Parents aren't happy about this school's new coat policy

Parents are unhappy with a new school uniform policy which means children have to choose between wearing a regulation coat, or none at all.

As reported by The Argus, pupils at Patcham High School in Brighton are only allowed to wear one of three regulation jackets that cost up to £32, and risk having any other coat confiscated.

But with the recent cold spell of weather parents are concerned that their children risk becoming ill if they don’t wear a warmer winter coat.

With high street stores offering a variety of coats for a much lower price, many parents with children at the school argue that the new ruling is unfair.

And many have taken to Twitter to express their views on the subject.

“Patcham High School should be ashamed of themselves for putting their students through this,” one user wrote.

“The Head of Patcham High School Brighton needs to sort himself out before all his pupils have pneumonia! #Patcham High School,” tweeted another.

“@H_S_E at Patcham high school in BRIGHTON school children are NOT allowed to wear their OWN WARM coats in the freezing weather, can you act before a child dies of the cold? The school head should be prosecuted!” another user tweeted.

Despite some parents making their upset about the ruling known, according the The Argus, headteacher John McKee has defended the school’s decision to introduce the coat policy.

“They are allowed to wear their coats to school, it is only when they are on the school grounds that they need to put their school coat on,” he explained to The Argus.

He went on to explain that the reason for the ruling was to try and ensure that the uniform policy didn’t make disadvantaged children feel left out because they weren’t wearing an expensive designer label.

And he also confirmed that Ofsted was happy with the move.

It isn’t the first time this year that a school dress code has created headlines of late.

In September pupils at Kepier School in Houghton-le-Spring complained after being forced to line up outside to see if their trousers were the correct shade of grey.

Those who failed the test were sent home with others barred from classes.

Some schools have also been accused of ‘sexism’ when it comes to their school uniform policies.

First there was the group of boys who turned up to school in skirts in protest about being banned from wearing shorts.

Then, when girls at a High School in California were sent home for wearing off-the-shoulder shirts, boys protested by wearing off-the-shoulder tops of their own.

And back in May a group of female students protested what they described as a ‘sexist dress code’ after being told their clothes were a ‘distraction.’

Back here in the UK a school was accused of ‘sexism’ after issuing a request asking parents to measure the length of female pupils skirts.

And earlier this year a number of students at Ebbsfleet Academy in Kent, were refused entry to their first day of the new term because their skirts were deemed too short.

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