Samuel Ward Arts and Technology College Sends Home 60 Girls For Wearing Jeggings

Samuel Ward Arts and Technology College in Haverhill, England sent home dozens of students on the first day of school for wearing jeggings (jeans + leggings) and regular leggings, the Express UK reports. Parents received a letter in July written by the school warning them that the administration would be taking actions in response to "non-regulation" clothing come fall. Samuel Ward's Head Teacher Howard Lay told the Express, "Leggings and jeggings are not part of the uniform code. But around 60 students turned up not wearing the right uniform. Half were sent home and the rest stayed on site and had supervised study."

One of the girl's fathers spoke to the Haverhill Weekly News, remarking, "It's just stupid. It's not always easy for parents to buy the right kind of clothing. It seems crazy for them to be so strict about it and leave pupils not taking part in lessons." According to the News, Lay did have staff members take one mother shopping who couldn't buy proper pants for her daughter.

Comments

[GlassMask]

08:37 AM on 09/14/2010

I put up with this type of idiocy in catholic school from kindergarten thru high school. This is a college. Uniforms in college are the most insane thing I've heard today (but the day is still young)... These are adults, and they're paying the college; the college doesn't get to pick out their clothes for them. And it's an "arts & technology college," so conformity and fashion have nothing to do with either. Teacher, leave those kids alone...

[atcrossroads]

03:24 PM on 09/14/2010

Chill. This took place in the UK, where a 'college' is high school.

[Lucy1886]

09:58 PM on 09/13/2010

Dress codes are certainly a reasonable requirement for schools. But requiring uniforms is just another way to force extreme conformity.

PARENTS should have the kinds of relationships with their kids to where they teach responsibility, instead of just letting the school force conformity down their throats. And no, it does NOT cut down on gang violence. Fashion-based snobbery is most common in upper middle income schools............so why, in the USA, are uniforms forced on low income kids and not the upper middle income kids? Hmmmmm.............maybe to socialize them to be obedient to authority and not make choices? Better to let them make choices and send them home for a day if they make a bad choice. That teaches responsibility. And no, it won't cut down on violence. If anything, it will make it harder to pinpoint the violent offenders. And no, it won't stop the gangs. Why do you think that so many gangs started wearing plain white tee shirts some years ago? But it gives the APPEARANCE of orderliness, and we live in a world where many people just crave the appearance of a good society, rather than the substance of one.

Young people have many flaws, but they are good a spotting hypocrisy, including requiring uniforms and being more concerned about appearance than substance.

[katiek2o]

08:55 AM on 09/14/2010

yes.. kids need to learn how to deal with the real world early on.. it's cruel just like kids are

[Demidan]

12:01 PM on 09/13/2010

Uniforms in British schools are long standing and traditional. This is story is about wealthy and self entitled British couples who decided that their children could wear what ever they wanted, i.e. they were above the dress codes. They should have sent all the children home who did not wear the proper uniform.

[Inst]

11:31 AM on 09/13/2010

Actually: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/health/380854/half-of-british-women-hate-their-legs.html

If you want a canny solution to the problem, have the school administration point out that the girls look awful in jeggings, and that they really don't have the legs for it, and 30 days later they're back to regulation uniform.

[Inst]

12:33 PM on 09/13/2010

And for the lucky ones with great legs, subsequently ban jeggings and use the envy of the unlucky ones to help enforce the jeggings ban. Bullying to your advantage.

[Inst]

11:28 AM on 09/13/2010

I don't get the point. Do British girls really have nice legs? Why are they wearing jeggings to their disadvantage?

[ThaGovna]

11:08 AM on 09/13/2010

"Republicans say paring taxes for the wealthy would encourage them and the businesses they operate to create jobs."

Does anyone know if there are any historical evidence/records to support this definitively?

[ThaGovna]

11:48 AM on 09/13/2010

Sorry! Copied and pasted this in the wrong box.

[facen]

12:52 PM on 09/13/2010

Did my reply come through?

[SouthpawSass]

10:50 AM on 09/13/2010

I would welcome uniforms...

