Insane school uniform rules

[Incredulousme]

I have two DC's at secondary school. My DD is year 10 and DS year 8. It's a great school all round (outstanding Ofsted) apart from their insane rules regarding school uniform.

Uniform for girls

White short sleeved shirt with tie, scotch plaid pleated skirt (only allowed slightly above knee) and jumper. Thick black tights (must be plain and not see-through) Girls have the option to wear grey trousers.

Uniform for boys

White short sleeved shirt with tie, grey trousers and jumper.

My argument is this, two complaints if you like. Girls are not allowed to wear ankle socks or indeed any kind of socks with the skirts and have to wear ridiculously thick tights (thick because thin are see-through which is against rules) all year round. Great in winter but on very hot days you can only imagine how horrible this is and how sweaty and sore they can get.

My second gripe is that neither boys or girls are allowed to take their jumpers off when walking around (inside) school. They are to be kept on at all times when moving between lessons, queuing for lunch and in the dining hall. They are also to be worn in the library. If they are too hot in class they must ask permission to remove it but must put it back on before leaving that particular classroom. They are allowed to remove them outside at break.

AIBU to think this is insane? With regards to the 'tights rule' for girls I have asked on several occasions about the possibility of socks with skirts but told that this is out of the question as sometimes the children are required to sit on the floor. I agree my DD could wear the trousers but why should she have to?

They both came home yesterday melting (yes I know it's lovely sunshine) having worn jumpers most of the day. It's a very busy school and the corridors are packed at lesson change times yet they are forced to wear jumpers!!!! It's mad surely???

The library is a great place for revision but I'm sure having to sit in a jumper on hot days does not make it a very comfortable experience. And yes, I do believe in rules and more than happy to adhere to most but sometimes a little common sense is needed.

Why do people always say that. You don't get a choice most the time.

And you certainly can't always know just how petty they will be. Believe me there is usually nothing on websites that mentions anything about being unable to remove blazers in non airconditoned classrooms in 30 degree heat.

Claire, have you never had a child at a school and had 'clarifications' and 'tightening up' of uniform regulations midway through their time there, even without a whole new uniform being brought in?

Trust me, I may not be happy with my school's new rules on socks, trouser flappiness, skirt style or shoe plainness, but I'm not about to move a child in GCSE term over it.

Our local school put 500 children in detention on their first day back to school, because their parents hadnt bought the new uniform. (going from a sensible polo shirt/sweatshirt arrangement to ...shirt tie and blazer..

Claire90, obviously parents take lots of things into account when choosing a school (if they are lucky enough to get a choice) and even if they had been aware of the uniform policy detail beforehand (unlikely) it will have been other more important things that led them to choose the school over others eg standard of teaching, facilities, exam results, proximity etc etc.

Just because you chose a school doesn't mean you have to be happy with every aspect of how they do things, in fact people are rarely completely happy with everything a school does. However people are rarely SO unhappy they decide to move a child. I have only heard of people doing this where there was extreme bullying or the child was refusing to go because they hated it so much.

I agree with the post above that this does not seem unreasonable. The girls are permitted to wear trousers if they choose. I see no problem in requiring tights if they chose to wear a skirt. And I don’t think that requiring a jumper is unreasonable. It helps keep their blouses tucked in and ties looking smart and neat. Some schools require a jumper and blazer, I can see that both might be a bit extreme in warm weather. But I don’t think it’s a big deal to require one or the other.

FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast
Good. That's a few hundred parents who think they can pick and choose the rules that apply to their DC.

Like I say, I think some uniform rules are silly but your post proves why uniforms end up having to cater to the lowest denominator because some people can't follow simple uniforms.

Ours have compulsory blazers all year round. I was a bit miffed when they introduced this, as they used to be optional in the summer term. In reality though dd hasn't found it a problem as they are allowed to take it off if too hot and dd just puts it over her arm if it's too hot on the way home. I think the chances of a teacher saying "I drove past you yesterday and you'd taken your blazer off in the hot sun," are zero. Might be different at other schools and i wouldn't like compulsory jumper and tights in summer. Thankfully sanity prevails at dd's school.

" Good. That's a few hundred parents who think they can pick and choose the rules that apply to their DC."

no it's a few hundred parents who cannot afford whole new sets of expensive school uniform for maybe two or three children half way through school, in one of the most economically deprived areas of the UK>

no it's a few hundred parents who cannot afford whole new sets of expensive school uniform for maybe two or three children half way through school, in one of the most economically deprived areas of the UK
And yet crucial information about the school not handling a new uniform well was missing.
There should be transition period and appropriate timing and notice.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of.silly uniform changes but it is reasonable to expect uniform to be followed.

yes a school is a school....but it was insane Maisy.

If handled badly, I don't doubt it. I took first day back to mean 'new uniform rolls out on x day' and they'd had enough notice to arrange for the change, not a random mid.year one.

Sometimes parents are unreasonable.
Sometimes schools don't help themselves at all and are awkward.

