Sending home from school

[frami]

Our Secondary School's new head has had a clampdown on uniform, which in itself is not for me a problem. The issue I have is how it is being implemented. On arrival at school the kids are made to line up in the street outside the school gates where they are inspected and any child not adhering to the standards are immediately sent home. My problem with this is that many of the children travel long very distances to the school and are being sent home without their parents being informed. The Head claims that because the kids haven't entered the school gates they are not reponsible for the kids. Does anyone know if this is correct? This is a big issue as a few years ago a child died while out of school. (Parents thought he was in school. School assumed he was off sick, which resulted in school always contacting parents about detentions, sending home, non appearance etc.) Also the people doing the "inspections" are not teachers merely support staff. The kids find their decisions arbitary and inconsistant, with "easy" students who's parents will not cause trouble being singled out. I feel if they are going to send home kids, that the Head should be the person deciding this but do not know if this is a legal requirement. Can anyone advise?

BTW To clarify: my child has not been sent home but parents' have been given an opportunity to meet the head in person and when I do I want to raise my concerns in a fair and reasoned manner.

Just send them in wearing the correct uniform, rather than trying to control what happens when they're not?

The school have a duty of care towards the pupils - the fact they're outside the school gate seems to me to be irrelevant. And if they're outside the school gate and so are apparently not responsible for their well-being, why are they checking uniform there? They can't have it both ways - either they're at school and can have uniform checked, or they're not at school and can't.

I don't know about the legalities but if you look at the DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance - Here it says that "Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children." I would see this as a safeguarding issue.

Report them.

This type of Draconian behaviour is awful.

Can you imagine what would happen if people were lined up outside work to have thier attire examined before entering the building.

This should be reserved for the army, navy and RAF where personal know what they signed up for and had a choice.

In dd's school uniforms are checked on the way in to school and by form tutors in registration. Any infringements result in pupils being put into internal exclusion room and parents informed who then have the choice to bring in the required item to allow their child to return to lessons or to leave the child where they are for that day. It's not a surprise to anyone, uniform requirements are clear and consequences of failing to meet them are well known. AFAIK it isn't a regular occurrence in dd's school anyway probably because it is a very clear policy.

𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 I agree my child is always in correct uniform and has not been sent home but there will always some who are not and some who I fear will deliberately flout the rules if they think they might be able to get a day off school as a result. I agree with being diciplined for non compliance with uniform rules but parents should be informed before they are sent home.
𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐧𝟏𝐭𝐲𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 the policy you describe is exactly the same as in the school under the previous head and worked very well. The school is already very successful, and it feels as if the new head is looking for problems to solve. For example the uniform has always stated kids should use rucksacks rather than any other bag, colour, make didn't matter. Now they have to be plain black, no writing , logos, pattern anything. To send kids home for such an offence seems a little draconian to me.

Seems like a big safeguarding fail to send them home without informing parents. They're taking a big risk.
It won't be a day off school - I imagine the school is tracking who has gone home and when they arrive back.

Contact ofsted

merely support staff

Sorry but this is very offensive to highly trained underpaid staff who put up with a lot of parental abuse and deal with very diffficult children day in day out - without them many students wouldn't be in school receiving the education they do.

As you were!

Also the people doing the "inspections" are not teachers merely support staff

this line alone shows the total contempt you hold staff in, and will o doubt be passing on to your children.

What on earth do you think you mean by "merely"?

I think the policy in dd's school is more likely to be successful tbh because I know that I would be seriously pissed off to be called by school and have to hotfoot it down there with an item of uniform. Dd would know I was seriously pissed off which would be the only deterrent needed to ensure she didn't do it a second time.
I'm not sure that if parents aren't informed and the dc get sent home that there is any incentive for them to arrive in a full uniform in fact there is probably a disincentive if you perhaps have PE first lesson and it's freezing and wet or a maths test etc etc

One of the local schools does checking at the school gates and sending home. Ours does isolation until the correct item is brought in, although I think they have spares they will lend out if possible. Dd has never found it hard wearing the right thing each day though. If someone couldn't afford it I hope they'd be given spare stuff.

I totally get why this is a highlighted concern for you but if parents know what's happening, they need to ensure their kids are sent in with the correct uniform and wearing it - mine would be devastated if she was turned away at the school gates and knows we wouldn't be happy.

