ANOTHER three schools have come under fire for their strict uniform rules after the Daily Echo reported on pupils sweltering in classrooms.

Parents and past pupils ridiculed the enforcement of wearing jumpers or blazers at Hamble Community Sports College, Brookfield Community School and Wildern School in Hedge End.

This week the Daily Echo told how pupils at Hounsdown School, Totton, must seek permission before removing their jumpers or risk detention.

Kids swelter as they are forced to wear jumpers

Following the story, head teacher Di Nightingale confirmed the rule had now been relaxed.

She said: "During the second half of the summer term or over prolonged periods of hot weather it is customary to relax the rules. This amendment is now in place and will remain so until the end of this academic year."

The issue of compulsory uniform had temperatures rising with parents calling the rules "pathetic", "military"

and "torture" on the Daily Echo's website.

A concerned Wildern School parent said: "My son came home red-faced and overheated as he could not take off his jumper. His biggest gripe was that the teachers wore their summer clothes while the pupils were not allowed to remove their jumpers."

A Hamble Community Sports College parent complained pupils had to ask to remove blazers or jumpers while another mum hit out at the way school dress code was handled at Brookfield Community School, Locks Heath.

She said: "You're allowed to wear one of their own logo polo shirts without a jumper, but if you wear a blouse and tie you must always wear a jumper.

Where's the sense in that?"

All three schools refuted claims that students were being made to suffer and said uniform rules had been relaxed. Wildern acting head teacher Mary-Lou Litton said: "We have had "jumpers off" signs up in our reception window since April but some Year 7s get confused."

Hamble College head teacher Ian Knights said: "Jumpers are optional and have been for the last 12 months and students are permitted to remove blazers and jumpers during lessons."

Brookfield School assistant head teacher Ian Gates said: "When we saw the hot weather last week we said the students didn't need permission to remove their jumpers."

Secretary of the Southampton Teachers Association (NUT), Peter Sopowski, pointed out the World Health Organisation recommends a maximum indoor working environment of 24C.

He said: "My view is that common sense and health and safety should prevail. It would be much cheaper to temporarily relax a policy than to fit air conditioning."

At least schools will not have to worry about pupils overheating for the rest of the week with forecasters predicting wet and thundery weather.