To think asking permission to take off a blazer is utterly ridiculous?

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My child's school has just moved into a new trust. Clearly it's one of those trusts as the latest email announces how children will be placed in internal exclusion or be suspended if they dare to wear a coat in the building or take their blazer off without asking permission.

Schools consistently moan about funding, there's a teaching retention crisis, teachers are overworked and leaving in their hoards, TAs are underpaid and in short supply, children's mental health is worse than ever, but somehow there's time and money to dish out internal exclusions if child gets hot and dares takes their blazer off without asking?

Aibu to say schools should try focussing their time, attention and money on the real issues instead of nonsense made up ones?
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Literally everywhere I have worked over the last 25 years has had a more relaxed dress code than that. Mainly financial services, some of which were in the City of London which is normally perceived as the more formal end of things.

I don’t think firms are allowed to mandate high heels any more.

Respect naw it’s control

My DS works in an office, has to wear a suit and tie, and he isn’t allowed to remove his jacket. I should add that the office is in a school!

Ha! I went to school in the 60s/70s to a very strict grammar (detention if you were spotted outside school in uniform without your cap/beret)

Don't think we didn't break rules - we did.

Nothing's changed in that regard. Just depends which ones (and don't think rolling up your skirt is anything new)

It annoys me on hot days when the teachers are walking around in loose summer clothes and the children have thick summer blazers and ties....teachers should only expect things they do themselves. My son had one teacher who always said no whilst sitting in his shirtsleeves

Having such rules helps disorganised students to be organised. If they can't remember to bring equipment to a lesson you will find sanctions make them gear up amazingly - and why should they not, should we lower our expectations for naturally forgetful people or show them how to be less forgetful? That's more helpful than always picking up their slack - and if there is an issue such as dispraxia it is better picked up than accommodated.

What look like petty issues to parents are frequently sources of disruption and time-wasting in schools, and also encourage low expectations of behaviour.

This reminds me of the story I heard about a teacher being shown around a school that was advertising for staff. The thing the head was proudest of was that they had two large rooms set aside for children on internal exclusion and were about to allocate another. Apparently the rooms themselves were pretty horrific, with a load of bare cubicles that pupils were expected to sit in, sometimes for hours or days on end, with no interaction with anyone other than a supervising teacher. Needless to say, that prospective applicant didn't apply and he said this school was constantly advertising for staff.

I mean, who is actually proud of setting aside valuable teaching space for this sort of nonsense, especially when it is being used for the heinous crime of exercising your own judgment about when you're too hot to wear a stupid blazer?

Part of that I agree with

But in my day there was enough money that basic equipment could be provided if the pupil didn't have what they needed.

But what if they haven't got it because their parents can't afford it?

Of course it is.

On one level it doesn't really make sense for parents to be able to question school rules. The parents wouldn't all agree and few of them have a clue about what it takes to manage large cohorts of kids. Most of their views are skewed towards the needs of their own children and don't take into account the different needs of other kids. Can you imagine if any parent could just 'take action' every time they disagreed with a detention or a seating plan change or something? It would be mayhem on a daily basis!

This thread, and threads like it, explain quite clearly why school standards are slipping quickly, the schools have zero support from parents

Is he by any chance the Head Teacher?

How does imposing new and totally pointless rules constitute a "method of discipline"? Why should children have to follow rules which may adversely affect their health if they're allowed to overheat or get too cold because they're not permitted to use their own judgement on that?

I agree with walking (at least quietly) and silence in line

Too many schools it's bedlam and certainly distressing for some of the children

I understand your last point. There will be a way to help that child without losing sight of the rule that you must bring equipment to lessons - that can be done discreetly, too.

What? Seriously mmm health and safety at work would surely have something to say about that. Seeing as it work and not him being a child at school but oh it’s ok kids have to obey the rules even if they are bonkers

So you don't think children should be courteous and respectful?

This was a rule at my school, I think it's pretty standard.

Well, I guess it has improved a little. They used to flog students and keep a record of it in a beatings book.

It's not and never will be OK!!! It's pedantic and petty and as the OP suggested there are many other far more serious and important issues that need attention and don't even get me started on the obsession with actual attendance! 🙄
Yes obviously there is an exponentially growing problem with some children not attending regularly but this should be dealt with on a one to one personal basis instead of time and precious school funds being spent trying to 'blackmail' and persuade pupils into attending with cinema trips and, as in our GGS's secondary school, trips to theme parks which must cost hundreds of pounds!! 😡
The worst thing that ever happened to schools (instead of leaving education in the hands of the DofE which is now a bit of a 'toothless tiger' only called upon to dish out fines to parents who have the audacity to take their own children on holiday during term time) was the handing over to Trusts and so called 'Academies' whose prime concern is not the physical or mental welfare of the children but profit for the company...Grrrrr!!!! 😱

Easy enough to sort out, surely. When I was at school I'm delighted to say that, although we had blazers, there was no expectation that we would wear them in school. Instead we mostly wore jumpers which we put on or took off according to need. Marking them with our names was hardly onerous and they tended not to go missing. Maybe the fact that they were much easier to stash in a backpack than a blazer helped.

How is it discourteous or disrespectful to take a blazer off if you’re too hot?

It’s pure control. And teaching kids they don’t get to have autonomy over their own bodies. Which is not a lesson I want them to learn.

You know the saying look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves? It applies to behaviour too. Tackle the small things and the big things will follow. Or are your kids too special to follow rules?

I kind of get that.

But there's an even easier solution - don't bother with expensive and pointless blazers at all!

I'm with you OP - it's ridiculous for people of any age to have to ask to take clothing off when they are hot.

Schools say that they have a problem with disciplining the kids. Well they might not have if they had sensible rules and chose their battles. There will always be naughty kids and unreasonable parents but you don't half make your job harder when you try to enforce utterly pointless rules.

My school was strict but as an adult I can see the point of every rule (bar one which is too complex to explain here but related to where you could walk at lunchtime). I don't see the point of a lot of school rules these days.

It’s absolutely ridiculous, I remember my daughter being disciplined for not wearing a blazer when it was -5 and it wouldn’t fit comfortably under her outdoor jacket. Outdated nonsense.