Headteacher’s a class act

Relax – not wearing a school blazer won’t lead to a life of ruin

THERE’S been an enormous row about a headteacher firmly enforcing school uniform rules.

Matthew Tate has demanded parents send their children to his Kent school properly dressed. Quite right, too. Uniforms mean that all the children are equal.

With supermarkets doing cheap, cheerful uniforms and shoes there’s no excuse for not conforming to rules.

SOMEWHERE in an old cardboard box in a dark cupboard lies a photograph, curled at the edges and covered in dust.

It’s a school photo showing a 1980s first year class arranged in three neat rows.

Pupil after pupil is decked out in a smart black blazer and black and white striped tie. All except one.

At the back stands a gangly twerp with a haircut that looks more like the result of a serious assault than a visit to a barber.

He’s wearing a white T-shirt with the logo “Minolta Cameras” across the front, under a wonky black and red anorak. That twerp is me. So I have personal experience of being the kid who didn’t go down the school uniform route. I was that scruffy soldier.

I don’t think I ever wore a school tie. Blazers brought me out in hives.

But somehow wearing Dunlop “green flash” gutties instead of shiny black brogues didn’t lead me into a life of abject failure and destitution. I have never been to jail or spiralled into a drug hell. I own my own home and teeth.

Don’t get me wrong I get where the headie down in Kent is coming from, and I sympathise with some of the arguments in favour of school uniforms.

It’s nice that pupils look smart, though whether or not it instils the fabled “school pride” is open to debate. I’m not aware of any evidence or studies that prove this.

Nor have I come across any reports that support the oft rolledout argument that having a blanket uniform policy stops bullying. Bullies will bully, that’s what they do – it’s in the job description. If they don’t bully a kid about his trainers, they’ll find another excuse.

It’s also common to hear the refrain, “Ahhh, but it prepares them for the world of work”.

That’s fine if they’re off to be a soldier, nurse, police officer or other uniformed professional, but most workplaces don’t send their staff home if they’re not wearing EXACTLY the same suits and ties or overalls.

I’m willing to accept that if kids were to rock up to the school gates wearing glittery hotpants and silver boob-tubes or cowboy outfits or onesies, it could be a bit distracting.

But I don’t buy the idea that rigid conformity is the best way to prepare teens for the big wide world.

There must be a happy medium. Ask kids to dress smartly and appropriately, but let them express themselves. Most employers these days want people with personality and individuality, not wee robots (unless the employer is the producers of Star Wars, in which case being a wee robot would be a big advantage).

And if you want proof that being relaxed about uniforms doesn’t hold you back, I’m writing this while wearing a hedgehog-skin loincloth, wellies and an enormous top hat.

It’s all about being individual, after all . . .

HEAD teacher Matthew Tate sparked a storm last week after sending 50 pupils home from Hartsdown Academy in Kent for not wearing the correct uniform. Some parents were furious while others thought he was “doing the right thing”. It’s a debate that has...