Comments on Random Blowe: Adrian Swain Vindicated As Tower Hamlets Forced To...

Hi, I picked this story up randomly and was bemus...

2011-01-08T16:39:34.753Z

Hi,

I picked this story up randomly and was bemused by the whole situation.

PE teachers... wear sports equipment as a basic necessity. What kind of nonsense is imposing a business dress code on PE teacher. Ask him to wear school branded clothing and clean, smart looking gear by all means but shoes!?

What did they expect him to teach PE wearing? Brogues and a double breasted suit!?!?!

If he wasn't a PE teacher then I don't understand how he got away with wearing trainers for so long. But there seems to be some confusion. Is he a PE teacher or not? Simple question I hope to have answered.

Matt, PE Trainee Teacher in Doncaster and interested reader.

Kevin, Your views are well out of touch with real...

2010-08-31T09:47:59.822+01:00

Kevin,

Your views are well out of touch with reality. I work in this school and did throughout this ridiculous ordeal. I never once saw him teach PE and therefore makes the whole POINTLESS argument void.

The East London Staff who did not support him were well within their right to do so, and probably felt that real important issues should be fought rather than meaningless self indulgent ones.

Regards

PE Teacher SPWTS

I worked as a drug counsellor for the NHS in Islin...

2010-08-29T06:06:42.945+01:00

I worked as a drug counsellor for the NHS in Islington and wore trainers a lot of the time. On days that I wore trainers I felt slightly more capable of doing my job. I just don't know why but isn't that silly? I think a good pair of smart trainers made me more empathetic and intuitive. Where as, brogues and stiff leather uppers (people sometime forget that a lot of trainers have soft leather uppers) made me feel closed in and defensive. Not a good look for a drugs counsellor.

Having been raised on 80's films I think their influence has affected my preference. Seldom did I feel a danger to clients in my trainers. Apart from when I went through a phase of wearing those really thick laces and leaving them undone in a South Bronx style. The threat of tripping up and knocking someone over was a risk so I was obliged to take them out when I did my ward rounds.

I hope Tower Hamlets have done a proper risk assessment of all shoes because it would be a breach of their duty to care for such an important issue to be treated frivolously.

Kevin, Bluntly and well said regarding Adrian'...

2010-08-17T07:36:19.039+01:00

Kevin,

Bluntly and well said regarding Adrian's case. As subsequent events at St Paul's Way school illustrated only too amply after Adrian's sacking in December 2008, the issue was never really what he wore on a job he did extremely well for more than three decades, but his role as an effective union rep.
Sadly, the leadership of his local NUT association did not react in a commensurate fashion to the attack despite the backing Adrian commanded from the vast majority of NUT members at the school.
George B, N16.

Kevin, I don't agree with your views. If you a...

2010-08-17T00:21:37.646+01:00

Kevin, I don't agree with your views. If you are a teacher then you are a role model, you should set the standard and dress smartly.

Perhaps, I am in love with those 1950s films, when wearing a suite was the norm, but I feel the world as gone too casual.

The result is that I have people turn up for jobs interviews in trainers with a bad suit, when asked why they were not wearing formal shoes, they said it hurt their feet. If people are not sure to formal wear, how can they cope in the workplace?