Teachers and Teaching Assistants - do you have a dress code at school?

[Collision]

Had a TA meeting at school today and were told we could no longer wear shortish dresses, leggings or flip flops.

No jeans anyway but wondered what your dress code was and whether you think it was reasonable to tell us what we can and cannot wear.

[AnnieBesant]

Our Head is constantly reminding us about our dress code, and she will definitely say if she thinks you are inappropriately dressed. No leggings, no short skirts, no strappy tops, no cleavage(!). Secondary.

[BehindLockNumberNine]

We have quite a relaxed dress code at school. We are not allowed jeans, no low-cut or revealing (ie see-through) tops, no midriff or bumcracks on show and no fitflops (although that last one is for health and safety more than anything)

[emptyshell]

I tend toward black trousers (Asda's finest because I'm like magnetic for glue and paint) and a top - combat-type trousers if I can get away with it (I do supply, some schools are more laid back than others in terms of dress "ethos") because having sooo many pockets is awesomeness. Tend to dress more "up" until I know the school though.

An old office job banned flip flops once - with accompaning 5 page memo on the definition of a flip flop - I resented it deeply because all my comfy sandal type shoes got hit as well (I have problems with my feet meaning getting shoes that don't hurt is really really hard).

[ivykaty44]

I don't care how my dd's teachers dress or look - they are there to teach not to worry about their clothing. If they want blue hair and a bow tie that lights up fine i want a good inspiring teacher for my dc.

[HarrietJones]

My old (special)school was no low cut tops (teenage boys), no sandals/open toes (wheelchairs/equipment) & no hair down (will get pulled).

Lots of people wore jeans & tracksuits for ease of movement & likely to get damaged.

[zoekinson]

and yet everyone expects the little kids to ware a uniform.

[ninah]

I have no idea if we have a formal dress code
I wear khaki trousers or jeans and a t shirt (EYFS)
Regularly get covered in paint glue and similar
Simply the most practical for the job. Would not wear flip flops because I don't think they are practical, have had feet run over/trodden on enough times in boots. Teacher does though. Colleagues wear blouse/trouser combis, but to be fair I am most hands on in terms of messy craft projects.

[ninah]

our little kids do not have to 'ware' a uniform either.

[SandStorm]

We don't have a dress code but we are a very small school. I'm a TA in upper KS2 and I wear either a dress or skirt (the longer the better) or three quarter length trousers in summer or full length smartish trousers in the winter.

I never wear flip flops but other members of staff do. (I can't bear anything in between my toes.)

We are all smart on the basis that we expect certain standards from the children so it's only fair that we dress accordingly.

(For what it's worth one teacher spends the majority of his time in his PE kit as he is in year 1 and takes the rest of the school for PE at other times. Other than that it's strictly smart casual.)

[Feenie]

Ridiculous point, zoekinson.

a) I am not a little kid
b)our little kids also do not 'ware' one

[Goblinchild]

I think if I dressed like a small child, I'd be in trouble.
I think I'll stick to grown-up clothes.

[MenaZovut]

Our dress code is one word: 'smart'. We're expected to be adult enough to understand this.

Personally I do wear smart jeans with smart tops, I'm in primary. There's a huge difference between a tatty t-shirt and combat jeans and a shirt with straight jeans and boots. Denim washes and wears well.

There's a huge range at school though. The Head and I are the only SMT (small school). He wears a full suit. We never mention clothing to any staff, maybe that's why people have the decency to dress sensibly! It seems a bit off to expect that professionals don't have the wits not to have bra straps on show or practical shoes for the job.

I do appreciate though the reasons why a secondary school tends to be a bit stricter, different environment and needs.

[goingmadinthecountry]

As a supply teacher I opt for wide leg trousers and dress pretty smartly. It's my uniform - would never wear denim or leggings and tunics. When I was a HoD in secondary I wore skirts/dresses and heels from time to time, but now crawl around the floor, or at least spend part of my day sitting on a very low step.

Do wear smart Converse as my work shoes of choice though - at least I won't stab small children with my feet!

[SE13Mummy]

Whether or not the new dress code is reasonable probably depends upon the reasons behind the decision. Banning 'shortish' dresses is very odd as is the outlawing of leggings... I would assume that does not mean that 'footless tights' are disallowed .

