This is an odd thread.
The way I see the OP’s opening post, she is just asking for some perspective on whether her friend is being too sensitive about the school and the issue of her son not having been told to wear a jumper, or if actually in a better school a teacher would ask him to do so.
Even though the OP actually got some good insight in answer to her question, and can safely conclude that it is not the teacher’s job to do this kind of thing and should not be expected from them, the tone of most of the answers is quite over the top. It seems people are being too sensitive as well.
Nowhere in the OP I could see that she said her friend was going to complain or had complained about the teacher or the school because of the jumper/coat incident. Only that her friend is anxious about the school which was not her first choice (we don’t know why and do not have any other information to go by); and that she was wondering if in a “better school” teachers would tell the children to put on their jumpers/coats.
So why do people have to “feel cross about this”, or think it “has to be a wind-up”, or “can’t really believe this – troll?”
The very first person that answered to the OP commented “What a strangely written post”. And I totally agree with what HolgerDanske later said: “I think the OP is writing in English as a second language which explains why it comes across rather oddly.”
If the OP has English as a second language, I could easily conjecture that her friend might as well. In other cultures (for example, where I come from), it is very common to hear things like “don’t go out without a coat, you’ll catch a cold”. I heard this from my mum ever since I can remember, so that it is ingrained in my mind.
Now that I am a mother of two living in the UK, when my DS goes out in the cold weather, the very first thing I say to him is put on a coat so you don’t get a cold.
And I know a cold is caused by a virus, and you are most likely to get it in warm enclosed places where other people are sick, but I still say this to him.
And because I know he can be stubborn sometimes and not wear his coat unless I tell him to do it, I even mentioned it one time to his teacher, and kindly asked her if she could remind him to put on his coat at break times if he wasn’t doing it.
From reading the answers here, I know perfectly well that it’s not her responsibility, but thankfully she was kind enough to tell me that she always did remind the kids anyway and that she would especially keep an eye on him to make sure he did, rather than take offense from my comment.
Finally, I was curious to see why there is this cultural belief by some that if you go out in the cold without a coat you could catch a cold. Apparently the reason a cold is called a "cold" is that people including doctors used to believe that getting too cold is what caused colds.
Nowadays, it is known that colds are caused by viruses. However, germs are everywhere and our immune systems are constantly fighting these microscopic invaders. If the body has to divert energy normally used by the immune system into keeping our bodies warm, it has less energy available for fighting viruses. So, dressing comfortably for the weather may, in fact, actually help the body ward off colds.
The "old wives tale" has its origin in common sense.