Not allowed blazer off at school- normal?

[BedBugs5]

The DC’s school has recently toughened its uniform policy and one rule in particular is causing controversy. The policy used to be that blazers had to be worn between lessons, but could be taken off in class with permission of the teacher. That seemed fair enough.

However, now the school has a “zero tolerance” policy whereby blazers have to be worn at all times on school premises, including in lessons. They can only be removed in class if the headteacher allows removal in exceptionally warm weather- DC aren’t allowed to ask permission.

The DC have complained about being warm. Is this policy normal for secondary schools and they just need to suck it up?

Same in my DS's school.
My DS got a detention for not having his blazer on properly ... at the time he had his arm in a cast and it wouldn't fit in the sleeve!!

I remember my friends school in England being like that in the 1990s/early noughties but never having heard such a rule in my school in Scotland! There are no schools in my area that even have blazers as uniform. It's jumpers or hoodies!

It's disgraceful. What purpose does it serve? In what world, when these kids finish school, is that ever going to be a rule?! It's not getting them ready for the real world, it's just making them resent school and authority.

Normal but incredibly stupid imo. I don’t see how children melting in their seats is helping them to learn. If anything, it's making it more difficult.

To those saying the rule is the norm- is it really normal that they aren’t allowed to take their blazers off at all (I.e they can’t even ask permission)?
Not the norm at schools in my area and we've got a few that are fairly draconian in my region.

The norm near me is either:

• blazers worn but can be removed as students need to
• blazers worn and removed with teacher permission, which in reality means every teacher tells their classes to remove them as they need to

As a parent I'd not be happy with DC being told that they must wear multiple layers all day, regardless of temperature.

In what world, when these kids finish school, is that ever going to be a rule?!

There are absolutely loads of jobs where you have to wear a uniform. My dh is a chef. He has to wear a chefs hat (not a tall one mind you) and he has to wear long sleeves even when it's really hot in the kitchen.

My DD's best friend is an air steward. His uniform is a thing to behold.

Tbh I don’t mind so much them not being allowed to take blazers off in the winter months. It shouldn’t really be necessary in January and I can see why they wouldn’t want DC repeatedly asking.

However, the school have said that the threshold for exceptionally warm weather will be high, so in concerned about the summer months.

The answer to that is not to have blazers ,isn't it? A jumper that can be put in a school bag is the easiest solution.
No one is even smart in London anymore,it's ridiculous that schools have cling on to this stupid notion that 'blazer means good school.'

Makes me quite ranty, imagine being hot and not being allowed to take your blazer off,it's awful.

The answer to that is not to have blazers ,isn't it? A jumper that can be put in a school bag is the easiest solution.

Yes, no jumper is ever left behind in a primary school! And they don't even move classes every lesson. I must spend 45 minutes every week dealing with jumpers.

Ours can take off in class. It's no wonder teens think school rules like these are silly. And not relevant to their future life

*The answer to that is not to have blazers ,isn't it? A jumper that can be put in a school bag is the easiest solution.
No one is even smart in London anymore,it's ridiculous that schools have cling on to this stupid notion that 'blazer means good school.'

Makes me quite ranty, imagine being hot and not being allowed to take your blazer off,it's awful.*

I don't think that is the answer. Maybe the answer could be wear a jumper but don't ask any member of staff where your jumper is and any left behind jumpers get put in the furnace.

At our school they are allowed to take them off when they are hot, they don't have to ask but they have to put them on between classes. My dd likes the blazer because she keeps all her stuff in the pockets.

That’s the same as our school too. There are special emails sent out in the summer when it’s really hot allowing blazer removal. I do think it’s silly but you asked if it’s normal and in my limited experience of one huge state high school in Surrey, yes. At least they are reasonably lightweight washable blazers, not heavy wool.

My sister’s daughter is at a Kent grammar and they have to even wear them on the school commute / the train etc.

We're talking about secondary school though,older kids with school bags. We made ds pay for replacement uniform if he lost it, surprisingly he was super careful with it 😉

My Scottish school had blazers but they were never compulsory. I wore mine about three times across the full six years I attended the school.

I do think they’re better than the school jumpers I used to have though, or those they had at the junior school. They keep loads of stuff in the pockets all the time, so they’re quite useful. They bundle up just as small as the jumper, more or less. And they do look a lot nicer.

I think the blazer rule (which I too find a strange rule) is more a matter of principle than anything...and uniform rules are good, it prepares students to remain respectful of a uniform policy which I find an increasing number of young people do not have the ability to do in my workplace. The little snowflakes think they're above it!!

Makes me glad I went to a secondary school that didn't have a uniform. Seriously considering moving back so my DC can avoid this nonsense 😒

I would imagine the not asking has been implemented to stop the teacher having to answer 30 odd times to the question.

The idiocy is the needing to ask in the first place. It's pretty obvious to any human being in front of a class that if they aren't in a blazer and tie and are warm that everyone else is too.

What exactly are schools hoping to achieve with these ridiculous rules? DD is at a non uniform school so thankfully we avoid all this crap.
I can't imagine having to ask permission to remove a blazer or jumper.
When I was at school, we decided ourselves if we wanted to remove jumpers, we didn't have blazers. We generally loosened ties but when it was hot, the head gave permission to not wear ties. He was pretty sensible with it.

We had this when I was at grammar, it was 30 degrees at one point and I was told to put my blazer back on by the deputy head wearing a sleeveless dress in a lovely floaty fabric. I promptly threw it at her and told her to wear it if it was that important. I can't remember the consequences of my actions but the showdown went down in school history.
Currently at work, still being forced to wear an uncomfortable blazer, some things never change.

‘The little snowflakes’ 🤮

When you have rules that make no good sense other than ‘as a matter of principle’ you've got to wonder how fair the rule is to those who have to abide by them…

Not allowed off at my kids school either, even in the summer heat wave

School my daughter is going to next doesn't allows coats. Fullstop.

Rain, snow, pneumonia - no coat allowed.

Potentially fine if you're dropping kid off at door and picking up from door but what not if you have to walk.

Also - woollen tights all year round. Heatwave-wollen tights

Nuts. Absolutely nuts.

Blazers and jumpers here until the summer heatwaves email arrives.

Not allowed to remove blazers at all here, the only time they are is when it is deemed to be too hot and we have an email home to confirm they don't have to be worn but must be carried in. (Ridiculous).

They are also not allowed to wear any earrings at all, not even a single pair of studs.

At ours only S6 have to wear blazers and they are of course allowed to remove them for comfort.

S1-S5 just wear normal coats which they can remove.