Please tell me this is a windup

[Theresaholeinyourmind]

Hi all,
Newbie here, lurking for a few weeks now and learning a lot. I haven't felt the need to post before but I just read an article in the Telegraph today about compulsive veil wearing in some schools
and I am beyond disturbed. Apologies for lack of link, can't work out how to do it.
Let me point out that I hate the idea of laws on what you can wear and not wear, was sort of against a UK burka ban as I thought it ultimately wouldn't help the people involved. But this, if true, is a bit much to me. Comments?

here?
I'm assuming not a wind-up.
and yes, not good.

compulsive veil wearing? As in women/girls wearing the veil as a response to an irresistible urge to do so?

It tells you how to do links to the right of the box where you type your message, btw.

LOL @ compulsive, sorry post in haste and so on ahem compulsory!
Am posting and running now, oppressed female going to feed the family, will be back later to read and learn

And re links, I can't find the symbol I need, this is a foreign keyboard

It's an absolute disgrace!

Independent schools can impose any uniform policy they want. Why is anyone remotely surprised? It's called "parental choice".

Inflammatory Daily Telegraph headline designed to make people think their daughters will be forced to wear niquab at local comprehensive.

I agree, would be interesting to see what uniform policies are for independent moslem all-boys schools.

I note that this uniform is only compulsory OUTSIDE school, i.e to be worn on the school run.

They are, according to the article, all fee paying secondary schools, and are free to set their own uniform.

They may inspected by OFSTED, unless they are also members of the Independent Schools Council, in which case they'll be inspected by ISI. They'll have to be registered with DofE (or whatever it's called these days)..

I agree with you Dittany on the subject of uniform.
Thanks everyone for your comments too.
My biggest beef here is the fact that this is being imposed on children. No mater how small the numbers of schools involved.
In the case of adult burka wearers, one perhaps has to accept that this is a personal choice, whatever doubts you may or may not have.

Well, as far as I know JFS in North London makes wearing a kippah compulsory for all boys, and that's a state school. So this isn't a unique situation.

I don't like the idea of full body veil as a compulsory uniform, but I think it's more a question how are the girls being taught there?

If it's school that caters to a section of society which feels women shouldn't be seen, I find it hard to believe they'd be educating these girls to a level which would leave them with infinite career options. Are they taught that they can be anything, go anywhere? Or are they being taught how to be submissive wives and mothers.

But that could just be racist assumptions on my part, for all that I try not to be racist. And if so I apologise from the bottom of my heart.

SGM "However, I think all school uniforms are vile, stupid representations of patriarchy."

WOW, that's an interesting argument. Could you elaborate/link?

I always thought they were a good thing, in the main, because of our class divide, and that they minimized the differences between boys and girls. They also stop schools being a "fashion parade" as my form teacher used to say.

I have had DCs in uniform and in civvies, at two different schools.

I think the uniforms actually maximise the differences between boys and girls if the girls must wear skirts and the boys must wear trousers.

It's been my observation that where uniforms were compulsory most of the girls strove once they got to about age 11 to individualise them and put a lot of effort into rolling up skirts, wearing coloured tank tops under the shirts, etc. The younger children tried really hard to fit in and look very like everyone else. Boys couldn't care less.

In the school without the uniform they took note of the style of others, but in general got over the personal appearance aspect after the first few weeks. People are hardwired to sort and categorise other people and to individualise themselves using appearance; forcing uniforms only makes this tendency manifest itself in more subtle ways -- hairstyle, accessories, anything wearable outside the scope of the uniform regulations. The fashion parade becomes the very small detail parade.

WRT the veiling of possibly prepubescent girls -- appalling. '"How on earth are these young ladies going to grow up as part of a fully integrated society if they are made to regard themselves as objects at such a young age?" Quote from Philip Hollobone in the link.