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Dangerous School Uniform Code.

Posted on 12th February 2023

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I am very glad that none of my children went to a school like the one described in this report on the Sun. I would have gone to war with the school. There are so many issues with the controlling attitude and overreach of the school in question.

Aaron Bayley's son Levy had his coat confiscated by the school (Jesmond Park Academy), although it was obviously later returned), in the middle of an especially harsh winter, because it breaches their uniform code. The uniform rules require coats that have the school logo. Unfortunately the school-branded jacket is a thin jacket, not even water-proof, rather than a proper winter coat.

It gets worse, however. The school requires that students remove their coats at the gate before entering school grounds (which means that students often get cold and wet before they are allowed to enter the building). I don't see how what students wear outside of the school grounds is any of the school's business; I was subject to a similar school rule, but that was many years ago, and such overreach by schools is not tolerable today.

Add to that the fact Levy was recently hospitalised due to a bad case of 'flu, and two medical experts declared the official school-branded coat was "not suitable" for cold weather.

As Aaron Bayley points out, the uniform rule is not even compliant with government guidelines (it is unclear whether these are actually regulations, or mere suggestions), which state that schools should keep branded clothing "to a minimum" and should not require parents to buy branded versions of "everyday" items like coats, so that they can be used on non-school days.

It seems that Mr. Bayley is not the only parent to find the rules unfair. It looks like the school could have a parent revolution on their hands, which seems entirely appropriate.