Schools - LOST THE PLOT?

CapitalOne · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:05

thebennyboy said:
Why does it matter to the school what hair a pupil has? Schools these days seem to insist on archaic policies regarding hair. The next day i would walk in a demand to see the head and make it known that you're not happy.

Would you be complaining about the sanction? Fair enough. If you were compaining on idealogical grounds I would love to hear what would be said in the context of demanding to see the head!

muon · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:05

You guys can laugh all you want about freedoms.

You will get no where. Schools have uniform policies you must abide to. Break them out of principle all you want. If the school takes issue with it, no parent will be able to convince them not to take action.

You try dealing with hundreds if not thousand plus teenagers and then show weakness.

Skeptic · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:06

Martini1991 said:
Putting someone in isolation for a hair cut does nothing towards helping them.
If anything I bet the poor kid was more confused than anything.

I disagree entirely.

Either a) the 'poor kid' was confused and therefore this was a case of bad parenting for not checking the school rules or asking school beforehand, or

b) the child knew this would likely be seen as unacceptable and when Mum asked 'are you sure this is ok?' he responded yes.

dowie · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:06

Martini1991 said:
Can someone tell me how this helps a child develop (Discipline wise etc)? To me all it would reinforce is ignorance and intolerance.

I'm not sure that it does help with anything it is just an old fashioned approach, kids should be able to wear what they want IMO. Though I'm not sure how it reinforces ignorance?

Martini1991 · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:06

Skeptic said:
How does it harm the child's development: surely it provides them with a reasonable lens through which to view the world. There are rules - like them or not - but they exist.

What black and white World do you live in? Because it's certainly not the real one.

And you don't think putting OP's child in isolation did more harm towards his education today than leaving him in classes would have done?

I remember getting put into isolation once (I'd came in trainers rather than School shoes, just a slip of the mind, these things happen) and well, it wasn't exactly a productive day.

Dave M · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:06

SilverTongue said:
Though punishing him for it seems a bit wrong really, though if no punishment is given how are they supposed to enforce the rule?

Call the parents, tell them the haircut is not allowed under school rules and discuss how to correct it with the least fuss and disruption. In my day we'd have just got a ticking off and a letter to take home.

If the parents decide to ignore the warning then you can go off punishing people. It would be like being locked up in a cell for 24 hours for doing 35 in a 30, totally disproportionate

skaif · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:06

Just to add to this....Schools nowadays are trying to prepare youngsters for the future, smart with uniforms and ensuring that the way they act and behave is in an appropriate manner. If a kid turned up like that in my class I would send him home as well, purely as it is not an appropriate hair cut in school.
Yes people will say that he is just a kid etc but at the end of the day, you have to follow the rules. It sucks at times but they are there to be followed. You have to remember that a school will have a duty to its students to provide the best they can and if they deem that hair cuts are bound by the rules then so be it, get on the PTA board and do something about it. And those saying that its ok at other schools, how good are those schools?
I find that the better schools are the ones with more rules and regulations to better control the learning environment. Worse case scenario send your kid to another school if its that bad!

cheesyboy · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:07

Skeptic said:
It doesn't help nor hinder child development - it provides a framework for understanding how the world works, an understanding which would help them integrate more successfully into society in their adult lives.

Not sure about that. I work in a professional environment, with many of our clients being very large corporates. Some of my colleagues who deal in a lot of business to business work have hair similar to OP's boy. There's a girl with a tattoo behind her ear.

I fail to see how such conformity in school teaches anything.

Surfer · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:08

CapitalOne said:
That's not really the same though is it? This isn't some Stepford Wives Neo-Con attack on freedom of expression or (as you insinuate) the thin end of the eugenics wedge it's an easily avoidable blooper by the parents (who should know the rules). If there was no action, or he was let off you might as well tear up the haircut rule. The poor kid is only 12, the adults are at fault here.

Yeah they should tear up the haircut rule, on that we are agreed. The adults are not at fault either.

Its easy to follow a rule...which follows common sense you see. But a rule which is about as far from common sense as Pluto is from Uranus then that's where we need to reign in some barking mad nutters on some school committee who sat down over tea and biscuits (or more likely Gin and tonic) and put this farcical idea into school policy.

