A primary headteacher has written to parents urging them not to turn up in pyjamas when dropping their kids off at school. 

Kate Chisholm, head of Skerne Park Primary, in Darlington, contacted parents to ask them to dress appropriately after seeing a rise in the number appearing at the school gate in pyjamas and slippers.

She wrote: “Could I please ask that, when you are escorting your children, you take the time to dress appropriately in daywear that is suitable for the weather conditions?”

Ms Chisholm said that she had noticed an increase in the number of parents wearing pyjamas not only at the school gates, but also at assemblies and in meetings. She decided to take action when she realised that they were also wearing nightwear to the school Christmas show, and to parents’ evenings.

She added in her letter: “While this may seem to some to be a minor point, I am sure you will agree that it is important for us all to set our children a good example about what is appropriate and acceptable in all aspects of life.”

She has since said that she has had a good response from the Skerne Park community. “I have had far more positive response than negative,” she told the Yorkshire Post.

Phil Naylor, one of the parents at the school, was among those welcoming the new dress code. “It’s disgraceful,” he said of the parents in pyjamas. “We should be guiding our children, not giving them bad habits.”

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