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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

The school coat problem.....?

176 replies

Whippet · 16/01/2012 16:29

-3 C when DS left for school this morning...... in his BLAZER

What do you do?
Is there a solution?
He is only in his second term of secondary, so this is a new phenomenon for me...

There is no 'official' school coat as such, but it has to be plain black or navy and long enough to cover his blazer apparently.

He already has a NEXT black moleskin jacket, and a more casual black jacket too... bu won't wear either...

Help.

OP posts:

Original poster

Whippet · 19/01/2012 09:23

whayhey - just popped back and spotted all the responses to my thread!

Still no coat wearing here , but he has started wearing white T-shirts under his shirt and even his jumper, so that's fine for now.

He got a really nice stripy scarf for Christmas, but hadn't worn that (said he wanted too, but no other boys wore them) then he came home on Tues and announced that he & his mates had agreed that yesterday would be 'scarf day' and they'd all wear them and then no single person would risk getting laughed at
And they did (wear them), and they didn't (get laughed at)!
Who knows, he might have started a trend...

OP posts:

CheerfulYank · 19/01/2012 09:44

That's kind of sweet Whippet. :)

What is it about teens and coats? Where I grew up you had to wear one, -30 temps were the norm. But as soon as it warmed up the slightest bit, off they'd go! And I distinctly remember not wanting to wear a hat...WHY, ffs?

musicposy · 19/01/2012 12:37

I also remember my mother making me put a raincoat on to go to school despite a good half hour of arguing. The minute I got round the corner and she couldn't see I took it off, even though it was pouring with rain.

I look back now and wonder what possessed me but it did teach me it was pointless to have battles over these things. :)

BadTasteFlump · 19/01/2012 12:48

DS1 refused to wear a coat for school (he already had a selection - a Next one and a couple of more cheapies) until I bought him 'The' coat he wanted - a Superdry one which was feck expensive. He wore it proudly every day for a fortnight then lost it. I've given up now.

melika · 19/01/2012 13:15

JD sports do a Mckenzie jacket that will just about cover a blazer £30 in sale. Black wool with a hood. I think it is nice and he does.

JugglingWithSnowballs · 19/01/2012 13:37

Last winter we had a letter from DDs school saying that any coats worn had to be plain navy or black and no fashion coats were allowed (not quite sure what they meant, especially as school shop doesn't actually sell any coats - surely all coats have some kind of styling ?)

Anyway, fast forward to this year and just before Christmas another letter from the head this time saying that bad weather was forecast for the day the school all walks down to the Cathedral on last day of term, and could everyone make sure they had a coat (no mention of avoiding certain styles) and sensible waterproof footwear - even wellies were mentioned (and subsequently worn by dd) Amazing turn of events !

Perhaps he's been reading Mumsnet since last year and become enlightened by our collective wisdom

kmdwestyorks · 19/01/2012 13:39

I never ever wore a coat and the day i did decide i needed a coat because it was cold was also the day i knew i was a grown up.

A pivotal point in my life indeed and similar to the event a few years later when i was actually grateful for and finally wore the christmas slippers.

I say leave them be, it's a self punishing rebellion which is, frankly (now that i'm a more mature woman) infinitely more punishing than it is rebellious.

Rezolution · 19/01/2012 13:51

Juggling Your post has made me laugh. Award yourself a pat on the back and a
I could tell DD was under the weather (pun?) when she wore her coat to school yesterday. Her bad throat and other symptoms got the better of her and she just had to button up! lol

carmenelectra · 19/01/2012 14:13

This thread made me laugh.

My 12 yr old ds refuses to wear a coat for school. Even last winter with all that snow he wouldn't either. Wears a short sleeved shirt(long sleeved ones and jumpers are 'gay') and blazer. Occasionally he wears gloves, but no hat cos it messes his hair.

He has a nice plain black sports named coat that is also 'gay', hence he will not wear.

He looks cold, though he denies it. I worry people will think who the hell would let their child go out like this.

He will wear a raincoat type thing if it is torrential rain only. OF course their are no lockers at school, but that can be screwed up in his bag.

carmenelectra · 19/01/2012 14:16

Lol at whippet and the scarf day! Thats what it all biols down to, what their mates do or think is cool.

As for the poster whose son lost a new Superdry coat, sounds like my ds. Even back in the day, at primary school, when coats were still worn( and jumper, hat and gloves), he regularly lost half of his school uniform.

