Parents of kids at a Cheshire school are furious after a new strict uniform policy meant their kids were stopped from wearing their own coats outside.
Students at Bishop Heber school in Malpas, Cheshire are only permitted to wear the costly branded school jacket on school grounds, with the various items of clothing together costing a family up to £100 per child.
Photos taken by furious parents show staff milling around in warm overcoats while some children are just in jumpers, CheshireLive reports.
One mum said that her asthmatic son was put into isolation for retrieving his confiscated coat as he was cold.
The school says it believes if kids were allowed to wear their own coats, it would "erode the great relationships we have with the students" because they might end up wearing hoodies.
The school's policies have been slammed by Chesire MP Mike Amesbury, who is currently pushing a Bill to make sure parents are not being saddled with hefty bills for branded uniforms.
Parents have also complained about the cost and quality of the branded windcheater, which can be purchased for £25.
One parent whose children are currently complying with the policy said that the school anorak was not sufficient to keep her children warm.
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She said: "They would literally have to have a branded polo, branded sweater, branded fleece and branded anorak in order to be warm and dry outside.
"Given Mike Amesbury's law, that is extremely excessive branding – and I've never heard of another school having a branded outside coat before now."
Those four items will set parents back £94.50.
Another parent said: "They confiscated his [my son's] coat yesterday – outside – which I thought was absolutely ludicrous. He has asthma, which he is on constant medication for, so getting cold does him no good whatsoever."
She continued: "Because he went and got his coat back because he was cold, he has been put into isolation, that was his punishment.
"Why would you take a coat off a child when you know they've got asthma?
"Kids should not be worried about getting into trouble for keeping warm. At some point, common sense has to prevail."
In an email to the parents of Year 9 students, head teacher David Curry explained the rationale behind the coat ban.
Mr Curry said that he was "aware that there's been some discourse on social media about coats and why students cannot wear their own in school".
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The email said: "In essence, the four/five layers of clothing we suggest should be more than ample to ask them to go out at break to get a blast of fresh air and withstand almost all weathers."
An Act of Parliament designed to reduce exorbitant school uniform costs is set to come into force from this September.
MP Mike Amesbury said: "Schooling should [be] about a child's ability to do not their family's ability to pay.
"What is being reported by parents is clearly against the spirit of the Act. To hear about coats being confiscated in the middle of winter because they are deemed non-compliant with uniform policy, is plainly ridiculous."
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