[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

The school published its rules, the vast majority of parent and children complied. The media attention came from the disruptive element that didn't want to comply, and wanted to undermine the schools efforts for improvement.

And that doesn't change the fact that the original disruption came from the fact that the headtwat decided to go on a power trip that contradicted the very nature of his job. The shoes in the pictures were all black shoes that were perfectly acceptable, the parents have a right to be mad that a headteacher is impeding their children's education just to be a pedantic prick. People like him shouldn't be in charge of schools, actions like this only goes to show that education is secondary to his ego.

Originally Posted by _Tom_

I disagree. If there was no school uniform at all and everyone came in with their own clothes everyday, bullies would have so much more ammunition. Sure, bullies will always find reasons to bully someone - but someone coming in wearing cheaper brands, or coming into class with the same outfit more than once a week for example would make them a much bigger target than their peers.

Must we conform in the naive hopes of preventing bullying although we know that it doesn't work anyway? Everyone could go to school looking exactly the same and bullying would still be a factor. To limit individuality out of fear of bullying is a true tragedy and is ultimately cowardly.

Originally Posted by Livia

I'm not in agreement with calling this man the "headtwat". He hasn'tmade this decision alone, there would have been a whole host of people in on it, including the Board of Governors, many of whom will be parents.

Uniforms are not a distraction. If there is a uniform, there will be a summer version. And also, the school doesn't make a profit on uniforms unless they have a shop in the school or take a cut of profits from the suppliers. And the cost of them are considerably less than the designer stuff that was the chosen uniform by the kids my nieces' old school.

We're going to have to disagree on the rest of it Dezzy. But I can tell you that, as a person who was bullied mercilessly at school, my experience has shown me that what you're wearing is the A.No.1 trigger. It's the first thing the bullies see.

He is a man who places his own power trips over the needs of his students, I shall call him a headtwat as much as I please because it's an appropriate name for a mediocre person like him who shouldn't be in a position of authority. A school is a place of education, anyone that prioritises conformity over education i has lost sight of the purpose of a school in the first place.

I've never known a secondary school to offer a summer alternative, I don't think it's common practice outside of summer dresses for primary school girls. Schools can and do make a profit from uniforms, ours certainly did, especially when they changed from jumpers to blazers to squeeze more money out of the parents. If a school has an individual design for their uniform then chances are they profit from it, otherwise what is the point of having a specific uniform designed for the school if not to take generic and cheaper options out of the equation and force parents to either buy from the school or from a shop affiliated with them?