Parents slam Bristol school uniform policy as pupils made to wear trousers on hottest day

Parents of students at a Bristol school have complained about uniform rules forcing children to wear long trousers on the hottest day of the year.

Some were so concerned about their children in the hot weather, they have kept them home.

Blaise High School in Henbury relaxed their uniform policy last week so children didn't have to wear jumpers blazers or ties. They have also allowed pupils to wear their shirt collars open at the first button.

But one worried parent says the school is refusing to budge on letting pupils wear shorts.

Cheryl says the school has only ‘U-turned’ on her own son and allowed him to wear them as an exception due to an underlying health condition which makes him vulnerable to heat-related fainting.

She said: “It’s ridiculous, they are allowing no ties or blazers and one button undone but still insisting on trousers. Other Greenshaw Trust schools are allowing PE kit and one is even finishing early."

She claimed her son collapsed at the school gym last year during hot weather, adding: "Several [parents] won’t be sending the kids in because of it and a lot of parents are very unhappy.”

Another worried mum, who wanted to remain anonymous, says her son turned up in shorts but has had to ‘borrow’ a pair of long school trousers just to stay in school today. She said it was ‘the only option’.

She said: “The options for my son today were to stay in school and wear a pair of school trousers, stay in ‘pastoral services’ (day-long detention) with no break or lunch outside the classroom, or be sent home with a laptop to do his school work on. We decided to suck it up and borrow school trousers for the day to prevent any more disruptions to his education.”

One mum also said that her Year 8 daughter returned home after last Thursday’s school sports day ‘sunburnt and miserable’ with a severe headache and nausea, which she believes was from dehydration.

She said: “On sports day, the students spent all day apart from lunch/break outside on the school fields. Only one small gazebo per year group was provided, for children who had just run a race.

"The others were left to stand around watching and no shade was available other than the gazebo. Teachers were also throwing away any water bottles left unattended.

“Many other parents in the group reported that their children had sunburn and were unhappy with how it was run. My daughter was ill all weekend and I won't risk her health again today and tomorrow.

“I’ve made the decision to keep her home for the next two days as I’m very unhappy with the school’s proposed adjustments - unbuttoning the top button of their shirt will make no difference. The school seems to care more about keeping up appearances than the wellbeing of the children.”

Will Smith, CEO of the Greenshaw Learning Trust which runs the school, said: “The students’ well-being and safety is our highest priority. If parents or students have concerns, please contact the school directly.”