The School Uniform Debate (2): What Should The Teachers Wear?
A “Gestapo Headmaster”: That’s how Matthew Tate, newly appointed to run the Hartsdown Academy in Kent, was described in a “Daily Mail” headline on 6th September. The previous day –at the start of the new scholastic year – he had sent home “around 50 children” (the media disagreed on the numbers involved) because they were “wearing the wrong uniform”.
The Metro newspaper noted that the police had to be eventually called out to calm down “a group of angry parents” who had been protesting outside the school building for two hours. In response, Tate stated he had informed the families before the summer holidays that the school “would be ensuring our uniform policy is adhered to” and, hence, that any children failing to abide by it would be turned away on arrival.
As the SecEd(Secondary Education) website has pointed out, however, while pupils in UK schools have traditionally been required to wear a uniform, there has not usually been any similar stipulation for their teachers. A survey conducted by the Teachers Support Network has indicated that two-thirds of its members feel they should “dress professionally” in the classroom, that the “lack of attention” some of their colleagues give to their appearance, such as wearing “flip-flops, T-shirts cut low, creased skirts and dresses” was shocking and that they should all make a “conscious effort not to look scruffy”.
Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector of Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education), would seem to agree. As the Daily Telegraph has observed, Wilshaw has “stressed the importance of teachers adopting ‘business-like’ attire”, which implies “a focus on ties, shirts and suits for men and smart skirts or dresses for women, with jeans and T-shirts being frowned upon. Consequently, Ofsted inspectors are now more likely to award a lower grade to teacher trainees who, in their opinion, are “not dressed in a manner which befits their professional status”. The Huffington Post writer Glynis Kozma, is sure that “Sir Michael is not suggesting designer outfits”, but simply that teachers should look as though they are dressed for work, not for yoga or gardening”.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) “does not recommend a specific clothes code for staff in schools or colleges”. It believes staff should be able to dress according to their professional judgement “unless this is detrimental to their capacity to do their job or is deemed unsafe or inappropriate for some other good reason”.
Many UK educational institutions nonetheless apply very strict rules on this issue: For example (according to the Daily Telegraph) at the Lampton School in Hounslow “extremes of fashion” are not acceptable, including hairstyles, makeup, clothes and visible body piercing, except in the ears and nose. Its guidelines discourage “visible underwear, skirts above mid-thigh and clothing with excess flesh visible” and state that “staff should not chew gum or use their mobile phones when in the presence of pupils”.The North Leamington School in Warwickshire disapproves of “jeans, shorts or leggings, low cut tops, short skirts or see-through garments”.
St Ignatius College in Enfield, north London (a Jesuit school for boys aged 11-18) similarly insists that teachers’ attire should be “professional, not casual, clean and in a good state of repair”. Moreover, hair should be “neat and tidy” (no extreme styles allowed), visible tattoos “are discouraged and must be discreet”, visible jewellery piercing restricted to the ears (for women only) and single nose studs “may be worn for reasons of culture or religious observance”, but not for any other reason. Denim, revealing or excessively tight clothing, T-shirts and shorts – except for PE (Physical Education) staff – combat trousers, clothes with rips, tears or large logos and strapless women’s tops are all forbidden.
There have thus been occasions when teachers have also been turned away from their school because they were considered to be “improperly dressed”. Steve Smith, a 52-year-old supply teacher at St. Ambrose College in Cheshire, was told to put on a tie: They were unhappy he was wearing “an open-necked shirt exposing a hairy, sun-tanned chest and a thick gold chain”. He refused to comply so had to leave. Adrian Swain, a Maths & Science teacher at St Paul’s Way Community School in Tower Hamlets, London, lost his job due to his partiality for trainers & tracksuit bottoms. His retort, quoted on BBC News, was that “teachers and students have always been treated differently, otherwise we’d all be wearing a school uniform”.
Charlotte Tumilty was sent away on her first day as a teaching assistant at the St John Vianney Catholic Primary School in Hartlepool because (the Daily Mail journalist, Jennifer Newton, commented) she had “a full sleeve of tattoos on her arms and legs, smaller inkings on her fingers, hands, back and chest and an eye emblem on her neck”. Tumilty declared that she’d “look ridiculous” if she tried to cover them all with plasters and bandages, as the school had suggested. Newton emphasised that “under current legislation, people with tattoos are not covered by the Equality Act 2010” and referred her readers to the warning issued by the Tattooing and Piercing Industry Union that “Members of the public should think carefully about tattoo placement because it can impact on your employment prospects”.
Birmingham Metropolitan College – which prohibits “outrageous styles and colours” and insists on its staff wearing smart business suits and skirts – has been accused by the UCU (University & College Union) as being “image obsessed” and acting like “fashion police”. By contrast, both Oxford Brookes University and Birmingham City University declare (using identical phraseology) that they don’t operate a formal dress code for their employees who, nevertheless “should ensure that they present a professional image and one that shows sensitivity to customer perceptions. This may reflect their ethnicity and lifestyle, but should not be provocative or cause offence to those with whom they have contact”.