The rule was criticised by parents. (Image: Getty)
Teachers have warned pupils at a secondary school in that wearing coats indoors will land them in detention in a move that parents have decried as “astounding” and “like a dictatorship”. A letter seen by the Express addressed to parents at Adeyfield Academy stated that in recent days meant students were no longer “permitted to wear coats inside the school building” and, if they are spotted doing so, will be “asked to remove it and [given] a uniform detention”.
Instead, They were urged to buy a “black V-neck school jumper” to ensure pupils stay warm on grounds, a suggestion that one mother said wouldn’t be affordable for some families. The mum, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “When my child leaves for school at 8am, it’s still frosty outside. If no coats are allowed and [children] get unwell, then their attendance will go down, and we’ll get called in for meetings. My son likes his coat – it’s a comfort thing for him, even in warmer weather.”
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The move was slammed as “prioritising punishment over learning” (Image: Google)
“They’re trying to get us to buy school jumpers, but they’re expensive, and some families can’t afford them,” she added. “It’s ridiculous to throw out detentions just for trying to stay warm.”
Charlie Sheehan, a parent of a former student at the Hertfordshire school, added: “The weather is not [always] warm, but children will [now] walk to school without a coat to avoid carrying it all day.
“A detention for being cold is astounding. The children are not allowed to have an opinion – it’s a simple ‘do as we say or be punished’. What a shame when we are in 2025.” She also suggested that the school was being “run like a dictatorship” and prioritised “punishing a child for being cold” over “ensuring [they are] happy and receiving an education”.
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Other parents also took to social media to denounce the academy’s “waste of time” rule, with one writing: “If children are wearing coats inside the building, there’s a high chance that it’s because it’s cold inside too. Maybe they should be adjusting the thermostat and not their expectations of the kids?”
Another labelled the threat of detention a “complete and utter joke”. “How does wearing a coat affect someone’s learning?” they asked.
A spokesperson for Adeyfield Academy said: “In line with other schools in our area we have a long-standing uniform policy where we do not allow pupils to wear coats inside the school during the spring and summer months. We have recently reminded parents of this part of the uniform policy and as we enter spring that the policy would once again be enforced.
“We pride ourselves on educating our pupils that their actions and decisions have consequences. If a pupil is seen wearing a coat inside the school they are advised that they have breached the uniform policy and asked to remove it. A detention is only given to a pupil in these circumstances if they fail to heed the direction of the teaching staff to remove it.”