At the primary school I teach at we are not allowed to reveal cleavage/underwear, wear denim or tracksuits (unless we are teaching PE when we must). We are expected to be dressed in a neat and practical fashion that doesn't restrict us physically or distract the children. At my previous school we were allowed to wear 'smart denim' i.e. dark jeans/denim skirt with a shirt but no rips/faded jeans/dirty trainers or baseball caps! The Head there felt very strongly that if she restricted our clothing she may end up with staff who were less inclined to grovel around on the floor, do messy art etc. and had had a number of pairs of her own trousers torn by old staples sticking out of ancient furniture and completely understood that denim's toughness mattered.

I tend to wear tunic style tops with long-sleeved t-shirt beneath and trousers, not leggings, on my bottom half and probably last wore a 'shortish' dress when I was 21. Flip flops and I are not a successful combination but I would be sad if I wasn't allowed to wear my sandals (think Merrell style 'surf' sandals) which are practical, safe and comfy. I'm not a 'smart' dresser but nor am I a teacher who is likely to turn up to teach in cut-off denim shorts and a strappy crop top creation . At my school the pupils don't wear uniform so I suspect the parents may not feel so strongly as they might if they'd chosen a school with a strict uniform only to discover the teachers wore beachwear.

[Feenie]

Our Head would never dream of even mentioning clothes to us, and I would be horrified if he tried to discuss it. Why would professional adults need to be told what to wear?

I don't know any teachers who would turn up in revealing clothing/beachwear/vest tops, but I think leggings and a smart dress are entirely suitable for teaching, kneeling on the floor, etc.

[belindarose]

IME, in a few different schools, this kind of dress code is imposed when one or two members of staff are repeatedly dressing inappropiately and either have ignored requests to dress differently or head/ SLT haven't wanted to speak to them individually about it. Unfair to everyone else, maybe.

[OliPolly]

I have noticed that the lady female teachers at my kids prep school do not wear trousers at all during term time, only during holiday playschemes. They are in skirts and dresses all the time!

Disclaimer

[OliPolly]

lady female

[PoppetUK]

I would have loved to have taken photos of the teachers at my kids school in Western Australia. They were very beautiful (might have explained more dad's at pick up - just kidding). They looked loving but half of their clothes would have been banned here.

[PoppetUK]

So I meant they looked lovely

[PoppetUK]

Just adding the the dress code re: flip flops (thongs). These were supposed to have a back to them. The only time you'd see a teacher adhere to this was the day H&S officer was coming to review the school and they were ever so kind to pre warn us all.

[Tiggles]

At DSs school all KS1 staff (teachers and TAs) wear the school polo shirt like the kids, with the school fleece, and plain black trousers.

[Feenie]

God, how boring! We have a school fleece too though - very handy for chilly playground duties.

[sarahfreck]

I don't get the leggings thing. I guess if you are wearing them with a very short skirt or tunic then that might not be appropriate, but leggings per se? I'm wearing them atm with a smart dress (just below knee length) mainly because I can't bear tights! Discovering that leggings will do the job instead has been wonderful. I'm also wearing ankle boots with a low heel (yes it has gone so cold again I've reverted back to winter clothes!) so you can't really even tell they are leggings!

I'm a private tutor and so make sure I dress fairly smartly because I'm my own advertisement and want to look professional, but imo there is a balance to be had. I wouldn't wear a really formal suit as I don't want to make things too formal when I'm working one -to -one. I want the child to feel that they can be relaxed and have fun with me. I wouldn't wear a strappy top or reveal bra or midriff though and I'd make sure I wore at least short sleeves, not sleeveless if I was visiting a home where it might be culturally inappropriate (eg some muslim families). I don't think I'd feel professional enough anyway!

[Littlefish]

The first school I taught at (Private Sector) had a very strict dress code. All female staff had to wear skirts. Later, that was amended and female staff were allowed to wear trousers, but only with a matching jacket as part of a suit. It was absolutely ridiculous and definitely put me off doing too much messy stuff with my infant class as I just couldn't afford the dry cleaning bills!