About year 6 leavers hoodies

[Readyforthelaunch]

Dd is in year 6 and one of the parents very kindly organised leavers hoodies for the whole of year 6.

I had two older children that attended a different school and in their case, their school organised the hoodies and the children were allowed to wear them for the last half term (after SATS).

DD’s school have said no. They’ve even gone as far as to say that any children wearing the hoodies will have them confiscated. The school have said that the children can wear them on the last day only.

I’m very surprised as the school is actually quite lax when it comes to enforcing uniform rules generally.

The year 6 parents are not happy.

Aibu to think that the children should be allowed to wear their leavers hoodies now?

The school can set whatever performative rules it wants - it's a school. Parents defending their child's right to go against the grain all create exhausting distractions that hog time. Teachers want to teach - not explain policy reasoning to huffy parents who want to bend the rules to make their child happy, ffs.

I think that’s unusual as the kids round here seem to wear them plenty. Especially the ones in next couple of years after getting them as they are a sign of having left the previous setting iyswim. I see kids going around in them every day.

I agree with not getting them if your kid is in the minority who won’t wear them though.

my initial question was: why not wear it to/from school and at lunch break?
but, I do feel the school has got this one wrong.

I’m a very rule abiding parent but schools aren’t always in the right about every single thing and they do get things wrong.

And so do parents who have a tendency to be biased. The schools reasons are not based on personal bias.

Perhaps the school have been trying to educate the children on wasteful consumption and do not want to undermine this lesson by encouraging them to buy a hoodie that most do not need, may not want to pay for and will not wear out of school?

Fine, some will wear them again but a lot won't. I've had 2 kids through Y6, neither wore theirs for more than 3 or 4 days max.

Signing t-shirts is more fun anyway and a much better keepsake - if they really want a physical momento.

Is this your first time on MN? 😂
The many threads about kids being targeted at school beg to differ.

Yes ours got to wear them too. And the PTA paid for them for everyone. So no one was left out.

I get the waste/cost issue but schools have gone so ridiculous these days most don’t seem to care about waste or cost. That’s what is so irritating.

One they they all had to dress as flipping elves, then there’s Christmas jumper days, we have to pay for a bag of crap every year from the Santas grotto, Ibr got 5 bloody Christmas mugs because it was encouraged by the school. I’ve donated to endless raffles.

So yes a lot of us do feel miffed that we spent years doing all of these things, and what is the point? Because it’s fun for the children, but when it’s something that the parents and children actually want to do it’s a NO.

All 3 of mine wore them for 1/2 day only as they were only allowed to wear them on the last day - which was always baking hot so they were discarded by lunchtime! Despite me spending a fortune on them, none of my kids ever wore their hoodie again. They no longer wanted to be associated with being primary age by then and were ready to be high schoolers! Total waste of money 🤦‍♀️

As a teacher (and parent of a child who wanted two hoodies) and owner of several hoodies that are kindly gifted to me by the parents of whichever Y6 class I'm teaching that year, my observations:

1. Only buy one- your child will never wear it again
2. Please wash it often- they are thick hoodies worn at the hottest time of the year by children who've started puberty but often aren't good at washing!
3. Just agree with the school.
4. Do be careful with the info on the top. One year the PTA put the children's full name on the hoodies- not good for safeguarding.
5. I am appreciative but now I own about 6, I'd secretly be happy not to have one in future! My school allows kids to wear them in the summer term, which seems fair. Too early and they get lost, and become meaningless. Too late, and what's the point?

Really. You complain about the cost of things the school organise and then complain that the school isn't supportive if this wasteful initiative. Schools have uniform policies for a good reason and even if everyone you know has bought one, it pressurises others and sets a precedent for future years.

Ours give them out at their Leaver's assembly, so virtually the last day - the kids survive!

As for them getting "use out of it" as some have said, pretty much every kid in both my DS and DDs years wore them almost solidly for the next 6m - we used to keep a tally on the group chat about who had gone the longest refusing to have it washed.... 😆

Again, I think you have misunderstood where I am coming from.

People are saying that the school isn’t allowing th because of the waste/cost, and I am saying that the school organise many, many things that are far more wasteful and costly. Such as asking everyone to dress as Elves, and all of the other things previously mentioned.

Again schools have uniform policies but the school does not enforce the uniform policy usually. They allow tracksuits, trainers, crocs and all sorts.

Then you shouldn't be adding to this waste. Not everyone can afford this stuff.

That’s a real shame all of my dc have loved wearing them the last few weeks of term. It’s like a right of passage. You find that once they go up to high school they get forgotten about quickly.

At our school once the SAT’s were done and it was after half term then it was wear it when you want.

Yes it's too hot in the summer term to wear hoodies too!

Our school hands them out at the Leavers Assembly which normally takes place a few days before the end of term. The children can then wear them for the rest of the week (if it's not too warm!!).

What is the issue? The school have said no non uniform until the last day and here we have a parent taking to the internet to whinge about it. This is why children can't follow rules.

I can understand why the kids are grumpy about not being allowed to wear the hoodies, but I feel some parents are far too invested in this matter. And it's always the ones who have done nothing, organised nothing who have the. most to say and complain about.

My daughter is in year 6 and got her leavers hoodie a few weeks ago and they’re allowed to wear them at school. Your school sounds very harsh! I wouldn’t be happy either. What’s the harm in letting them wear hoodies for a month or 2!

How odd
My children's school see it very much as a rite of passage. Those who want them have their year 6 hoodies ordered at the end of year five so that they have them at the start of year six they're then allowed to wear them p days for the entire year.
I know our school pay for everyone to have one if affordability is an issue

I can understand why the school won't allow the children to wear them until the last day. If it's something that the school don't do, then the current Y5/Y4 children will be noticing them and then wondering why they aren't getting hoodies when they reach the summer term in Y6. I can also imagine that some children may think that the leavers hoodie means they have already left school (in their heads) so continuing to get the children to be engaged in school may be more challenging.

Of course you can disagree with the school and think they should be doing hoodies but, for their own reasons they choose not to. I see your examples of what the school do and request but there is no logic in the Y6 being allowed to wear them or not. If it's the school policy and they don't do hoodies and don't want children to wear them then that's up to the school. Our local primaries don't do them so it's not all schools who do it. Just my take on it all!

Eh? Not that it matters, I've been here for over 20 years. Not sure it that is a positive or not.......does time on MN make someone's post more or less valid in the discussion? 🤔

Most people reading my post would manage to work out I am talking about the actual subject at hand. Hoodies. No pupil is being "targeted" here, the parents on the other hand are getting their knickers in a twist over nothing.

There’s still 7 weeks of term left, so yes they shouldn’t be wearing them now. It gives the impression that school is done. It’s a copy from y11s doing it, but the y11s are actually leaving or have left. Y6s don’t need them now (or at all imo)

My DS both had leavers joodies at the end of Y6 (provided by school/pta). They got them on the last day and spent the summer and following year wearing them until they were too small. We saw other similar aged children wearing their leavers hoodies out and about all over the place.