[wolfiegirl]

10:41 AM on 09/13/2010

Imagine the parents who send their teenagers to a school which has a specific dress code, then send the message that it is perfectly O.K. to ignore that dress code; and then blame the school for taking action. Especially a dress code obviously enacted, in part, to protect teenage girls from sexual activities for as long as possible.
I don't always agree with school policies, but I never let my kids know that. Children need rules - and that is doubly true for teenagers.

[Lucy1886]

10:20 PM on 09/13/2010

When the school once punished my child unjustly, I defended my child and the school admitted its mistake. I believe that was good parenting. Telling my child to accept mistreatment would have been bad parenting.

[wolfiegirl]

10:59 PM on 09/13/2010

Yes; obviously I teach my children to accept mistreatment. What part of that dress code would you characterize as mistreatment?

[Dare Taiwo]

10:38 AM on 09/13/2010

Rules are what they are - RULES and they are to be obeyed. If you can not obey simple rules, then find other Schools with lax rules on dressing.

[wolfiegirl]

10:42 AM on 09/13/2010

They are not doing their children any favors by giving them the message that rules don't apply to them.

[Jason McDonald]

10:19 AM on 09/13/2010

Oh my God The world would of come to an end if you let them wear Jeggings! Thanks for saving us all!

[SOD]

10:40 AM on 09/13/2010

I applaud this school for forcing it's students to adhere to their dress code. If they have a dress code and allow any students the slightest deviation from it, eventually none of the students will give it an regard at all. If you give kids an inch, they will take a mile. I know because it wasn't so long ago that I was a child and now I have my own.

[Demidan]

12:03 PM on 09/13/2010

Agreed!

[katiek2o]

12:08 AM on 09/14/2010

one things for sure parents are always going to find some style of clothing that pisses them off! be thankful belly button rings/ tops aren't in style.. i gave my parents hell when i was in middle school

[Lucy1886]

09:20 AM on 09/13/2010

But some things go backwards. Many school districts in the USA are now requiring UNIFORMS. Mainly in lower income schools. Funny-- the reasoning that they use is that it will enhance achievement, even though in the best performing upper middle income schools, uniforms aren't used. The real immediate purpose is to GIVE THE APPEARANCE that things are going well at the school, and the broader social implications is to re-regiment the next generation to be more obedient when they are required to work for lower wages and to support the wars to come.

And no, this is not "conspiracy theory". It is not a secret plot. It is just a society unraveling, with those in power trying to maintain control.

[SOD]

10:54 AM on 09/13/2010

"Funny-- the reasoning that they use is that it will enhance achievement, even though in the best performing upper middle income schools, uniforms aren't used."

Let's see some stats indicating that non-uniformed schools typically outperform uniformed schools in a middle income context.

"The real immediate purpose is to GIVE THE APPEARANCE that things are going well at the school, and the broader social implications is to re-regiment the next generation to be more obedient when they are required to work for lower wages and to support the wars to come."

I'm sorry, that sounds an awful lot like a conspiracy theory to me. Even if it were true, I think it would be good for the kids to be more obedient. I often see parents in public catering to their whining and crying slave master children. Not my child. All my wife or I have to do is say "time-out" and my 20 month old son goes to the designated spot, sits and folds his hands in his lap until we tell him "okay play". The biggest problem we have is when we are in a new environment and there is no designated time-out spot. In that case he looks at us questioningly until we lead him to the proper place to sit.

[lina elder]

11:18 AM on 09/13/2010

See how well they have trained and brainwashed you, you are now teaching your child as you were taught, obedience without questioning. Thank you, you and your children are the future!

[Demidan]

12:06 PM on 09/13/2010

Sorry your post is a "conspiracy theory". People use uniforms in the US to stop violence against children who wear the wrong colors in the wrong neighborhoods (i.e. gang colors), or children being killed for their shoes ,(remember the Air Jordan murders?). This is not an attempt to maintain control it's an attempt to keep children safe.

[dharmamom]

09:12 AM on 09/13/2010

What's that old saying? Rules were made to be broken. I was a straight A student but a fashionista. Last day of school (half a day) I came in with sandals and no stockings (1967). I was caught and made to stay after and write a 500 word essay on the ugliness of toes. Try as the authorities might, there will always be those of us who buck the system. The following years the school district relaxed the dress code so, all was much ado about nothing.

