School Problems? I am wearing shoes?

Sometimes you have to laugh at whatever the media turn up. A short article by Wales OnLine was one. It concerned a secondary school which had sent home a pupil for wearing the wrong type of shoes. And as per the usual a storm has commenced by the parent, the mother, by accusing the school of tactics more known in pre-war Germany. The mother had purchased the uniform but the shoes were Vivienne Westwood. Costing , I believe, in the region of £100. There are a few things here needing some thought. First of all, in the UK and I believe in Germany as well although I could be wrong about Germany, the secondary schools have a dress code. It is called a uniform. To be fair lots of British people do not agree with it but the rules are in place. The schools do supply written guidance to all prospective parents. Yet every year we get these disagreements. The question of whether parents do understand what is written or do even read the guidance, well, I cannot answer that. In our own case, a school in Cardiff, Wales, the guidance was pretty thorough. We knew exactly what was allowed, where to obtain it, even to the type of shoes expected to be worn. I am not going to argue about costs but yes it is considerable over the years. Loads of schools do now have returned clothing, at very reasonable prices. However, the question remains, why do we arrive in these situations when parents fly off the handle? Are the schools wrong in sending children home for not wearing the correct uniform? In the case reported the young girl was held in a separate room away from her friends and her grandmother had to collect her. That all on the first day! Quite as expected the girl does not want to return to that school and neither does her mother. So, what can be learned from this? First of all I might say, I believe the school to be a bit over the top. They could easily have allowed the pupil to stay in class, provide a letter to the parents and give her the time to change. Including the warning to parents that their child would be excluded if the uniform rule was not adhered to. Secondly, the parents questioning the school’s attitude by stating ‘What’s wrong with Vivienne Westwood shoes’, they were OK in Primary school? Well, even there, there would have been strong guidance and the shoes of the type mentioned discouraged. But there would not be a great outcry or sending home. However, with children getting older, I also believe that instilling discipline, self-discipline in particular, is a good thing. So, I am all for the uniform code. I have been in the army, and we did not wear Vivienne Westwood shoes either. No siree! I am sorry to have to say to the mother, read the guidance again please and do your child a favour and adhere to the dress code. The school although a bit too heavy handed, was correct in their decision. They could have approached the problem a bit differently, especially so early in the school term and in particular with new secondary pupils. The parent(s) are wrong in their stance, as they most likely had not even understood the requirements or read the guidance issued to all prospective school pupils. Lastly, I do like Vivienne Westwood shoes, and my kiddies like them as well but we still do not buy them as they are far too expensive for what they are. A simple fashion accessory. But that's just my opinion.