Can they really not find something more important to fuss about?

[PrettyCandles]

Dd's school shoes are outgrown and worn out. She has awkward feet, and we haven't found school shoes to fit. So she has been going to school in trainers this week.

Now dd tells me that her teacher told her that I have to write a letter to the school about it. Not a clue what, though - am I supposed to be asking permission? (Like heck I will!) Or giving permission?

What's the big deal?!

If you choose a school that has a uniform, then your dcs should wear the uniform.

What is the problem with writing a note saying "Sorry - can't find school shoes to fit X's feet - will get some asap. Until then she'll have to wear her trainers"

Your dd shouldn't have to explain why she's not got the proper stuff - you should.

Oh, and you could have written the note in less time that it took you to post on mumsnet about it.

I refer you to my post of Fri 27-May-11 07:51:13

I support our school. And even though they changed the uniform after we joined the school, and I disagreed with the change and argued against it, dd is always correctly and neatly dressed in the proper uniform.

That's not what my OP was about. It never occurred to me to (as I saw it) waste the teacher's time over this. Now that dear MN has explained the reason, I have of course written to the school.

im with feenie on this one optional not enforceable......i too have been down this road regarding the lea
its a different matter altogether in a church school though,just write a note and tell them why

Still don't see what church school versus community school has to do with it. Wearing of school uniform is not a religious matter - it's the LEA not wanting parents stirring up a fuss and making everyone's lives difficult if they go so far as to make an issue out of it in the first place. No-one has shown any evidence of LEAs being obliged to tell schools that the wearing of primary school uniform can never be made compulsory; it looks instead as though the LEAs in question are just refusing to back up schools when they ask for advice on how to enforce their uniform policy, and since almost all children turn up to school in clothes more or less in accordance with school uniform, no-one's had to push it. I'd be interested to see what happened if great swathes of the children in a primary school with a uniform started turning up in jeans and t-shirts every day.

I think it's more that church schools are in charge of some of their own funding, so can do what they like? Bit like academy schools.

I seriously doubt faith schools have a fund in place for arguing with parents about school uniform - just more control over whom they let into the school in the first place and therefore maybe more control over whom they chuck out for being a right royal pain in the backside - ie they have more power to give the LEA a headache than community schools do.

I meant own funding = own rules.