Should certain rules be adhered to?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independen...ustified-2298925.html

Should cultural and ethnic backgrounds be taken into account when deciding uniform and hair style policies in British schools?

Or should we now say, come to school looking how you like and wearing what you like?

[Sqad]

BOO...God I love you when you get all masterly......

[ummmm]

Not at our school Lottie. Unless they have a letter from the parents explaining why they are not in correct uniform....they will be sent home.

Trouble is with the wearing of your own clothes is the rich and poor divide. As my town only has one Catholic upper school there really is a financial mix. It really would become apparent if they got to wear their own clothes.

[LoftyLottie]

Difficult to send boys home when they live at the school. I think most of the staff turned a blind eye to the older kids abusing school uniform as long as they didn't stand out as being completely diferent. . As long as they worked hard and were polite and respectful. I think older teenage kids looks awful in school uniform anyway. I think I am in the minority.

[pa___ul3]

I didn't realise it was a Catholic school ummm! ha! Suppose that sorts that issue!
At my school the uniform was a hinderance to some, especially when it came to walking past the other school, if anything the uniform was a symbol of being in a gang when the 'Noccy fights' were on!

[LoftyLottie]

You still get a rich and poor divide with school uniforms though. It is very obvious what kids come from the richer homes - they are usually the kids who wear the scruffiest uniforms and hand me downs. I found that the less well off parents made far more effort to see that their kids dressed well!! ;o)

[emmie]

ummm right about that too, children vie with one another about wearing the best designer labels and all that nonsense, and if many don't have any money, how do they deal with looking like the poor relation, i have seen it endless times, you let children start dictating what they will wear to school, then you have a problem.
No reason not to wear a uniform, smart, tidy and can be identified, that helps when the little devils go walkabout.

[jno]

"my house, my rules"? That doesn't allow you to introduce illegal rules, as the court has just pointed out. Even schools are subject to the law of the land, and so they should be.

For those who say the boy should have changed schools: he did.

[Brenden]

If the school rules are adhered to then the problem will not arise within the school gates. I respect your views and am pleased that you are neither a neo-nazi or football hooligan albeit that you are older and wiser.

[LoftyLottie]

Exactly jno!

[B00]

how would that law apply to the school in ummm's link though jno? The one where it states that the school itself will stipulate what they consider an extreme hairstyle? Are they, the school, breaking the law then?

[jno]

could be, B00: a school cannot set itself above the law, any more than I can announce I won't be having them gaylords in my nice B&B. If it introduces a policy banning haircuts on racial or sexual grounds, the courts will overrule it, as happened in the original story.

[bazwillrun]

I think some of you are missing the point, one of the reasons this school has been successful as far as blacks are concerned is that the very rule he doesnt like was introduced as one of the ways to stop any type of gang culture identity from being in the school, as the area has black gang problems.

so now the school will be forced to allow certain things that black gangs use as an identity !! great , now it will slowly go downhill again, what a hero he has been for his fellow bretheren.

whats even worse is hearing that the area has this problem, I grew up in this area just down the road from this school in Kenton, Harrow, never used to be any gang problems, never used to be many black s either

go figure !

[rov1100]

What gets my goat is how these trouble makers (extremists) use the law to settle some local dispute that should be tackled by the local council. Using the heavy fist of the law shows they have intentions to destabilise the system. It adds to the grievence when the law always comes down on their side to make an ass of well intentioned school staff.

I wish the law was so vigilent about tackling yobs in city centres.

[modeller]

I taught in a number of schools and the happiest were those who had a strict uniform policy. Children may say they don't like rules but in reality they do . They , the teachers, and the parents all know where they stand which creates a stable learning environment .
Freedom creates conflicts .

[boxtops]

Rules are rules - but in this instance I feel it's unreasonable that girls could have braids, but boys couldn't, that (IMO) is discriminatory.

[Kromovaracun]

Why on earth should a school be able to order children into what they wear? Obviously it makes sense with regard to outright offensive clothing or whatever, but I don't see why schools should be any more intensive.

Children are born, pressed into these institutions for as long as they can remember, are there from early in the morning til early evening, then have everyone expecting them to work at home as well. Oh, and they're going through puberty, living in a vicious and judgemental social environment (the playground), dealing with all the inevitable insecurities etc. AND they have adults barking down at them if their dress isn't perfect because of some vague and arbitrary notion of 'school pride'.

What a ridiculous and outdated notion. This idea that kids should all be wearing the same uniform seems to confer absolutely no benefit to anyone except a few adults who get to watch all the children file into assembly and think 'gosh, look at how neat they are.' Adults who, incidentally, have nothing even remotely approaching as strict a uniform policy, and are paid to be there. Is there really any serious evidence that a strict uniform policy decisively instils discipline into children? Really? Is it so unreasonable to just let children wear what they want to - within reason, of course? I don't think so.

[anotheoldgit]

Kromovaracun

Uniforms at schools are designed to put every pupil on a level footing, so they are essential to prevent the "I have better designer wear than you" syndrome, or in this case "I'm better than you, because of my cultural hairstyle".

Or are you against all types of uniforms?

In which case do you also think that the Armed Forces, the Police, the Emergency Services etc. should also not have uniforms?

[bazwillrun]

"Is it so unreasonable to just let children wear what they want to - within reason, of course?"

Brilliant contradiction,

This school has decided what it wiil allow as reasonable, this person went there knowing the rules and now unfortunately has won a case against the school which will probably lower its standards in the future.

This "minority " persons so called " beliefs" now take precedence over the education system.

[Old_Geezer]

I've always felt that excuse was incredibly weak. As if the pupils can't see who has the new expensive uniform and who the cheaper one that has to last the duration. Anyway any pupil who cares about such things have obviously not been taught too well by the parents/guardians. I know I didn't, and I can't recall an old school friend that did. So long as dress is reasonable according to social norms, any further restriction is just imposing for the sake of it, because they can.

[Old_Geezer]

One has to note the 2 aspects. Complying with existing rules, and having rules that are unnecessary. There is the questin as to whether insisting on a school uniform is reasonable, I'd say that was rather questionable.