Those schools that have rules like "you must not take your blazer off even if it is 30 degrees" - why?

[HerBeatitude]

I'm genuinely interested.

It seems so obviously unpleasant and unfair - adults sitting in short sleeves while kids are sitting there sweating and not allowed to make themselves more comfortable - that I'm always astonished when I hear about schools that have that kind of rule. I wonder what sort of adults would think it's a good idea to treat children so unkindly and with such a lack of respect and consideration. But there must be some educational or behaviour philosophy to it, mustn't there? I presume they don't just do it because they're all mad, so they must have some kind of thought-out reason as to why this is a good idea. Can anyone shed any light?

[bruffin]

Your school sounds like my DC's school Morosky. It was a sink school 7 or 8 years ago and a new headmaster turned it around. It's now a one of the most improved school in the country. It's actually a lovely school where children are happy and enthusiastic. From what I can gather the first thing they did was clamp down on the uniform.
The DC's carry an expectations card, any uniform breaches / forgotten equipment get marked on the card and more than a certain amount of demerits earn a detention.
Last summer we had a letter home during heatwave to say they didn't have to wear their blazers to school. Teachers can and do give permission to take blazers off in lessons.

My DD has just started yr7 earned her first mark on her expectation card today, she forgot to take her bracelet off last night and was wearing it in school. It was confiscated and I will get a letter home and i will have to pick it up personally, which is unlikely as the school is 6 miles away.

[UnquietDad]

I went to a school like that. Blazer on, tie done up, at all times. To be fair the teachers were expected to wear jacket and tie as well! We had to wait for the Headmaster's edict to come down before "summer uniform" was allowed (open-necked shirts).

It's good to have uniform, but also good to be a little bit flexible...

[Morosky]

Parents also have to come in to collect jewellery, mobile phones etc.

I agree unquietdad, our funniest little rule is about coats. As soon as you get into school you put your coat in a locker where it remains until the end of the day. However if it is heavy rain the headmaster will declare it a wet day - coats can then be worn between buildings. But we have to wait for a wet day to be declared, despite the fact that many of us teach in classrooms with floor to ceiling windows that make up at least one wall of our room. We can see if it is raining. But our tweeness makes us us I suppose.

I don't think we have ever been a sink school but we are certainly a school improving at a fast rate.

[tatt]

Morosky - last time we had a heat wave the pupils had to wear blazers and ties at our school (even the girls). The teachers were in short sleeved shirts - and tieless. None of the teachers would turn up in naything totally inappropriate but if male teachers aren't wearing ties it is unreasonable to expect students to do so.

I would have been quite happy if they had let them all take their ties off.

[Morosky]

Our male teachers - I am sure - always have to wear a tie. I agree that the tie should be kept on but should be loosened. A tie afterall does not make you hot. However making them wear blazers in such weather is daft.

[katiestar]

At my DS s school they have to wear a blazer, top buttond done up and tie on all the time in corridors & assembley hall, but can ask permission to remove blazers in the clasroom (but not ties or top buttons).I think that this can be justified interms of respect.Dressing smartly is a sign of respect for your teachers,like standing up when they enter the classroom Making yourself look more casual is less respectful - hence the need to ask permission first.But ir is unacceptable for a teacher to sy no and if it happened to one of my kids I would be complaining.

[BonsoirAnna]

I think uniform has its pros and cons. However, uncomfortable clothing that is inappropriate for the climate and does not meet current standards of dress, as uniform too often is, is inexcusable.

[campion]

I think you'd find my school a bit lax, Morosky, as the pupils do pride themselves in looking a bit scruffy ( in a slightly studied sort of way). Not quite grunge but not far off - they like to see how far they can push it and, personally, I'm only bothered by things like unsafe shoes, hair in the eyes, nail varnish and dangly ear rings as they can present real problems.

It does depend on the type of school, I think, and we're fortunate to have motivated pupils who come to school to work hard ( mostly).We staff dress appropriately ( though I'd be a bit if anyone tried to impose a dress code) and just get on with the job. I understand what you're saying about the unwritten message about discipline but I got rather fed up with the pettiness that this engendered in a previous school ( v large comp)where staff seemed to spend a lot of time barking at kids about top buttons.

But keeping kids in blazers on a hot day is just ridiculous, as I'm sure we all agree.

[Morosky]

Campion I did teach in a school like that, have taught in 2 actually and I did find it stretched to behaviour. I am also quite anal and picky so it suits me to work in a school that reflects me.

I am always barking about top buttons

[choosyfloosy]

It sounds like the army - is the point of all the uniform stuff in the army to create a unit out of a diverse bunch of unrelated people, and to have a reasonably harmless route by which designated authorities enforce rules equally to everyone, so that the unit gets used to obeying said designated authorities? I've never been in the army so I'm only going on films and whatnot.

I don't really know if I think that's a good thing or not. [ponders] I think if I were a teacher, I'd be keen on a strict uniform school, but i now prefer to avoid them as a parent. Maybe I'll change my tune when ds is older.

It used to make me weep with frustration, the pointlessness of our uniform at school and the carpet-chewing pointlessness of arguments about uniform.

[stressheaderic]

We've just introduced blazers this year (80% in favour parental vote), and I was dreading the enforcement/consequences issue - but pleased to report all pupils are in full uniform every day and are enjoying looking a bit smarter, have yet to see a blazer-less child...
The first thing I do at the beginning of every lesson is say 'feel free to take your blazers and/or jumpers off if you are hot or uncomfortable'...common sense really.

[Cortina]

At Bedales (don't have kids there but know some that do) the no uniform and calling teachers by their first name rule seems to really work. Few discipline issues etc. I was surprised that an indep school has this policy but it seems very liberal through and through.

[bloss]

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