Mine has a key, knows how to get home and she has to telephone me if sent home unexpectedly (never happened). Even if she fancied a few days skiving, she knows we find out as we have to sign their termly report and taking it back in on parents evening - the report contains details of unauthorised absence.

Sending kids home is fine, but parents should be informed.
DfE says:

'A head teacher, or a person authorised by the head teacher, may ask a pupil to go home briefly to remedy a breach of the school’s rules on appearance or uniform. When making this decision schools need to consider the child’s age and vulnerability, the ease and time it will take, and the availability of the child’s parents. This is not an exclusion but an authorised absence. However, if the pupil continues to breach uniform rules in such a way as to be sent home to avoid school, or takes longer than is strictly necessary to effect the change, the pupil’s absence may be counted as an unauthorised absence. In either case the pupil’s parents must be notified and the absence should be recorded. If a school is considering excluding a pupil in response to breaches of uniform policy then this must be in line with the legal requirements for exclusion.'

𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝟏𝟒𝟖𝟒𝟐𝟐𝟔𝟓𝟔𝟏 and 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝟓𝟓
I apologise if my use of "merely" offended, I typed without thinking how it would read. I am certainly not "𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧". One of them worked as a LSA for a year at the school between school and Uni. He was also Head Boy and his sister Head Girl so I doubt if they held the staff in contempt. But to return to the point: I did not mean to put them down the support staff when I posted. What I meant was that I actually think that they should not be put in the position of sending pupils home. The new Head has instigated this policy but is not doing any of the work or getting any of the flack. He is famous in the field of educational planning and is happy to promote his achievements but reluctant to get his hands dirty,

𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞𝟒 I agree with all you have written and my child would be the same as yours. We live nearby and I work from home so it would never be a problem for me. However the school is the only state school of it's kind in the area and takes pupils from very long distances, some rely on designated school buses that operate only for the school run. It is these kids that I worry about, and question the wisdom of sending straight home.

Sending any student home for uniform issues is ridiculous. I think school uniform in general is altogether unnecessary and agree with ivykaty44 upthread. But even if we accept that the school has a strict uniform policy, that doesn't justify this response.

Most schools make a great fuss over attendance and act as if missing a day for any reason is jeopardizing students' educational outcomes. But at the same time the lessons are so unimportant that having the wrong socks, shoes or rucksack is a good enough reason to send a student home?! A reminder would be more appropriate. Detention for repeat offenses.

I worked for a number of years as a member of support staff in a primary school. I'd have felt very, very bad about being required to enforce anything like this. There's no justification for it.

I don't think they'd do it in a primary school.

It is these kids that I worry about

Why are you worrying at all? Have you any actual evidence that the school is turning away kids at the gate who then have to walk home 5 miles to change their socks without their parents knowing?

And if they are, (which I doubt) don't you think the parents would be on the case?

Yes maybe the school are already following the guideline "When making this decision schools need to consider the child’s age and vulnerability, the ease and time it will take, and the availability of the child’s parents."

𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞 I'm concerned because a few years ago a child from the school went missing later found dead after playing truant. My evidence for knowing kids are being sent without parents knowledge is that I go to church with one of the parents who's child was sent home. (He takes 3 buses). However the matter has now been resolved as it was raised tonight at a meet the new head evening, that was my reason for my posting I wanted to know the rules before I raised anything. In the event it was raised by others and there have been complaints from parents. it transpires the staff doing the inspections were not given clear instructions and as a result have been sometimes overzealous in their implementation.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my post.

I'm concerned because a few years ago a child from the school went missing later found dead after playing truant.

the most faux of faux concern.

How about the children kept in school who are killed in road accidents on their way home? How dangerous and uncaring of staff to keep them inn school for the day.

Its none of your business. Just send your children in in the correct uniform. If someone wants to send their child to a school three buses away, they will be travelling on three buses to get home, whenever they leave.

How petty of them, kids will always tweak uniforms they should be more concerned with attendance and productivity

So the outcome of a s hook behaving like this is, if you as a teenager want the day of school, errand the wrong uniform and get sent home by important school staff doing a job they have been instructed to do.

Day of school at schools insistence

Need time of for wedding or funeral and this is the simplest option

Kids who are sent home to change don't get the day off school, they are expected to come back, otherwise it's an unauthorised absence per DfE advice above.