JugglingWithSnowballs · 19/01/2012 14:18

Thanks Rez - Just time for a brew before pick-up time !

bubby64 · 19/01/2012 15:21

Dreading my 2 going up to High School next yr then, 15 minute walk to bus stop, then 30 minute journey, nowhere to hang coats, put bags etc until you are in yr 9, so its the younger ones who have to carry stuff around all day, I see most of the kids waiting for the bus (in the dark and cold at 07.30am as their school hours are a stupid 08.15-2.30) huddled in jumper with sleeves pulled over their hands, hat and occasional scarff! I already have a battle to get my 2 to wear a coat down to the primary, they usuall compromise by wearing it, but not doing it up, they are only just 10!!

exoticfruits · 19/01/2012 17:37

I drove past a DS of about 12/13yrs tonight. He obviously couldn't be bothered to get changed after PE and had Tshirt and shorts-he was sauntering along quite happily.

pacifist · 19/01/2012 17:51

My younger teen is the same - no coat even in the coldest of weathers, and she takes 2 buses and up to an hour to get to school. Mind, there is less waiting now she has a bus checker app. I have quizzed her and she is not unwilling to wear one but it is a practical problem at school - there is nowhere safe to put a coat and she doesn't want to carry it round all day along with all her other stuff (books, packed lunch etc). I think that schools should HAVE to provide secure coat storage.

TheHumancatapult · 19/01/2012 18:41

Ds2 does not infact hardly any if then do but it's because means has to go into their bags during the day

sheepgomeep · 20/01/2012 09:27

let them get on with it. The only time ds will wear a coat is when its raining.

I had to laugh this morning when I said to him this morning that its raining and perhaps he ought to wear a coat. He was like no mum for gods sake mum I'll be fine, no one wears a coat etc etc.

He opens the door, sees the rain, stands and comtemplates for about a minute, turns without a word, puts his coat on and walks out the door

BendyBob · 20/01/2012 09:41

We also have coat issues. My dd (13) will go through phases of not wearing one even if the weather is awful which is crazy.

Or she will wear it, leave it in her locker and not have it for next time. This is repeated until every coat/jacket she and I own are all at school stuffed in the locker. So having a locker can add to the problem

Acanthus · 20/01/2012 09:42

The thing is, even when schools DO provide storage the kids won't use it. If your locker is not on the direct route from the current lesson, your mates won't walk past it, you see, so you'd have to GO ON YOUR OWN.

(Or worse, mention that you have a coat!)

ElaineReese · 20/01/2012 09:49

Some people never grow out of this... there's a dad in dd2's playground who wears a polo shirt and SUNGLASSES every single day of the year.

dd1, y10, wears her coat because she quite likes it this year - but had phases of not doing.

Lots of them wear hoodies over their uniform on the way, and then stuff them into their bags when they get to school.

In the summer, the girls will wear cardigans of choice instead of the jumper, and stuff them into their bags when the get to school, too.

BendyBob · 20/01/2012 09:53

'your locker is not on the direct route from the current lesson, your mates won't walk past it, you see, so you'd have to GO ON YOUR OWN.'

Lol Exactly Acanthus! This fact is pointed out to me as if it is an obvious truth in life and I am slow on the uptake

Or they lose the locker key and the caretaker has to use boltcutters on the lock

There is a special kind of exasperation required where teens are concerned. They have a reply for everything but rarely an anwer that I actually understand. I guess that's how I'm viewed in return though

KWL51 · 20/01/2012 09:54

ds1 refused to wear a coat for ages, its only really this year that he started wearing one again, he's yr 10. even in the snow last year and with coats chosen by him he wouldnt wear one to school, but did wear a long sleeve 'skinz' top under his school shirt. mind you this is the boy who will only wear short sleeve shirts.
ot i know but 2 years ago the school changed the uniform from everyone wearing the same colour sweatshirt with a tie and shirt to a different coloured acrylic jumper depending on which house you are in, which now means that in the summer term the children still have to wear acrylic jumpers and are not allowed to just wear a shirt and trousers/skirt. Even with roll on anti perspirant and spray deodrant, it can;t be a pleasant smell at school in the summer months.

NoMoreInsomnia12 · 20/01/2012 13:52

I always wore a coat but was a bit funny about fastening it up. I never remember feeling the cold though. DD1 often comes out of school in winter with a coat, not fastened up and with no cardigan. Brrr. At least she does wear a vest though.

Umleila · 21/01/2012 01:02

I could never work out why the kids from our local secondaries never wore coats until my daughter went to one and I disovered that they have nowhere to put them. The lockers are too small, and there are no coat hooks so they'd have to carry them round all day. I think this is cruelty to kids. I can see ordinary hooks are not secure enough but there are secure coat racks with locks (seen them in hotels).

PhyllisDoris · 24/01/2012 15:55

I think the problem is that (unlike in my school days at least) it isn't safe to leave a coat in the cloakroom. Indeed I'm not even sure whether my DDs' school has a cloakroom! Therefore the kids have to carry coats around all day and find somwwhere to put them in very crowded classrooms.

JugglingWithSnowballs · 24/01/2012 16:25

Really PD ? I'll have to check with dd what it's like at her school regarding cloakrooms - although I think I've heard her mention them at some point.
I know they don't have enough lockers for everyone though, so dd has to carry her books around with her all day. Doesn't help with organisation which she does have problems with ( possibly related to mild dyslexia )

Anyway, it will make life harder for some children in particular, so what madness is this ? Can't we please have cloakrooms and lockers for all. It seems quite basic provision to me.

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