To tell the school my child will NOT go to detention..

[Nataliaa]

DD year 7 has been given a 30 minute detention tomorrow afternoon, after school. Since starting secondary, she has received 2 detentions- 1 for forgetting her PE shorts and 1 for not completing homework.
I fully supported the school and the consequences DD had to face on these 2 occasions. She did learn from each time and since then, she has always been organised with PE kit and completing homework.
DD is well behaved, works hard and all school reports have been brilliant so we have no concerns.

Back to today… it is 31 degrees and the school allowed blazers to be left at home, but still expected the children to be in their shirt, ties and trousers (the school recently banned skirts, and does not allow shorts so all children are in trousers. All year round)

During lunch break, DD loosened her tie and untucked her shirt as she was so hot and sweaty… and then forgot to tuck in her shirt and redo tie before going back in.
She walked into English and straight away the teacher told her to tuck the shirt in and do tie, which she did.
Then whilst sat down she untucked the shirt again… she then got up for something and the teacher noticed the shirt untucked and as she had already been told once, she was given the detention.
DD tried to explain she was just so hot and sweaty, she felt she couldn’t concentrate and loosening the shirt helped.. she was then told off for answering back.

I do not agree with this detention at all. Other local schools have let kids go in wearing PE kits in this heat. The teacher was not wearing shirt and tie- she was wearing a floaty and cool summer dress.
I can’t think for the life of me how an untucked shirt would affect DD’s education, and why it’s more important to stick to a strict dress code rather than doing whatever is comfortable in this heat!!

I have never been in the position to disagree with the school, and not sure what would happen if I refuse to let DD go to this detention… also not sure if that’s setting the wrong message to DD, as I always encourage following school rules!!

Any advice? Is this a hill worth dying on? What would you do?

How odd. I thought detention was for actual bad behavior, nor for simple lapses.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not seeing what to me would be the obvious step: Go to the school and talk to the top administrator.

All the other kids managed it without dying or getting a detention.

I wouldn’t challenge the detention as it’s in response to your DD’s deliberate flouting of rules.

But I would say that the RAF’s “shirt sleeve order” during weather like this is remove the tie and jacket and roll long sleeves up to the elbow. If it’s good enough for the forces, it should be good enough for schools.

@DrfostersI think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. The OP didn’t say her daughter was ill. None of my students today were ill. I put in plenty of other adjustments to support them in this heat. I can’t just decide which rules to enforce. I would certainly be referring and giving detention to children who are rude.

I think teachers should adhere to a similar dress code . Why not ? Students are human beings . Fancy being told to wear a tie / trousers by someone who has dressed for comfort themselves .All female teachers should be made to wear trousers and ties themselves if they think it looks so smart and stop being hypocrites .

Who me? What makes you say that?

The child was overheating and so untucked her shirt to allow herself to have a better flow of air around her body. She was very uncomfortable ie feeling overheating and too hot. So ILL! I’ve had heatstroke before at 35 degrees. At the point where she followed the rule and untucked again would to me, should have promoted the teacher to ask her if she was ok and was there anything she could do to help the pupil cool down and get more comfortable. Perhaps I would have asked if she needed to leave the room and splash some water over her face to cool herself. I genuinely am struggling with people thinking that being a hot, stuffy, 35 degree classroom is just normal BAU. My room is currently 30 degrees with windows open and I am overheating here like mad.

And yet schools across Europe manage far better with both discipline and results without uniforms.
English schools are deranged .

I would complain to the safeguarding that their failing in duty of care to protect students from the insane heat

How can they learn when boiling hot

I agree

Brilliant answer 👏👏👏

Well actually all the evidence suggests that the most successful schools (measured by Ofsted) are overwhelming in the richest areas. That simple basically. So you could “assess the quality of a school by the appearance of the kids”, but it’d be a pretty stupid thing to do.

I would go into the school and talk to the head and say my very hot tired child was trying to work, she pulled her shirt out again as it was so hot. I would ask how the teachers considered how the students felt when they were not in tucked in shirts and ties (are the men?) but very sensibly in light floaty things, and how they expect the children to learn while so hot. I’d ask politely about the schools plans for make up classes since they are insisting on an environment that’s not conducive to learning so none of the children will be absorbing the materials and point out how England jumped on Indian muslins when discovered for lighter cooler clothes and suggest perhaps in these heat waves it was time for schools to also consider a sensible approach that doesn’t risk the children’s health, the current heat wave is projected to kill 600 people, and while i don’t think my child is at risk of death I do think they can’t learn in your classrooms in this temp and with these rules, so for their health I may have to consider keeping them at home if you can’t adjust at all to the conditions. I do think the teacher should have considered why my normally very calm amenable child snapped because she was just too hot to think, and that perhaps some allowances were needed, I very much hope the teacher is better at picking up behaviours that indicate safeguarding than she is at other behaviours that indicate not coping, as it would be a concern for you if she’s not. Obviously I’m here to say my child won’t be attending your detention to sit in overheated conditions in unsuitable clothing for even longer, at some point this does become a danger to health, but I’m also here to strongly urge you to reconsider so that the children can do what they’re here to do and learn. It’s 32 degrees today so I’m going to take her home now, she can’t learn in this. I will send you all of my thoughts in writing when I get home and I hopefully await your further communication to the students.

I’m Australian and I love 32 degrees for context, and obviously we do it very differently here, but I think the school is being unreasonable!

There is a way to question authority without being rude.

Some jobs require uniforms btw, and don't always make exceptions for weather reasons. If one of your kids has such a job how far do you think they are going to go if they throw a tantrum - sorry, "question authority" in that case?

Btw maybe read the post properly - OP's daughter didn't have to wear a blazer that day. Also, some jobs require men to wear shirts and ties whatever the weather and somehow they manage to deal with it. Don't be so dramatic.

English Schools are the best on mainland UK. That's fact, it's not up for debate.

My point wasn't specifically about uniform, as was clear from my post.

No , not you Bigfatsunandclouds … my apologies ! I was agreeing with you .

It doesn't sound like she was rude though, just trying to explain/justify why she untucked her shirt.

It's AI.

Can I just say firstly

a secondary school is very lucky I’ve only got. 3 year old at present because of this was me in your position oh wow.

I would die on this hill I would be collecting my child from the school. I would be ringing and giving them what for and also I’d be asking them to all wear shirts ties trousers and blazers all day every day in this heat and see how they feel. In every day to day job more or less you are able to adapt your uniform unless there for protective use obviously but Jesus Christ. I would give them hell tomorrow.

It sounds fine and you say you met the brief for rhe office so fine, but would you have worn a tube top and flip flops to a business casual office?

Agree.

Your daughter answered back after disobeying the teacher.
That’s why she has the detention.

So yes, of course she should take it

Is there a school council, head girl/boy? Can they approach SLT on uniform policy in this weather (although I think weather is breaking later in the week)

Agree and police officers aren’t out and about in T-shirts,
judges and barristers are still wearing wigs and gowns
Im sure our armed forces are padded to the gills in hotter countries than this.

Oh dear. 🤔😂😂😂
Still think it's a great answer 🤔😀
Thanks for pointing it out 😀