Surely safety should come before dress code?

[luckimum]

We live at the top of a large hill and every winter it is treacherous trying to get down a steep hill of black ice to get children to school. My youngest 2 only have to go halfway down the hill, but their school advises they wear wellies or snowboots in winter in order to stay safe and dry.However my eldest son (who has to travel the full length of the hill) has been told under no circumstances are boots allowed to be worn with school uniform! He fell quite badly last year and winded himself so I kitted the children out with boots that had good grips on them yet the school is refusing to budge on the uniform rule. I can understand they dont want girls turning up with Ugg boots on but surely for the safety of the children they should allow them to wear sensible boots in bad weather??

[LoveMyBoots]

Could he wear boots to school, take appropriate uniform shoes with him, and change when he gets there?

[CMOTDibbler]

Get him some yaktrax or similar grips that go over his shoes.

[trinity0097]

Under no circumstances are children allowed to wear boots etc in my school, however if they wear them on the journey to and from school and then change at school into their uniform shoes then this is fine.

[mnistooaddictive]

Change wgen he gets there.

[LaCiccolina]

Are u sure he can't change on arrival? I do that to the office. Why would he wear outdoor boots in class? Doesn't make sense?

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Well - the OP has said that her son is not allowed to wear boots "with school uniform" - which sounds to me like the school is insisting on a certain standard whenever school uniform is being worn, so he wouldn't be allowed to wear boots to and from school, changing when he got there.

If this is the case, then the school is in the wrong. I do not believe that anyone with any sense would adversely judge a school on the basis of the children wearing appropriate boots in snow/ice/heavy rain. And it would be very easy to define what would and would not be allowed, and to insist on school shoes on school premises.

I would consider complaining to the Chair of Governors, in writing, cc'd to the Education Department at the council, stating you are not willing to put your child's health and safety at risk to satisfy an arbitrary rule, OP.

[luckimum]

Hi again,
Thanks for reply and yes the sensible thing would be to wear boots to school BUT the school is unrealistically insistent that the children wear proper uniform TO and FROM school. There is a lot of unrest with parents at the school because it is becoming apparent the the appearance of the children is more important than the educating of them!

A letter was sent to a parent last year because they had sent their daughter to school in boots and trousers that looked too tight!! I think SDT is right and maybe having a word with other parents and asking them to voice concerns along with myself about this rule. Im fairly confident the teaching staff would be allowed to wear appropriate winter attire so I think its only fair for the children to do so also.

Seriously cannot believe how much schools have changed since our school day! My head teacher had a skin head and wore Doc Martins lol, was a fantastic teacher!

[orangeberries]

I can't believe school is having a say in what the children wear outside of school, especially when it is for their own safety.

If I were you I would do what is sensible (ie change when he arrives at school) and see what they think they can do about it.

I agree with uniform rules being beyond the ridicuolus in some schools where standards are falling - it's an easy thing to "fix and focus on" but on its own it doesn't fix a school. I went to a school with no uniform and it was the best in the country academically (different country), so I am living proof that it is virtually meaningless.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Ds1 used to go to a selective grammar school in Essex that had very strict uniform rules - one of which was no hoodies - but even they accepted that these were a sensible garment for going to and from school, and only insisted that they were removed on school premises. Same went for boots in the winter, even though they insisted on proper black lace-ups or slip-ons in school.

I would be tempted to ask the Head Teacher what he or she thinks it will do for the image of their school if their pupils are constantly turning up in A&E with broken or sprained wrists and ankles because they are not allowed to wear suitable footwear to walk to and from school. Or whether they think it is a good thing to teach the children the value of style over substance, as this rule clearly does. You could also point out that the school would be liable to pay compensation to any child injured due to this ruling.