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Anger over school's new dress code
SIXTH-formers at Haydon School are preparing to boycott next term after their headteacher imposed a 'business dress code' on them without warning.
The A-level students were told that from September they would have to wear smart shoes, trousers, shirts and blazers - and the new clothes would only cost £30 from Tesco.
It prompted parents to write angry letters to the headteacher, Steve Robson, complaining the new uniform would in fact cost a small fortune and asking why they weren't consulted. A Facebook protest group has been joined by 385 people.
Ruislip resident Seth Gillman, whose daughter Orla is a sixth-former at the Wiltshire Lane school, told the Gazette: "There were no meetings, no phone calls, no letters, and we are the ones who will have to pay for all this.
"They said for £30 from Tesco you can get one shirt, one pair of shoes and one pair of trousers, and they reckoned it would last for two years.
"But you will need at least five shirts if you're wearing them everyday. I added it up and found it would cost £369.
"We are all saving for university, we're worried because the fees are going up and EMA [Educational Maintenance Allowance] finishes this year."
Parent Nikki Elliott added: "They are basically saying if you don't like it you can leave, but you are not going to pull them out after they have been here a year.
"The agreement we had is that they could wear casual clothes. To change it halfway through is wrong."
Orla Gillman, 17, said: "It is not a horrible school, they are normally quite reasonable, so this is really out of the blue for them.
"Their prospectus talks about creativity and being an individual. Now they have patronised us."
Harry Elliott, also 17, said: "Academically we achieve well anyway, so why do they need to do this?"
Although little explanation was given for the move, some suspect it was introduced because of Haydon's new academy status, which took it out of local authority control and gave it the opportunity to attract sponsors.
Mr Robson declined to comment.
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I think it is important to keep in mind appearance when applying for jobs, or when in a customer or client facing job where you are representing a company. However, there might have been a bit of a boo boo here. Finishing high school is about making your own choices, and taking responsibility for your actions. I would argue that choosing how you dress rather than being told is part of that. I think the school has been involved in some great projects and local community events in the past. You can't get it right all the time.