Post the most petty rule your school has for teachers

[MaryBerrysEyelashes]

That might explain the teacher recruitment shortage

Absolutely this. You should let latecomers in without comment and insist they start working as soon as they arrive, without disruption, before calmly updating the register and making a mental note to speak to them at the end and issue a sanction if needed. Don't waste lesson time discussing or drawing attention.

Unless SLT have found them on the corridor.

Then they barge in, disturb the whole class, make a point about how the kid had 'no good reason' not to be on time, and how you'd better log this and keep them back to make the time up at the end. The end of period 1? Making them late to period 2?

I remember when I had an ingrown toenail removed, and I had to have a letter from the podiatrist before I was allowed to wear trainers for a designated length of time! Plus the trainers had to be black!

We had a door entry pad with a 4 digit code. It always worked perfectly well then we got a new HT who wouldn't tell teaching or support staff the new code - only the HT, DHT. janitor and secretary were privy to this top secret information.

@MagdaLenor You got 10 minutes! We got two! But yes there would be follow ups, whole staff emails with who hadn’t done the register in time, etc.

Sympathies. You'd think showing them your toe would have been enough!

Two minutes is crazy! Who can settle 30 teenagers, get coats off, equipment out, books handed out, silent starter begun in 2 minutes ?!

I was bloody limping! I couldn't even get it done on school time (of course).
The podiatrist said "do you really need a letter for permission to wear trainers to work?"
"Yes, I'm a teacher".

Surely the first people that need to look professional are the professionals.

Not referring to girls as girls even though I work in a GIRLS school. It's literally in the name of the school, their merchandise, website etc. But don't refer to them as girls in the classroom in case there is one student who identifies as a boy 🙂

The other one is being told we shouldn't be checking emails whilst teaching. Then get told off for not reading an important message that was sent via email and I was busy teaching.

I had a friend that used to teach in Saudi. She had to teach in a niqab. Restrictive you may say. No! She loved it. Had her PJs on underneath. Hated it when she returned to the UK and had to start professional dress again.

Did long term supply in a school that had no uniform and the students could address the teachers by their first name.
The vast majority of pupils wore jeans and a hoodie or sweat shirt.
The students 'found' their own uniform by simply dressing as they would our of school.

Professional, yes, but following particular rules because the children do, no. There is nothing wrong with a summer dress to keep cool when standing and talking all day, even though pupils are wearing matching PE kit as a concession while they sit still in their seats.

Nothing wrong with the teacher having earrings and nail varnish too, whilst making pupils remove these for breaking rules.

Same with devices, hot drinks, etc.

If teachers dress modestly according to the staff dress code, that should be enough. Anything that says they shouldn't be allowed to...because the kids can't is just disrespectful.

Well, to be specific, at this school, boys are not allowed short sleeve shirts or shorts. Girls are allowed skirts and short sleeve shirts. All must wear a blazer unless the teacher of the lesson permits it to be removed. Students must wear it between lessons.

Shoes must meet specific standards and be all black. No trainers, of course.

This is all in the name of "professionalism" and "getting ready for the workplace". That's what teachers are doing in schools. They are professionals in their workplace. So if wearing cool clothes and no formal jacket/blazer is unprofessional for a 11-16 year old, it is also unprofessional for an adult actually being paid for working.

That drives me mad - we're not allowed to check emails while teaching either, but essential, top priority emails get sent and we're supposed to know the content!
Oh and we're not allowed to charge our phones in classrooms because our phones shouldn't be visible!

That sounds more like a mismatch between what the girls are permitted to do and the boys really. Surely the items should be equivalent.

I've never worked in a school where when really hot the blazers or jumpers aren't paused temporarily by leadership, with a general option to leave at home. If it's particularly warm in a certain classroom, teachers do acknowledge this and allow a choice to remove outer layers from the start. They do want kids to be comfortable and be able to think straight and mostly aren't just wielding power. If I'm too hot, so are the kids and I'd rather they could learn. But it is polite to expect to seek permission from someone in charge, if the rule hasn't been relaxed for all.

The Learning Objrctive in kids books has to be highlighted (ofsted inspectors can’t just read the massive L and O next to it) and evidence of that LO also highlighted. Enormous waste of marking time simply so inspectors don’t actually have to read the work they can just glance.

Only surpassed by, when writing VF (for verbal feedback) this should be accompanied by (I shit you not) the same feedback written down so we can see what feedback you gave.

No, the feedback is for the child to help them improve, not random adults reading my books. If you don’t trust me to actually give said VF then I shouldn’t be your employee.

Oh on jumpers. They have to wear them all year round except for after the May half term. Then they can choose whether to wear or carry in their bag. This goes for girls, too.

Yes there is a big difference between what girls can do and what boys can do, but there is also an expectation that students work in more discomfort than the adult teachers generally. The boys are meant to tolerate being the most uncomfortable.

One teacher in tiny Daisy Dukes and a very low, very tight spaghetti strap top that was also cropped, you think that is acceptable ?

Yeah. Our whole working lives are centred round Ofsted. Not student welfare/wellbeing/progression and teachers' sanity!

Because it looks trashy.

The clothing rule I did welcome was no Birkenstocks. I had a colleague with very long, hairy toes and unattended toenails, so I was grateful for that rule 😉

I have worked in a school where teachers were only allowed a drink if the cup had the school logo on it 🙄

Leadership team has to wear gowns!!! Normal bog standard academy chain who are ‘aspiring’ to be like a private school.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yeah, when kids said "well YOU don't have to wear uniform" i used to say, I wish I did, be much easier in the morning" generally stopped them in their tracks.

The guidance for women was if you have to cover your front to avoid exposure when you bend over or you need to squat rather than expose your butt its not appropriate you work in a fucking nursery your going to be bending over the guidance for men was pretty much the same everyone was told ripped jeans and band tshirts was a nono trainers were fine but if you get bodily fluids on them that's on you we will not be replacing them all of these rules had a reason the original brief was plain clothing preferably black suitable for nursery/reception setting