Schools should focus on restoring in-person teaching, say parents
A school has come under fire from angry parents after banning its students from wearing plain black Dr Martens shoes – despite one parent having shelled out £109 on a pair for their child.
Longcroft School in Hull announced the change to their uniform policy last month but has since been attacked for a lack of clarity which has left parents out of pocket.
Speaking to Hull Live, one angry parent described how she had spoken to a teacher at the school to double-check if Dr Martens met regulations, only to find out afterwards that they didn’t.
Ambiguity surrounding the school’s amended uniform policy – and its costly side effects – are forcing many parents to consider ignoring the rules altogether.
“Maybe if they can show me that my child wearing different shoes from what he has now makes a genuine difference to his grades, I would consider wasting more money on another pair of shoes,” said one outraged parent.
Meanwhile, others suggested that Longcroft should instead be focusing its efforts on ensuring a successful return to in-person teaching instead of ‘fussing over’ the choice of children’s footwear.
The news comes as many parents begin to buy their children new clothing for the Autumn school term. According to the Longcroft website, students are expected to meet the uniform regulations which currently include items like a buttoned-up plain white shirt, black trousers or skirt or plain black shoes. Meanwhile, items like leather and denim jackets, acrylic nails and hoodies remain banned.
Despite April’s Education Act promising to ease uniform costs for parents, many are still faced with expensive shopping bills due to a lack of guidance – with some uniforms clocking in at almost £300.
Related links:
- 12-15 year olds to be offered COVID-19 vaccine
- Council bans puddings from school dinners in healthy eating push
- Scottish four-year-olds can change gender at school without parents’ consent
