Let's be honest, Ysgol Brynhyfryd's current uniform does not give the right impression. Neither does it do the school justice. Add to this that some parents allow their offspring to ride roughshod all over it and you have a disaster on legs.
First, the sweatshirts get scruffy and look cheap. Secondly, the number of young people—boys & girls—who wear back jeans rather than proper uniform trousers is now epidemical (yes, there is such an English word). Thirdly, some girls seem to be able to get away with skirts that would seem more fitting (erm, fitting?) in a nightclub.
As part of the changes that the head teacher is making, he wants to tackle the uniform. After all, there is a link between school uniform, attendance, achievement and disciple. It seems parents agree and following a consultation the school has used the results to determine a new uniform policy from September 2017, unveiled today.
The snag is that parents are already railing at the cost.
No one likes to buy uniforms but parents need to get a grip. My father did not enjoy a large weekly wage. My mother was a housewife. Family income was low. They would always comment about the cost of my uniform yet they realised its importance and above all they supported the school. If only our 21st century local parents would do the same.
Alas! this is Facebook-damaged Rhuthun/Ruthin. We live in one of the wealthiest parts of North Wales and perhaps that's exactly why parents run to social media out of 'fury' and 'outrage'. The reality is that if parents of one of the country's poorest catchments—with the highest proportion of free school meals in North Wales, at Blessed Edward Jones in Y Rhyl—can manage to support their ailing school by getting behind a new uniform then why can't we in Rhuthun? After all, there are apparently uniform grants available for those who meet the set criteria.
And did parents at Brynhyfryd rivals Ysgol Glan Clwyd kick up such a stink when it introduced blazers in September 2016? Glan Clwyd's catchment is not so different from Blessed Ted's. There are more people attending Glan Clwyd from Rhyl than anywhere else.
First, the sweatshirts get scruffy and look cheap. Secondly, the number of young people—boys & girls—who wear back jeans rather than proper uniform trousers is now epidemical (yes, there is such an English word). Thirdly, some girls seem to be able to get away with skirts that would seem more fitting (erm, fitting?) in a nightclub.
Official Ysgol Brynhyfrydd photo but cropped for obvious reasons
The snag is that parents are already railing at the cost.
No one likes to buy uniforms but parents need to get a grip. My father did not enjoy a large weekly wage. My mother was a housewife. Family income was low. They would always comment about the cost of my uniform yet they realised its importance and above all they supported the school. If only our 21st century local parents would do the same.
Alas! this is Facebook-damaged Rhuthun/Ruthin. We live in one of the wealthiest parts of North Wales and perhaps that's exactly why parents run to social media out of 'fury' and 'outrage'. The reality is that if parents of one of the country's poorest catchments—with the highest proportion of free school meals in North Wales, at Blessed Edward Jones in Y Rhyl—can manage to support their ailing school by getting behind a new uniform then why can't we in Rhuthun? After all, there are apparently uniform grants available for those who meet the set criteria.
And did parents at Brynhyfryd rivals Ysgol Glan Clwyd kick up such a stink when it introduced blazers in September 2016? Glan Clwyd's catchment is not so different from Blessed Ted's. There are more people attending Glan Clwyd from Rhyl than anywhere else.