A Wirral high school is banning pupils from wearing designer coats in a bid to prevent the bullying of those children whose parents cannot afford to buy one.
Woodchurch High School in Birkenhead has taken action, to prevent pupils coming into school with expensive branded coats such as Moncler, Canada Goose and Pyrenex.
This was revealed in a letter that was sent out to parents informing them that the ban would take place after Christmas at the high school for students aged between 11 and 16.
The ruling has been put in place to stop ‘poverty shaming’ and to avoid children being bullied due to not keeping with the trend of owning a designer coat.
This not only is to help children, but to also take the pressure of the parents as the prices of the jackets can range from £300 just for children and up to £1,000 for adults.
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Headteacher Rebekah Phillips told JMU Journalism: “Our concern is that children put a lot of pressure on their parents to buy expensive designer coats and a lot of parents can’t afford them, and it makes children feel left out, if they haven’t got what everyone else has.”
One parent, Laura Murphy, 31, told JMU Journalism: “I am so pleased that Woodchurch High has made a ban like this. The pressure on parents to buy these expensive coats is crazy. All high schools should do this to stop any bullying or people stealing them.”
However, another parent, Katy Jones, 28, told JMU Journalism: “I was absolutely furious when I read about this online this week. I think that bullying will exist inside and outside of school settings, throughout our generation and it’s honestly the students who don’t have coats on their backs who would be my main concern and priority as a teacher.”
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