A HEADTEACHER has ended a controversial ban on his pupils wearing coats from the high street.

Patcham High School headteacher John McKee had insisted on over a thousand student wearing on coats with the school logo on.

But the £32 coat was unpopular with pupils and meant dozens of children were walking to school in the freezing cold and rain without a coat.

The U-turn comes after The Argus exposed the school uniform policy which had angered many parents and pupils earlier this week.

Pupils will now be able to wear non-school uniform coats on the school grounds outside at break and lunchtime, and to and from school.

Mr McKee called the coat ban a "mistake" and said "it was never his intention for children to come to school without coats".

In a letter to parents Mr McKee said: "I am writing in response to recent parent and community feedback and the media attention about the school coats.

"I want to reassure you that when we took the decision in the summer to tighten the school uniform policy it was based on our core values and what we strongly believed was in the best interests of our children.

"I now realise that the position that I have taken with regards to school coats is overshadowing much of the fantastic work that takes place day in and day out at Patcham High School.

"As such, I acknowledge that I made a mistake in underestimating the strength of feeling about the introduction of school coats. Student welfare is of paramount importance and it was never our intention for children to come to school without coats.

"However, this is the situation that we are now in and it is something that I need to address. I want to ensure that all students are warm, dry and

protected from the elements."

The letter went on to say students will now be allowed to wear non-school uniform coats outside school buildings during break and lunch.

Pupils are now also able to wear non-school uniform coats within the school gates up until the point of entering the school building at the start of the school day.

Victory for parents

Mother-of-two Michelle Harman, 36, from Patcham, started a petition to end the ban two weeks ago, after her daughter was scared if she wore a coat to school that it would be confiscated.

Today when The Argus broke the news the ban had been lifted, she said it was victory for common sense.

She said: "I am so ecstatic. I thought it was going to be a long slog, but once we started mentioning campaigns and petitions, they realised they had to start listening to the parents of the school.

"I am glad he changed his mind and as this is what we wanted. It shows if parents are passionate about something they need to speak up."

Ms Harman went on to thank The Argus for bringing the issue to the community's attention.

She said: "Without The Argus supporting us parents, we would not have got anywhere.

"The Argus have been absolutely superb."

'I never imagined it would overshadow the school'

In September the school had introduced a £32 coat with the school logo on, and insisted its 1050 pupils only wear the school-approved coat.

It banned pupils from wearing coats from high street shops like Primark and supermarkets.

The school said the coat policy made it easier to identify pupils on site and to make sure disadvantaged children were not embarrassed about not having designer coats.

But the school-approved coats were not popular with children, and many had their high street coats confiscated by teachers. The school required parents to come into the school to collect their children's confiscated coats, before they were returned.

When The Argus visited Patcham High on Monday in Ladies Mile Road, Patcham, dozens of children were walking from school coatless with frozen fingers and shaking in the cold.

The end of the coat ban comes three days after The Argus exposed the ban.

Speaking to The Argus today Mr McKee said: "We are a community school, and The Argus is a community newspaper.

"You have drawn our attention to an issue and we have acted upon what you discovered.

"We want the best for everyone, and we will always put student welfare first, and we have listened to what you have been saying.

"The original coat policy was based on principles we felt were key to us and core values of the school, but we never imagined that it would end up overshadowing the good work the school does."