really cold.

AIBU to call or email the school to ask why? It just seems like a bit of a power move with the whole ‘we will tell you when you can wear it’

Why bother having a jumper as part of the uniform if the kids aren't allowed to wear it? And why does it need to be hidden under a blazer? Sounds like the school need to change the jumper if they hate it so much.

I worked in a school with a similar uniform policy of jumper and blazer. Students were required to ask staff for permission to remove them, which was unnecessarily militant in my opinion. Removing personal autonomy like this is ridiculous. You wouldn't be unreasonable to speak to the school.

My 5yo has the autonomy to decide if she wants her cardigan on or off. It seems rather bizarre that 10 years more life experience results in less autonomy. I was working from home today and needed a jumper because i was cold. Some of these rules are just so bloody petty.

I didn't realise Op DD had compulsory blazer - though I went to school with that in 90s. We could only take them off every year in summer usually after someone fainted usually involving an ambulance being needed.

My DC have/had shirts/blouses and a thin jumper and no blazer at all.

Their school is also odd about coats have to be taken off before entering the building despite there being no shelter and in part of UK with common heavy rain and can't be worn or out till they leave. I get told on here teens don't wear coats - they mostly do here.

Also got told it was fine they were sat in a school with all the windows open one winter as of course they'd be warm enough - hence the love they have of thermals now.

The older two at college both say one of the things they like best is being able to dress for the weather

Op will have to talk to the school and see what the rules are and if an exception can be made.

Though one of DD2 friends got an exception made by HT for an item of uniform - type of trousers due to a condition - only for staff to insist she hadn't nearly every lesson - so in end gave up and went with a skirt.

This is insane to me. When I was in secondary school (early 2000s) the uniform was a logo polo shirt and any black jumper/cardigan you wanted from any brand. You could put it on or take it off as you pleased.

The idea that a teenager isn't allowed to decide when they're too hot or too cold and to change their clothes accordingly seems like it's against human rights!

Honestly no wonder so many teenagers are so bloody miserable. I hope they scrap these insanely strict uniforms soon and go back to how it used to be. Give kids a bit of free will.

Kids should be able to decide when to wear their blazers and jumpers and whether it's hot or cold enough to wear socks or tights. Like they used to, before schools went mental.

I'm so glad my DC are in their 20s and they don't have to put with the bonkers uniform rules schools are trying to enforce.
What happened to common sense?
Schools are like the armed forces with their ridiculous uniform rules.
Some head teachers must be megalomaniacs.

This is exactly what I would do if I was looking at prospective schools for my DC.

I would love to get a bunch of these mad headteachers on mainstream TV to be interviewed by one of the tougher TV interviewers about their justification for these insane rules. Maybe if they could be publicly exposed to ridicule for their willy waving we might see some return to sense.

Agree and I hope the head teacher follows their own rules.
No jumper until October. No taking off your suit jacket off in warm weather unless you faint.
Our youngest DC's school tried to enforce a jumpers on all the time.
DH emailed the school and told them that she would be taking off her jumper if she was too hot, unless they wanted her to faint. Nothing more was said.

I know - imagine that a child should be able to dress for the weather! Far better to enforce exactly the same required clothing whether it's 13 degrees outside or 26 degrees.

On top of the general ridiculousness of this policy, it's also sex discrimination. Girls feel the cold more than boys (different surface:volume ratio, lower basal metabolic rate, lower muscle mass, different thyroid response etc), so will be worse affected by the jumper ban.

If the person who came up with the ban has trouble understanding this, here's a handy explanation with pictures. www.bbc.com/future/article/20170627-do-women-feel-the-cold-more-than-men

As I pointed out above in the Army you have more autonomy to choose

The irony is I work for an independent - one of the best in our area. Yes, there’s a uniform but no one polices socks or shoes and the boys’ hair can be what they like - some have shoulder length hair, afros, unkept, neat.

It has zero effect on learning - it’s maddening.

I was having a look at Michaela's uniform rules, as someone upthread is singing their praises. There are a number of areas where they blatantly break equality law, both in relation to sex and race. As I've commented in another context, when a school purports to be really hot on discipline, breaking the law is hardly setting a good example.

As someone who was born and grew up in the Southern Hemisphere, I'm pretty much constantly cold in the UK and have Raynauds. Absolutely FUCK that rule. As long as its a uniform jumper, then the school should have no say as to when it is worn.

100% this
It infuriates me.

Just teach. They're in school.

Any teachers or heads here to defend the batshittery?

Most of them nowadays. They're like this with the staff which is why we all keep leaving

I've left now and I was primary, but I would rather be sacked than comply with making my children hot, cold, thirsty or scared to ask to use the toilet. I grew tired enough of making them unhappy with stupid, inappropriate curriculum changes.
See the ending of Game of Thrones where Danerys went all DRACARYS! On Kings Landing? That's how I feel about the idiots running education and schools. It's inexcusable idiocy

Schools (especially secondaries) are slowly but surely losing the plot. They are losing all credibility and a grip on reality.

It’s all unravelling as I knew it would when I quit teaching a few years ago to unschool my own DC. I literally saw this batshittery coming.

This quote though from the @Mac3321 OP says it all “She told the teacher this and he said that she would be put in isolation or sent home if she refused to take it off.”

In what universe is this a normal way to treat another human. Teachers and parents need to start standing up for our children and young people 💔

School uniform rules aren't applied to teachers you know.

Shame really, then they would realise how stupid they are.

If it’s anything like our school then it’s quite possible unfortunately but I bet there is a group of kids in each year that will get away with breaking the rules and wearing pretty much what they want because they are the cool kids and teachers want to be ‘mates’ with them because they are such fun - at least that seems to be how it works here🙄

Of course my child is one of the others who does everything by the book and will then get hauled over the coals for something really minor while standing next to someone blatantly breaking rules. It’s ever been that way and it’s just getting worse.

It’s anarcho tyranny in action. The schools descend into chaos and violence while the staff crack down on jumpers.