“I Am Disgusted With The School’s Expectations”

[fiction-factory]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/boy-sent-home-after-15-22632851

“I am disgusted with the school’s expectations,” said the mum-of-five.

“My son has not got off to a good start at all, and it’s all down to being picked on about uniform,"

“It is a real struggle for parents on a budget to be able to afford this expensive school uniform and shoes, and I’ve been saving up as much as I could all summer."

Would you send you child to a new school in white trainers and logo sweatshirt on the first day? He actually looked quite smart but that to me isn't the point. Is she doing him any favours by going to the press about this and criticising the school he should be going to for the next 5 years? Maybe she chose the wrong school for him if she doesn't liek the uniform policy.

In my experience, if you have difficulty on the first day the school will be understanding as long as you make a reasonable effort (eg some plain black trainers or some old hand me down black shoes and no sweatshirt) and bring a note saying "sorry, will have full uniform in a day or two"

[bednobs]

the mum should have complained on answerbank about the school uniform provider's slow delivery - about half an hour after I moaned about ours earlier in this thread it popped thru the letter box like magic!

[AuntPollyGrey]

// Did all the other parents manage to get the uniform in time ?//

She did mention the uniform was expensive and she'd had to save up for it. Not everyone has access to Credit cards, or indeed savings.

[pastafreak]

That's one of the problems with schools requiring specific suppliers...they are far more expensive that what you find on the High street.

[Mamyalynne]

As a Mum in her situation I most definitely would not have gone to the press, my energies would have been better spent in sourcing some black footwear and accepting an offer of a secondhand sweatshirt from school.

I am very surprised that the school seem to be unaware of the delays experienced by their only uniform supplier and they have been too speedy in their actions in my view.

[Mamyalynne]

That's an extremely nasty and uncalled for comment.

[ummmm]

Wow, Piggynose, just wow.

[bednobs]

she did put on her "daily mail sad face" for that picture (despite the fact it was in the mirror)
https://www.google.com/search?q=daily+mail+sad+face&ie=&;oe=

[zebo]

Looking at the queue round the block of our local uniform supplier I expect there might be some more of this to come this week! Anyone would think that school in September is a new idea.

[bednobs]

in the normal course of things, you would buy your child uniform as they grow out of it, leaving the august rush for new starters, however, this year it's been slightly different.

[AuntPollyGrey]

Children of that age, just pre puberty, grow like weeds. I always waitied until the middle of August before buying uniforms if I could. One of my sons, when he was about 14, grew 4 inches between Easter and the start of the new Autumn term.

[jno]

bednobs, the same pictures were used in all the stories - I think the original story ran in the Bristol paper and other newspapers picked it up. It's interesting that quite a few did so. They may have felt that, after months of no schooling and a lot of fuss about whether schools should reopen at all, it was bizarre to see a kid sent home after 10 minutes on his first day.

[fiction-factory]

It seems that this was not the only school in Bristol to take a firm, uncompromising line on the first few days back. Some of these look harsher than the case of the white trainers/log sweatshirt who turned down the offer of alternative clothing to meet the school requirements and whose mum must have known he would be challenged and should never have put him in that position.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/up-70-pupils-sent-home-4492901

[webbo3]

School is the start of your adult life, if you get a job in a bank or somewhere that requires you to dress smartly then you abide by the rules, the same with the school, my parents had to buy trousers, a shirt, a blazer, a jumper and shoes, as well as a p.e kit and rugby kit.

[fiction-factory]

The issue of delays in uniform being supplied by an official supplier is a red herring in my opinion. The sweatshirt was something that could be overcome on the day (wear it inside out, take it off, use one of the school's stocks). The new looking white trainers were clearly not in accordance with school rules (mum looks like a fan as she wears them too) but suitable inexpensive black shoes could have been bought from ASDA and lots of places a week or so before term started- there won't be an official supplier for school shoes.
Still, on the first day the school should have tried to have a conversation with Mum to discuss options even if Mum had been wrong not to send in an explanatory note for his form tutor.

[Mamyalynne]

'Non Polishable' shoes and get sent home?

Heavens, I'm glad those days are behind me.

Mine were sent home for a slightly lighter shade of blue PE shirt (60% cheaper than the approved outlet) - Having had a perm(?) she hadn't,just had her long wavy hair cut and the curl came in.

A few other trivial non events too.

It can become tedious and detract from their enjoyment of learning.

[fiction-factory]

I agree regarding non-polishable shoes, Mamyalynne, although we only have one side of the story so there may be more to the case

[Mamyalynne]

No doubt.

[allenlondon]

Piggynose wrote WHAT?

[Mamyalynne]

Nothing that added to the thread.