Locky · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:08

Dave M said:
Call the parents, tell them the haircut is not allowed under school rules and discuss how to correct it with the least fuss and disruption. In my day we'd have just got a ticking off and a letter to take home.

If the parents decide to ignore the warning then you can go off punishing people. It would be like being locked up in a cell for 24 hours for doing 35 in a 30, totally disproportionate

No good telling folk on here that Dave, I bet most on here that don't have kids think it's ok to punish the child for the parents mistake.

Btw the isolation mistake is not just for that day but maybe 2plus weeks while the hair grows back to standards. HARSH.

Martini1991 · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:08

dowie said:
I'm not sure that it does help with anything it is just an old fashioned approach, kids should be able to wear what they want IMO. Though I'm not sure how it reinforces ignorance?

It reinforces ignorance because children are getting punished for being "out of the norm".

When you leave School, it's a whole different ball game.

College was completely different to School, yet they're only months apart, people take time to adjust to the change. That should never be the case.

Raymond Lin · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:09

Dave M said:
They do, and their rights are protected just like anyone else.

And you think all the parents will be okay with the teachers turning up crossed dressing or if a guy turn up in a mankini?

CREATIVE!11 · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:10

Question of thread is...

Why would you cut your sons hair like that?

Skeptic · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:10

Martini1991 said:
What black and white World do you live in? Because it's certainly not the real one.

And you don't think putting OP's child in isolation did more harm towards his education today than leaving him in classes would have done?

I remember getting put into isolation once (I'd came in trainers rather than School shoes, just a slip of the mind, these things happen) and well, it wasn't exactly a productive day.

Sadly, what you fail to appreciate is the real day-to-day world of education. Schools need to take a hard line on these things. I agree that isolation was not necessarily the right response, but the principle of the thing remains. The boy (or by association the parents) broke the rules - school have responded in a way they deem acceptable, and that's the end of it. Dad can 'demand' to see the head as much as he likes - indeed the HT may even give him audience, but a strong HT in this instance will not be swayed by an angry parent!

cheesyboy said:
Not sure about that. I work in a professional environment, with many of our clients being very large corporates. Some of my colleagues who deal in a lot of business to business work have hair similar to OP's boy. There's a girl with a tattoo behind her ear.

I fail to see how such conformity in school teaches anything.

Of course there are context specific differences. It's the principle that there are boundaries of acceptable behaviour - the boundaries in an adult work place may be different, but it doesn't mean that the school are in the wrong.

Dannyb01y · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:12

CREATIVE!11 said:
Question of thread is...

Why would you cut your sons hair like that?

Its a popular hairstyle at the moment. Premiership footballers, a list actors, singers etc. Is this general forum full of old fuddy duddies or something?

Ok its against the school rules to not have any part of the head shaved but it seems a silly rule considering the fashion of hair styles at the moment.

LoadsaMoney · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:12

Jesus christ!, theres nothing the matter with his hair, Schools have indeed lost the plot.

muon · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:13

I am also amazed that everyone is saying the kid had no input into that haircut.

The 12 year old at a secondary school should be aware of the rules as they would have been given to him at some point.

He can't just rely on his parents to tell him the rules. A 12 year old isn't an unaware little infant that needs mum and dad's help all the time.

thebennyboy · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:13

You should be able to have whatever haircut you like, obviously nothing like dying hair. Not sure what people are questioning the haircut... I'm sure some of the people on here have worse haircuts. Maybe the ones slating the haircut are jealous?

CREATIVE!11 · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:13

Dannyb01y said:
Its a popular hairstyle at the moment. Premiership footballers, a list actors, singers etc. Is this general forum full of old fuddy duddies or something?

Ok its against the school rules to not have any part of the head shaved but it seems a silly rule considering the fashion of hair styles at the moment.

Just because zayne malik has a man bun... doesn't make it a good idea.

Trifid · 27 Apr 2015 at 19:14

What exactly is the problem with a 'shaved' head? He would look a lot smarter if he had short hair all over.