School uniform nonsense...so angry!!!!

[squeezedatbothends]

This is just a rant really, but would appreciate other parent's thoughts on uniform issues. My son's school (Saddleworth) is falling down and has had funding withdrawn from the government to rebuild it so I can understand why they can't provide hooks or lockers for children's coats. This means most of the kids walk to school without coats because they don't want to have to lug them around with heavy bags/PE kits/food tech ingredients all day etc etc. Fair enough, but because the weather has been so cold, I and other parents have insisted that our kids wear a plain white t-shirt or vest under their school shirts. It was so cold yesterday, that my son wore two. His teacher spotted them, forced him to remove them and refused to give them back until Friday - he had to walk back in freezing weather in a cotton shirt and thin blazer. I'm so angry I could spit. He's just recovering from swine flu, has lost a ton of weight and is still chesty. The thing that really gets me is that the quality of teaching is poor - homework unchallenging (cut verbs out of a magazine and stick them on a page....stuff most kids can do in Year 3) and the attention seems not to be on quality of T&L but on stupid nonsensical uniform rules which don't have the interests of the child at heart. I sound like a real molly coddler I know but I'm soooooo ANGRY!!!! There....rant over.

Thanks - yes I've fired a letter and phone call off this morning. The only alternative around here is private so moving him is difficult, but I'll be putting some pressure on!!

Rant here all you like - I find it's good practice/helps me refine my argument for the head and governors etc.
I think what you've described is completely ludicrous .
Why on earth shouldn't students wear plain white T shirts under shirts ?
Looks smart ,hurts no one ,helps keep child warm ,well ,and in school .
IMO it's this culture of bullying by schools over petty incidents ,just because they're able to do so /have the power ,that leads to bullying in the school as a whole .
Role models .
I wish I knew what to suggest - I'm sure he wouldn't be at this school if it were just a question of finding him a decent school .
If only life were so simple !
Talk directly to head ?
Write to local paper as a last resort ?
Good luck - be calm and collected in dealings with school .

I agree ,some schools spend far too much time on petty school uniform rules

Marking place to hear what response you get -- that's really bloody unreasonable of the teacher.

How did a teacher spot what he was wearing under his shirt?

The teacher was being Utterly Ridiculous!!!!!! I think so much of the uniform stuff is nonsense.

do thy check the colour and style of their underpants to? AFAIK a T shirt "vest" is an undergarment, so forcing a child to take off undergarments is not acceptable practice.

I would write a sternly worded letter to the head explaining that while the school can be prissy about the outer garments, the under garments are private and down to the parents.

This is ridiculous ! Our school newsletter recommends that in very cold weather pupils should wear a plain white T shirt under their school shirt and this is still within the uniform regulations.

That is ridiculous. Do what the others have said. And good luck.

How can they make him remove his underwear?

Ridiculous.

Your son (recovering from Swine Flu) had to remove his underwear at school

Go to OFSTED.

The press.

Governors.

Kick up a stink. (politely)

How did the teacher spot them? My DS wears a long sleeve black top under his short sleeve shirt and you can't see it at all, with tie done up and blazer.

I'm puzzled as to how a plain white Tshirt would be visible when wearing a blazer. Surely the school has a jumper as part of its uniform as well?

My kids wear Tshirts under shirt and jumper. Not visible, no probs. As for wearing coats - well, teens just don't wear them anyway as it's a matter of image.

No schools round here have hooks or large coat-sized lockers. Even the v posh private ones.

I agree with you that your son should not be forced to remove his underclothing (provided it really was plain etc), but I also think that you should insist he wears a coat. It will make MUCH more difference than a thin vest. I had to carry my coat at school along with bag etc, it was not that difficult. My school site was vast.

Thanks to you all. I calmed down and sent an email to the head and left a phone message.She has just responded. Apparently the form teacher has apologised and returned the items. She was 'over-zealous' in applying the rules. She could see the very top of the t shirt poking up at his neck because his top button wasn't fastened. Why she didn't just ask him to fasten the top button rather than remove the undergarment is beyond me, but I've accepted the apology and a reassurance that plain t-shirts or vests are perfectly acceptable in bad weather. Will leave it at that, but have a funny feeling that it's going to be a long five years!!!

Well done ,common sense prevails !

I am so surprised at the revelation that it is normal for schools here to have no lockers or even coat hooks.

I only went to primary school in the UK and we did have a cloakroom. Then moved abroad where lockers were the norm. It has never crossed my mind that it could be deemed reasonable for children to have absolutely nowhere to put their things at school -- surely very impractical?

Well done re t-shirts though, OP.

I thought there was a legal requirement for schools to have lockers available (because of back strain)?

The school is being a bit silly.

DD1 HS is really very serious about the uniform being worn correctly but when there was snow we got a text from school saying that boots were allowed as well as adequate warm clothing.

How is wearing a T shirt any different than wearing a vest for exemple?

Also how could anyone see that there was a t-shirt under the shirt? When DD did, it was impossible to detect with the shirt buttoned and wearing a tie, Her shirt is pale blue though, maybe white is more see through and gave the t-shirt away?

Mummytime, Dd1's school does not have lockers either. they do carry their coat, blazer and sometimes jumpers as well aas their bags arround with them all day.

"they do carry their coat, blazer and sometimes jumpers as well aas their bags arround with them all day."

This just seems crazy! Nobody would ever expect an adult to go to work and carry around in their arms, all day long, everything that they had with them when they left the house, EVERY day.

What do they do with for instance their PE kit?

IME children aren't treated with any respect in schools these days ,it seems to be all about showing them who's boss and breaking their spirit .
At my DS's school when it snowed they were expected to change into school shoes and then add the boots they'd worn to get there to the load ( including coat ) that they lug from classroom to classroom.