[Kareem Harper]

11:22 AM on 09/13/2010

They key to note is your grades. I too was a staight A/4.0 student and used my dean's list status to trump the rules when it came to dress code and even work (e.g. "why do I have to do this work sheet sir when I already know the material and ace your exams?").

Some of the complaints here about "enforce the dress code, woe to rules being broken" are tad melodramatic. Yes, its good there is a dress code, but come on, it isn't the apocalypse and won't lead to damaged kids, because their parents sent them to school with jeggins on.

Geez, this planet needs an enema.

[Paula Richmond]

09:08 AM on 09/13/2010

UNIFORMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They look smart, it is proven to cut down bullying as the kids present themselves as a TEAM instead of who is cool and who isn't. A recent study in Britain has results of several studies that kids also do better in school subjects. I think it takes the stress off parents and they are more economical. It also helps kids garner a pride in their school and become more cohesive in their core values regarding their school.

[Lucy1886]

09:22 AM on 09/13/2010

What are the core values of school in the USA? Support for the government, obedience, conformity. Uniforms teach obedience. Some types of rebellion might be destructive, but forced conformity does not teach responsibility.

[Aerows]

09:40 AM on 09/13/2010

I went to private school and wore a uniform.  Paula is right; wearing a uniform take the stress of both the parents AND the kids.  It isn't about "forced conformity", it is about getting rid of the minutia that interfere with learning. 

[theRurJur]

10:52 AM on 09/13/2010

Kids that aren't wearing uniforms aren't any less conformist.

[WilliePilgrim]

08:38 AM on 09/13/2010

Uniforms...I know, I know, kids find 'em boring, but a decision to require uniforms tones-down the instinctive drive for kids especially to express their undeniable and ustoppable drive for status, identity and inclusion which clothing so readily becomes, and besides using the criteria of what kids should wear to school based on what kids like is a lame notion for reasons too obvious to consider. The money saved and the reduction in stress will benefit in ways impossible to compute, but we see the price we pay for allowing kids to create their own wardrobe in things like excessive consumerism, obsession over certain kinds of clothing, and association of those styles with lifestyle that are antithetical to the learning environment where distractions are plentiful enough.

[Lucy1886]

09:26 AM on 09/13/2010

PARENTS should have the kinds of relationships with their kids to where they teach responsibility, instead of just letting the school force conformity down their throats. And no, it does NOT cut down on gang violence. Fashion-based snobbery is most common in upper middle income schools............so why are uniforms forced on low income kids and not the upper middle income kids? Hmmmmm.............maybe to socialize them to be obedient to authority and not make choices? Better to let them make choices and send them home for a day if they make a bad choice. That teaches responsibility. And no, it won't cut down on violence. If anything, it will make it harder to pinpoint the violent offenders. And no, it won't stop the gangs. Why do you think that so many gangs started wearing plain white tee shirts some years ago? But it gives the APPEARANCE of orderliness, and we live in a world where many people just crave the appearance of a good society, rather than the substance of one.

[SOD]

12:07 PM on 09/13/2010

"Fashion-based snobbery is most common in upper middle income schools............so why are uniforms forced on low income kids and not the upper middle income kids?"

In a uniformed school there will be no fashion based snobbery... period. I attended a low income middle school and I assure you that fashion snobbery was alive and kicking there just as it was in upper income areas.

"Why do you think that so many gangs started wearing plain white tee shirts some years ago? But it gives the APPEARANCE of orderliness, and we live in a world where many people just crave the appearance of a good society, rather than the substance of one."

So are you are saying that a society can be substantively good without appearing as such? I don't think so. I think it is possible for a society to look good without being substantively good. However, looking good certainly doesn't deter substantive goodness.

In high school I wore jeans so tattered that I had to wear spandex bike shorts underneath to prevent my special parts from showing. I think it would have been good for my school to enforce uniformity or a dress code. If a student lacks the motivation to follow a benign rule such as a dress code, they aren't likely going to be much more than a distraction to their peers. I would have followed such a rule had I been presented one, but I wasn't.

[Simon Woodward]

07:56 AM on 09/13/2010

quite right too - a crime against fashion