Do you think schools should relax uniforms policies re hot weather

[Cozc]

Going to be 26-31c for the rest of the month. My friend’s DD’s academy has told pupils and parents that they are not allowed to remove blazers in lessons (bar PE).

This is ridiculous. Bet the female teachers are wearing light floaty dresses, skirts and short sleeve tops. Male teachers - short sleeve shirts and a lighter coloured trousers.

Why do schools expect the pupils to wear a blazer?

School is not the army.
Whilst discipline and respect are important both work best when there is mutuality.
Both can be demonstrated also by:
Arriving on time
Being polite
Not interrupting
Not disrupting
Not being unkind to others
Handing work in on time/preparing for tests

I believe there would be more mutuality if teachers focused on what was important rather than a top button or a polyester blazer.

Both of my children's schools had uniforms and I used to think uniform was more important than I do now. Neither of their schools were draconian about it. DD had none in 6th form and there was never a blazer.

One school is regularly in the UK top 3 for results, the other always very high up the tables. Both if my children are well disciplined and respectful. Both in education and neither would agree with you.

They do already here. No tie or blazer is required from now until the end of the school year.

@RosesAndHellebores

There is a reason why the vast majority of schools with the best results have strict uniforms, including blazers and ties.

Because the British have been indoctrinated into believing that uniforms are necessary. If you start allowing them to see their children are perfectly capable of learning while dressed comfortably it will be far harder to keep up the pretence that it actually makes a bit of fucking difference. All the countries in Europe that are known to have better attainment levels and better school systems are uniform free

This country is still so trapped in its class system it's trying to emulate the private education system in the only way it can

Ours has!
No ties no blazers so they can do just shirts (open top button) and tailored shorts.

And who shows respect for the health of the children by allowing them to dress for the weather?

It's such a weirdly old fashioned way of looking at things. Do you walk into McDonald's and think you're being respected because they wear a uniform?

Strangely the people who think like this are the ones far more likely to be upset by their children growing up to have jobs that require uniforms.

It's really not the case. Again, look outside your own country to see that's true.

Within the UK:
the schools that are most rigid about uniform tend to be the most selective about pupils. Not taking children with SEN or grammar schools that only accept children who have been trained for it for years. The children follow the rigid rules because they're a certain type, rather than the other way around.

Ds school tried to pull this stunt with him last year (and others) ds has 2 types of skin conditions that flare up when he’s too hot.

Children were/are passing out due to having to wear their shirts, jumpers and blazers…

I told them that I’d take the issue to social media as did a few other parents, next day comms went out that the children were allowed to wear just their shirts and ties throughout June, and allowed to drink water throughout the school day, rather just on break times.

it’s absolutely madness, HT need to give their heads a shake.

DN is at the school now and they’ve sent the same comms out this year.

(edited as DS has now left school)

@OneGreenZebra

Many UK state secondaries are zoos as it is with behaviour out of control, DC disrupting lessons and roaming corridors. I'm not convinced allowing them to rock up in tracksuits and hoodies would help matters.

Doctors, dentists, judges, pilots and football players all wear uniforms as well as McDonald's workers, so I'm not sure what that has to do with it.

My DC can ditch their blazers this week thankfully

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend

What was the actual rule the school had though? I can't imagine any school requiring blazers and jumpers in very warm weather.

Here they wear pe kit if they prefer - shorts for boys, skorts for girls and polo shirts. To be honest it’s smarter than the rolled up normal school skirts they wear about town

Full uniform to be worn at all times, no exceptions until loads of parents challenged it. (Myself included)

The children were only allowed to drink at break times as well.

Im so glad DS has left, the English school system needs a massive overhaul.

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend

Presumably they could remove them in lessons with permission in hot weather though?

Shit as my DDs secondary school was they did at least let the kids remove their jumpers (no blazers), ties and undo the top button of their shirt or wear PE kits when it was hot.
My DS is in reception and they have said normal school uniform. I have left his jumper at home (accidentally!) all week. I also put him in canvas type shoes. They haven't said anything but that's reception.
Higher up the school or secondary I assume it would result in detention if you don't follow the rules. Ridiculous in this heat.

Sensibly, my son’s school said that the boys don’t have to wear blazers this week and next week.
My son’s in Y8, and told me he felt weird without his blazer on, which I can understand.
So, I let him wear it today.

No, that’s what was so absurd about it.

The school has over 1000 kids, at break times they open 9 toilets…. Kids are having to choose between lunch and going to the toilet.

They introduced this last year after it became an academy, students and parents were/are up in arms.

My boys have left school now but when they were there, there was a hot weather protocol which allowed them to take jumpers and ties off and roll up their shirt sleeves.

There was a certain bell to announce the start of it!

My secondary headteacher was ex RAF. He issued a ‘shirt sleeve order’ on hot days! (uniform, short sleeved shirts or sleeves rolled up, no blazer or jumper).

We did have a summer uniform though, Easter onwards, of a summer pale blue dress or school grey shorts.

What happened to summer dresses? We all wore light striped cotton summer dresses (the straw boaters were optional) and boys wore shorts, even in senior school, but that doesn't seem to be a thing anymore.

Most independent and selective schools are a lot less rigid on uniform than some of the academies who jumped on uniform as a vehicle for zero-tolerance in schools and which fails to teach any self discipline. Uniforms are rare in most European schools, including in the countries which routinely out perform us.

What exactly do you think a child is learning from the weather appropriately dressed teacher, whilst they are hot and uncomfortable due to wearing the wrong clothes? Employers requiring uniform have to supply job and temperature appropriate clothing.

Leadership comes from the front, not pettyfogging and illogical rules.

That would have me putting in a complaint to the governers about health, hygiene and safety in the school.

Out of interest @HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend was this one of. our revered academy chains?

Ours have. They're v strict on the whole, but do keep an eye on the weather. They emailed out a couple of days ago to say they didn't have to bring blazers or ties in, and boys can wear tailored shorts if they like.

Our school (very strict on blazers and ties, shit on results and discipline) sent a text last night saying blazers can be left at home today and tomorrow. She's still wearing it, as she said how else does she carry everything conveniently.

That's nonsense, there's no evidence uo show uniforms have an impact on performance. In fact British schools perform less well than schools in countries that don't have uniforms. Within the UK most 6th forms and all universities don't have dress codes and yet they seem to produce good results, in fact our universities are some of the best in the world. Clothing doesn't impact performance unless it's so impractical it distracts, like for example when schools insist children wear clothes that are not weather appropriate or insist girls wear skirts which has repeatedly been shown to affect how active they are or insist they wear black shoes with no exceptions (and don't care if they are wet through or have holes in them).