School uniform policy. is it going too far?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Spendless wrote: »

I'm with you OP. My daughter's school is the same. There were so many restrictions on what you couldn't have as school trousers, you couldn't actually find a pair that fitted their 'brief' in the shops.

School then changed to sole supplier. Schools do this because of the supplier kickback. The irony at my DD's school is the skirt is cheaper than the trousers and the girls love them! Why? It's because the skirts are sold by waist measurement only, they are well above knee on my barely 5ft daughter, taller and slim girls have a 'school issue' mini-skirt on!

Next year all the bags change to being identical, which will be fun once a child picks up the wrong one by accident.

They changed the skirt policy due to Pupil on Pupil sexual harassment, Last year the girls were wearing skirts that "rode up" revealing their underwear and bottoms, some of the boys then thought it was fun to touch or slap a bottom if they knew a girl had thongs on so the policy got changed on the skirts ,thongs outlawed but they took it to the extreme, I agree with principle in which it was brought it, but the execution and rules within it are so strict it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, I would have though a skirt to the bottom of the thighs was acceptable (they were when I was in school for the girls), I made my girls wear those type of skirt but now they cant and theres hundreds of those types of skirts in many materials out there, Mid knee not so much.


I hate going regular clothes shopping as they never got their sizes, and we have to try on at least 30 pairs of trousers, jeans jegging etc before a single pair is suitable for her, I wont even go trainer shopping with her her mum does and put it this way when they go to Cardiff they set off at 8:30 and don't return until 9-10pm at night with her and even then she may not have found the "perfect" fitting and feeling not too hard not too soft, not too wide not too thin, not too flat not too arched pair.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

sheramber wrote: »

You can have a zip fastening up to the waist. If there are zips on the pockets unpick them

then she wont wear them I tried that, she wont wear "stupid looking pairs of trousers that has been butchered by mam or dad because it will make me look poor and silly in school and ill get teased".

Mela322

Comms69 wrote: »

That's just nonsense. Each school sets it's own uniform policy, it has nothing to do with central govt.


If you don't like it, you can ofcourse homeschool your kids....

And how many more of these schools are heading down this same route? More and more and more are in the news and on social media. The schools may have their own policies but you can clearly see it's trickling down for the top.

So many people are blind to what is happening in our schools, to our children. It's so subtle but it's there and schools are no longer the institutions they once were.

I don't speak nonsense, I speak experience and research. Over 3 year's worth with my youngest 3 and the full 16+ years with my oldest.

happyandcontented

In normal circumstances a uniform is a good thing, it enhances the community feel of the school. It is a leveller.

The OP has specific issues which mean they are struggling.

kingfisherblue

My son is disabled, and he could not adhere to full uniform policy in his primary school (he went to a special school from age 11). The head teacher was horrified that my son had to wear trainers of a specific design, instead of shoes. Shoes did not give him sufficient support round the ankle, nor did they have a 'tilt' to encourage heel to toe movement (he was a toe shuffler). His specialist wrote to state that he had to wear a specific style of trainers, with a prescribed insole, at all times. She was less than impressed (especially as he couldn't wear black plimsolls for PE - not that he was able to join in much PE anyway!).

If she had banned him from wearing the footwear that the specialist deemed to be correct for him, I would have written tot he governors, and if necessary to the LEA as well.

I fully understand (and to some extent, agree with) a strict uniform policy. However, for children with special needs, there should be reasonable adjustments. Unfortunately, some head teachers are less than tolerant.

Good luck OP - there are so many battles when you have a child with a disability, and it sounds as though you are constantly battling at the moment.

Anoneemoose

Op, have you raised the issue of how they are not making reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act? If not, why not? If they’re aware of your daughter’s issues and are refusing any assistance, then they are acting unlawfully and should be reported.

If you have raised it, what have they said?

theoretica

My school uniform was mostly one variety from the named supplier. Made things much easier for me, far fewer things to get teased about not being fashionable or the wrong brand. But the school supplier did make my size!

Have you tried looking at boys school trousers for her for more choice in an appropriate size?

Spendless

Mela322 wrote: »

And how many more of these schools are heading down this same route? More and more and more are in the news and on social media. The schools may have their own policies but you can clearly see it's trickling down for the top.

So many people are blind to what is happening in our schools, to our children. It's so subtle but it's there and schools are no longer the institutions they once were.

I don't speak nonsense, I speak experience and research. Over 3 year's worth with my youngest 3 and the full 16+ years with my oldest.

What IS going off? I've been wondering for some time. My 2 are 15 and 18 next month, so had at least one in the school system since 2003.

I saw a change creeping in shortly before my eldest left 18 months ago. Obsessed with punishing for the slightest misdemeanour and the situation with school uniforms to name but two. Mine had been sent to a stricter (secondary) school all along, so it wasn't that it was a 'sink' school raising standards

Friends and relatives with kids at different schools are telling me the same thing, so I know it's happening elsewhere.

Detroit

I think you need a sensible conversation with the school where you ask for their support in enabling your daughter to conform while accommodating her health condition.
By sensible, I mean avoiding making extreme suggestions such as teachers taking your daughter shopping, which you must know isn't realistic, and showing a commitment to finding a solution.
Forgive me, but your posts sound as though you've decided there's no way forward, for everything suggested you have a reason it wouldn't work.
Sadly your daughter's condition is not unique. Other children have these problems and solutions are found.
How about getting in touch with a support group for the condition? They may advise how to manage this for your daughter.

Katgrit

Mela322 wrote: »

I think schools are going too far. What does this actually teach them for the real world?

It'll teach them that sometimes they have to do as they're told, that sometimes there are rules to follow, and sometimes they might not get to do what they want. Like if they're working on a building site they HAVE to wear a hard hat and reflective waistcoat thing. Or if they're working in a factory making lemon curd they'll need to wear a protect apron and breathing mask when pouring out the citric acid (yup, I've done that job!) and if they want to be a surgeon they'll have to wear short sleeved shirts, no wedding ring and no watch. It just teaches them that tough !!!!!! sometimes you have to do stuff you don't like.