No backless sandals allowed.....

[BG2015]

Health and safety gone mad.

We've been told today that we are no longer allowed to wear sandals without a back. Fine to have an open toe they just have to have a strap around the ankle.

I've been working in schools for nearly 30 years and at my current teaching job for 18 years. Always wore sandals in the summer.

Looks like I'll be shopping at the weekend because someone's worried I might fall off my shoe, trip up or.....something??

This isn’t uncommon. My workplace doesn’t allow backless slip on shoes (aka mules) or sanders. Something to do with if you need to run in an emergency or stairs or something.

If f you’re allowed mules but not backless sandals then it makes no sense.

Not a teacher but our office has the same rule of no backless sandals after someone fell down the stairs a few years ago wearing birkenstocks because their foot came out of their shoe.

We only have one lift and many staff who need them for accessibility reasons so most able bodied staff use the stairs at least 8 times a day unless on the first floor.

Interesting to read this. I often wear open toe sandals, often wedges, somet8mes flat. This summer though ,I've been wearing fit flop sliders due to really bad plantar fasciitis. Someone did query me on it last week, but I said that is was these or block held winter boots, as that is all I can walk in!

Am moving jobs next year, will have to check out the uniform policy!

I am always v surprised by the 'not professional footwear' argument. Flip flops are plastic beach shoes. The OP is talking about a leather shoe without a back strap. It is perfectly possible to be smart and not have a strap around your ankle or a completely closed in shoe.

cansu thank you

Flip flops are plastic beach shoes. The OP is talking about a leather shoe without a back strap. It is perfectly possible to be smart and not have a strap around your ankle or a completely closed in shoe.
I agree.

I can see why some places just say no completely if people turn up wearing beach shoes though.

No Ts allowed at my school.

Tits
Toes
Tummies

No slip ons..if I need to run the length of the junior school field to help a child I am hindered in slip ons..it’s not H & S it’s common sense. I love that 3 Ts. That is so true.

You need to lead by example, it's part of your job to do this. Parents send pupils to school in expensive uniforms, get pupils to school on time - teachers need to show up on time and decently turned out. You will cope in a pair of flat shoes, you have the summer holidays to wear your flip flops. Crocs were banned for children at my DDs nursery (when they were all the rage!) because of trip hazard.

I think flip flops for work would be ridiculous, Birkenstocks not far behind and the third picture, less so, but still unprofessional.

Do your pupils have a uniform?

I think your colleague making a protest is pretty silly tbh

If there's any emergency we wouldn't be running anyway. We tell the children to walk smartly when it's fire drill.

I'd love to see any HT telling our staff what to wear!

I worked for many years in a medical facility where health, safety and hygiene were of the utmost importance the minute you walked in the door. Open toes were a big NO but open backs were allowed! (For Reception staff, admin etc.)

I’ve worked for 6 organisations, apart from a university, non have allowed backless shoes of any sort as appropriate office wear.

Flip flops are not professional footwear

Brain surgeons wear crocs.

We are allowed flip flops at my school. Just bragging.. I mostly wear trainers.

I come from a profession with a strong health and safety culture

(Dangerous site Stuff)

But this also translates into having some rules when in the office..
We have banned open toes and open heels in the workplace in the past (and very tall high heels tbh) if you have to evacuate in an emergency you don’t want to risk shoes coming off. And you certainly don’t want to have to kick shoes off to function. if there’s a fire and there’s likley to be broken glass on the ground.

Surgeons are dressed appropriately for their particular job inc washable shoes. It hardly equates to suitable business attire.

I think that the health and safety arguments are odd.I could run in my winter boots if I had to,but I don't think I could in most of my other shoes.I couldn't run in court shoes which presumably are OK having both toes covered and a back?
And my gut feeling is that if an adult falls down the stairs due to wearing unsuitable shoes that's their own problem - health and safety should protect you from decisions your employer might make which pose a risk to you,but you are responsible for your own decisions and how they work out.It seems vaguely idiotic that adults with responsible jobs,making decisions which impact on others,aren't allowed to decide what shoes to wear to work in.
I know that's not how H&S works now though

The H&S argument is ridiculous. Adults in a school are capable of assessing their own level of risk when it comes to footwear surely?

As for smartness I would be quite happy for everyone to dress fairly casually including children.

I agree flip flops aren't professional for work.

How exactly does a strap missing from a shoe prevent someone imparting knowledge?

I think there is a point to the H and S argument in some schools (e.g. a lot of stairs) but in that case there should be no open toes or heels at all.

No flip flops allowed in the school where I work. However, the minute the children leave and only staff are there, my shoes come off and fit flops go on!

In my old school we had this rule, yet the deputy would teeter around in the highest heels you've ever seen... bit hypocritical really.
I choose to wear closed toe summer shoes because I find them more practical (TA)