That's shocking. Not preparing them for any sort of life outside school either. No individuality, just teaching them how to follow the crowd and blend in. If that were my kids school I'd start a petition and gauge other parents views. Maybe approach the PTA if school won't listen. Take it to the council, take it higher. Thick tights and jumpers in summer is just asking for trouble. At my children's school girls can wear tights, socks of any length, trousers. Anyone can take their jumper off any time, they have shirts or polo shirts below which still look smart.

I live in Australia so obviously my DD’s school uniform requirements include provision for very hot weather. The uniform includes either a short sleeved or long sleeved white button-up shirt, with the school emblem on the pocket. Looks smart, identifies the school, and the kids stay cool. The shirts are ones designed to be left untucked.

Girls have the option of knee-length skirt, summer dress, tailored shorts or trousers. Boys can choose shorts or trousers. There are rules about sock length etc, but as long as they’re the right colour no one cares.

Adolescents are stinky enough - imagine the BO with everyone wearing jumpers in warm weather, especially if the buildings aren’t air conditioned, as I imagine is the case in a lot of UK schools.

imagine the BO with everyone wearing jumpers in warm weather, especially if the buildings aren’t air conditioned, as I imagine is the case in a lot of UK schools.
Welcome.to my life

Some days I go nose blind. Then my 6th formers walk in and say 'aww miss it stinks in here. What year were in'.
So i prop the door open and try to get the pong out into the corridor.

Should say, that's my life and we DON'T make students wear blazers or jumpers in thr summer.

I dread to think what jumper schools are like.

I think anything other that a basic generic uniform is ridiculous, old fashioned and pompous.
I used to faint at school when I was a kid some times especially when I got my period. Usually I'm the quiet bit in assembly 😂. Or in. middle of a chemistry experiment. I'm sure if I would have had to wear a sweater I would have fainted even more often.

I would hate to have to wear tights and a sweater. It's cruel!

also to be honest, i find seeing 16 year old girls wearing tiny skirts and black tights together with blazer and tie a bit... disturbing. I mean whose idea is it that this is how they need to dress? Imagine how dirty old men look at them when they are walking to and fro from school.

The tiny skirts will be the girls' own idea, not the school's.

it just looks like St Trinians male wank fantasy tbh.

That's a horrible thing to say four

16 year old girls are not responsible for the disgusting thoughts and behaviours of dirty old men nor should they have to live their lives thinking they asked for it because of what they were wearing

ye i know it sounds disgusting, sorry, and of course young women are not responsible for dirty old men.

But why should they be forced to dress like that? who invents these uniforms?

Well tbh to me it's common sense that when you have to try and fit hundreds of girls with multiple body shapes all at varying stages of puberty into a few select items it's asking for trouble. Trying to learn to accept your changing body while being forced to dress in clothes that with hang off you or cling to every lump and bump you do try and adjust or tweek it a little just to feel a little less like a sack of potatoes...

Girls uniform in particular look awful and is a permanent reminder that they should somehow be grateful for even being allowed to be there.

I'm sure after a few weeks of novelty it would soon fall into a mass of jeans and t shirts if they abolished the whole bloody thing.

The tiny skirts are usually the girls rolling them up rather than - and in fact, probably against - the wishes of the school.

16 year old girls are not responsible for the disgusting thoughts and behaviours of dirty old men nor should they have to live their lives thinking they asked for it because of what they were wearing
Of course they are not responsible for the pervy thoughts of older men.

However, let's be real they are opting to wear their skirts significantly shorter so pants are almost on show for some reason or another. The rolled skirt look to an extreme looks very silly round the mide so we can't play dumb to the fact that it's done for any other reason than to get as much leg out as possible.

That said, the reason to remind them of the uniform is these are our uniform expectations. All students are expected to follow them. That means not rolling your skirt up stupidly short. There should be zero mention of men/boys. The rules are the rules. They should be followed. Girls are not responsible for the wank fantasies of men/boys. They are responsible for wearing their own uniform properly

They are responsible for wearing their own uniform properly

Which is where you question the uniform altogether. Because uniform worn properly is so ill fitting and impractical. You can see bras through shirts , you getbsweat patched from having to wear the stupid blazer all the time, and those witg big boobs have to wear shirts several times too big.

Those with no boobs have their shirts hang off them buybthe time you have sized up enough to be able to tuck them in and to not be too tight at the neck

Pleated skirts loom stupid below the knees they look better slightly above the knee. Again it just looks like your parents bought it all too big or you borrowed your older sisters.

It makes you feel crap all day and makes you even nore embarrassed about your body.

And with the best will in the world and im.sure to the sadness of most teachers by the time you get to 14/15 where all this starts you can pretty much garuntee that most have already been the victim of unwanted attention even when swamped in over sized uniform and so you may as well wear it how you want.

Uniform in itself is also uncomfortable . I honestly think , that if non uniform was an every day thing people would stop caring so much about trying to make uniform look remotely presentable