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A strange thing happens to you when you become a parent. From the moment that baby first opens its eyes and looks at you or curls its tiny hand around your finger you feel something shift inside you. From that moment on there is nothing you would not do, no length to which you would not go to keep that child safe. Your own personal security will forever more come second. Apart from that occasional moment when they hit puberty perhaps...
I know this is not just me. I have consulted friends, colleagues, relatives and many soaps and films, which is why I find the rash of "health and safety gone mad" comments in response to our findings about the increase of clip-on ties in schools absolutely preposterous. While the vast majority of people who have read about this have been completely supportive of the move, health and safety has long since been an easy target for serial complainers. "I used to eat mud and it never did me any harm". "I used to walk to school on my own at the age of four and I was never abducted".
We have all heard these types of comments a million times.
The fact of the matter is that last month we consulted our members and found that 25 schools a week are changing their school tie and, of these 40% are switching to clip-ons. The main reason is to ensure uniformity. I have read a few comments online about how this is stifling creativity among our children but quite frankly the point of a school uniform is to be...well, uniform. Fat knots, short tails, back to front tails all defeat the purpose but are not possible with a clip-on - result, the uniform instantly looks smarter.
The other reason is of course health and safety, and why should this not be? Despite our inbuilt need to protect our offspring, once we become confident parents we allow them to push the boundaries, take risks. We are very aware of our own child's needs and limitations so we are always conscious of how much leeway we can give them.
But what about when you are responsible for the children of a friend? How terrible would you feel handing them back at the end of the day with a cut knee and teary eyes? Now multiply this feeling by hundreds, sometimes thousands, and you are getting close to the daily responsibility held by a school and its staff.
Schools, and indeed the school uniform retailers who supply them, should not be lambasted for this small move towards making life that little bit safer for our children. However, if these schools must be criticised, how much better to be criticised for being too conscious of its pupils' safety than for being negligent.
Visit www.schoolwearassociation.co.uk
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