By Mother’s petition challenges Doncaster school’s uniform policies
Claire Williams has begun a petition in a bid to change some of Sir Thomas Wharton Academy’s uniform policies after her daughter was taken out of lessons for wearing a coat with a fur-lined hood in school.
The Edlington school’s uniform policy states that all students are refrained from wearing outdoor or non-uniform clothing at school.
This includes hoodies, denim, fur and leather jackets.
The policy states: “Only plain outdoor coats are permitted. Hoodies, fur, denim and leather jackets are not permitted at any time on the academy site. Outdoor coats must be removed at the entrance to the Academy buildings, as outdoor wear is not permitted indoors.”
Multiple children at the school have been placed into isolation for wearing these items of clothing which have also been confiscated by staff members.
Parents are becoming increasingly worried about how this uniform policy will affect their children’s GCSE studies and exams.
Claire believes that the “time in isolation […] is not only removing [students] from an educational setting but also from the support of their teachers and peers.”
Her petition outlines her wish for the school to be more lenient and revise their priorities.
She claims that the school’s uniform policies are “having a negative effect on the education of many students” as their teaching time is restricted as punishment.
Claire added: “During the past 18 months our children have suffered massively and have dealt with things they should never have to deal with at such a young age in which you would think education establishments would consider when writing the policies of the school.”
The school’s overall aim is create a high standard for students and staff alike.
This includes sticking to strict uniform policies, but some have labelled the rules as misleading.
At the time of writing, the petition has almost reached 500 signatures.
