Lad forces school to make uniform rule change after turning up to class in skirt
A lad has seemingly managed to get his school to make a temporary uniform rule change.
Joe Stratton returned to school in Surrey on Tuesday (5 September) from the summer holidays, but obviously with the current heatwave, he didn’t quite fancy sitting in trousers all day.
So, the 15-year-old wore his shorts from the summer uniform but his mum Jo Suleyman says he was told that they’re only for the summer term.
The teen was then told that the uniform policy at Stafford School in Caterham left him with the choice of either trousers or a skirt.
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Branded by his parents as a ‘legend’, Joe happily opted for a skirt to school on Wednesday and Thursday, planning to do so ‘every day that he felt too hot to wear trousers, his mum told SurreyLive.
“He said most of his teachers either didn’t notice and didn’t say anything at all - well they must have noticed - or they were supportive of him, she said.
“I don’t think they expected him to actually do it.”
And Joe’s dad, Ronnie Stratton, is ‘extremely proud’ of the Year 11 student.
He explained: “At first, he thought he was going to get ridiculed and have the mickey taken out of him. But, like I told him, at the end of the day, you stand up for what you believe in.
"Why should he go to school hot and uncomfortable and then try to function in school? To function and be uncomfortable and hot, I don’t think is right.”
While she has only heard Joe’s account of things, Jo added that ‘most of the teachers in his lessons were quite proud of him for finding a peaceful way to prove his point'.
Of course, the recent heatwave has been pretty unbearable – who wants to sit in classes all day in long dark trousers?
On Thursday (7 September), the UK recorded the hottest day of the year – conveniently in a Surrey village – of a whopping 32.7C.
And on that day, which was Joe’s second day of rocking the skirt, his mum told SurreyLive that the children at Stafford School were told they would be able to wear shorts on Friday (8 September).
The school said it had sent out a letter to parents on Thursday to confirm that pupils could wear the summer uniform.
Head of school, Jeff Place, said in the letter: "The current intention is to revert to full normal uniform from Tuesday 12 September with temperatures dropping back.
"We will carry out a more formal review of uniforms in due course, particularly regarding shorts as part of Uniform A for all times of year."
The power of fashion clearly isn’t just limited to the runways, as this young legend helped his mates get their legs out in the school corridors.
Jess Battison