What's the rule on ties/top buttons at your child's school and how do they wear it?

[cuntrybumpkin]

My friend has just dropped her children off so I can take them to school and she made the comment 'you don't let them go to school like that do you?' and pointed out that I was seemingly being lax in not making my children do up their ties and top buttons like she does with hers.

Now I do know that her children aren't the sort to modify their uniform the moment that their mother is out of sight because I've seen them at school and they still look as tidy as they did when they left the house.

It's not something I've really ever thought about, and not considered that I might be in the 'wrong' for not making mine do up theirs. I've always just assumed that the school would do something if there was an issue.

Both Middle and High school here the rule is top button done up. High School has clip on ties all neatly tied.

I am sure the school would say if they didn't think anyone was smart enough. You are taking your friend's children to school-she should stop with the comments!

It's none of her business and if the school has a problem then they should deal with it. However you should read the school policy on uniform and support the school by trying to enforce it at home even if they will change it the moment they go out the door. It shows that you respect authority.

Those who are "old fashioned" (I worry that I might fall into this catagory not how I would like to see myself!!) will tell you that you never undo you top button and leave your tie on or remove you tie and leave you jacket on. There was a thread about exactly this a few weeks ago you should search it.

Top buttons done up and ties on at all times. My DD's got annoyed with me as I was insisting they tuck in their blouses, so I checked with the school and girls are apparently allowed to have them untucked. They are also cross with me as I won't let them wear nail polish which apparently is allowed - I'm not budging on this one though!

It's one of those things that is always going to be a bit of a tussle between schools and pupils. I provide them with the right uniform and let them get into trouble if they choose not to wear it 'correctly'. Different staff have different bug bears. There's one teacher at the junior school who has a real 'thing' about shirts and blouses being tucked in. ds (when in Yr10 - so left 4 years) came to the jnr school for some reason (to do with picking his sister up or school fete or something) , saw the teacher, and automatically started to tuck himself in, even though he wasn't actually untucked!

However, if I were doing a friend a favour by dropping her dc at school, I wouldn't expect her to be so rude about my dcs standards of dress!

V strict about top button done up and tie neatly tied (tip of tie to reach the boy's waistband of his trousers).

Top button open and a tie looks terrible, why bother wearing the tie at all? You don't see grown men wearing their top button undone with a tie. Or if you do, they are bookies.

My son takes his tie off for the commute home.

Ties are ridiculously old fashioned. And of course lots of people wear jackets without ties.

I think schools should get rid of ties. Almost nobody wears ties to work anymore. And I especially dislike seeing girls in ties. Ugh.

i like to see DS in a tie (even if it is a clip on one). The colour of the tie indicates which house they are in.

At DS's school, top buttons must be done up and tie on. If it's hot (ha!) they have "short sleeve orders" and are allowed to remove their tie and undo heir top button, but have to replace the tie, and do up the button before they put on their blazer to go home.

I think you'll find its not "short sleeve order" but "shirt sleeve order" its a military term. Blazers/jackets off, tie off, top button undone and sleeves neatly rolled up.

Oh, thank you. One of us must have misheard!

Top buttons done up, blazers and ties to be worn at all times at DS's school, the head will give "shirt sleeve order" when it is hot - hasn't happened yet this year!!

Top button done up, tie correctly tied and blazer on at all times.

If not after two warnings they get an after school detention.

No short sleeves in summer either - harsh!

DDs school blouses don't even have a top button (shock horror), and the ties are worn at half mast by all at hher school. As long as they get good results does it really matter? And yes I am sure I will be flamed, but surely learning standards are more important than dress ones?

Dd1's school have clip on ties for the boys but girls wear open necked blouses with no tie.

My current school claims to be really strict with uniform but we're not really. The rule is top buttons done up and ties done up neatly, but in reality most of them have top buttons undone (or missing) and ties in a really big knot half way down. I know that all most teachers enforce correct uniform at the start of each lesson but by half way through the lesson the ties are all back to the way they started. I waste so much of my life saying 'sort out your top button and tie'. We're getting a new head in September and I really hope she brings in clip on ties or possibly even scraps the idea of ties in the first place.

I agree JellicleCat - as long as the pupils are behaving themselves and working hard then the odd indiscretion regarding uniform isn't going to come to too much harm.

I'm not quite sure what the rule is at my DDs' school since I've sen pupils wearing their ties in all sorts of different ways and none of them seem to get disciplined over it, my 3 included. The eldest daughter wears hers properly done up all the time, the middle one wears it so it's barely visible under her jumper and the youngest generally wears it with the top button undone but sometimes pushed up and sometimes further down.

Oh and yes we're familiar with the untucked shirts being hidden under the jumpers too!

Question: Why do some schools have clip on ties? DSSs school have clip ons, but DS school wear regular ties that you tie yourself.

Is it like being in the police - and they wear clip ons in case of being strangled with a tie? Or is it like kids wearing shoes with velcro fastenings as they can't tie laces??

Shrimp, I believe that the clip on tie is for two reasons:

1. It is pre-tied at regulation length so stays uniform
2. It cant be grabbed in a fight and used to throttle the wearer

DCs school introduced blazers & ties recently and for some mad reason went down the clip on tie route which means that students arent getting the chance to learn how to tie a tie.

The rule at my DCs school is top button and tie done up. The reality is that they can wear it loosened with the top button undone provided it doesn't look too scruffy.

All the local schools insist on top buttons and properly tied ties. Some children need repeated reminders and will undo/loosen whenever possible.

As a parent I do, and always wood, insist on the same, as I think anything else just looks dreadful and creates a bad impression. If o're going to wear a tie, wear it properly!

My son is nearing the end of year eight and is still waiting for school to issue a shirt sleeve order, the weather has been so shit recently.

DSs school is very strict on uniform, top button must be done up and tie has to be all the way up with the school crest an inch from the knot. I don't police it however. The boys know the rules, if they break them it's up to them to take the consequences. I have to say though, I hate all the undone button/weird tie combinations. If you wear it, wear it properly otherwise it just looks odd.

My ds has a tie, and although it's always done up and so is the top button, the knot can sometimes be disappearing under the collar. The number of school photos I wish someone had pointed out to him, to straighten his tie.

My dd wears an open neck blouse so no tie issue.

A school isn't made by a tie, or whatever uniform, but I do believe whatever the uniform is, should be worn smartly and correctly.

My pet hate, pullovers pulled off the shoulders.

I suppose schools insist on minor rules being obeyed; so the major rules will be obeyed.

A bit like the theory of army training. But regimentation in schools should be a matter of degree. Because we are not all potential soldiers.