Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I recently had my first day as a teacher trainee at my second school placement, however I have an issue with the male staff dress code at the school and I'm looking for advice on reasonable adjustments.
My school mentor has asked me to wear a tie, and I have explained to her that I am autistic and find it extremely uncomfortable to wear them. I'm not sure why, but wearing a tie just diminishes my confidence and makes me feel emotionally and physically exhausted.
(This is an absolutely non-negotiable issue for me - I'm not even open to compromising on wearing a clip-on tie or even a bow tie.)
Would it constitute a reasonable adjustment for the school to excuse me from wearing a tie?
Jordan
Other Notes
I have explained to my university tutor that I believe it constitutes a reasonable adjustment, however she still believes I should wear a tie if my school is asking me to. I have also explained the issue to the disability department at my university, who believe that it is certainly reasonable for me to ask the school again to excuse me from wearing a tie.
I sympathise - I can't have anything touching my collarbones or my throat, so I can't imagine what it must be like wearing a tie.
It is certainly a reasonable adjustment to ask for - goodness knows I've asked my school for things that were harder to accommodate and got them, so I don't see why being excused from wearing a tie would be an issue. If your mentor is still insisting upon it, I would either get the disability department at university to pop them an email, or possibly get the SENCO at your placement to have a word.