Latest news with #JamesSaunders
BBC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Coggeshall school puts its proposed skirts ban on hold
A plan by a school to ban skirts in a bid to make uniform more gender-neutral has been paused after the head teacher received "discriminatory and bigoted" Monday, pupils at Honywood School in Coggeshall, Essex, were told they must wear only trousers or knee-length shorts from on Wednesday, head teacher James Saunders wrote to parents to say the policy had been put on hold following said he was still keen to collate people's views and added: "I feel we need a more productive framework, free from the emotive and polarised opinions that permeate society." Mr Saunders said: "As a society, we do not always have to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Talking about 'liberal wokeness' at one extreme or a 'Victorian approach to discipline' on the other."The school has asked parents and carers for their thoughts on both the existing uniform rules and the proposed ones. The initial decision to ban skirts attracted criticism from some parents, first reported by the Colchester its first letter sent to parents, the school said outlawing skirts would remove "ongoing challenges" and create a more "equitable, practical and affordable" dress added: "Over time, we have unfortunately experienced persistent issues with school skirts being worn incorrectly."Department for Education guidance states that it is for schools to set uniform policies, and it encourages them to have dress codes that promote "good behaviour and discipline".In a statement, Honywood School said it took the concerns of families seriously."It is disappointing that we have not been given time to respond in our normal community-minded way and that families feel this is a matter that needs reporting in the media," said the statement."We only wish families were more passionate and vocal about the real challenges schools are facing currently."The school said it would work to achieve a "mutually accepted solution" and said the media was "not the appropriate platform" to address the issue. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Parents fury as school to ban SKIRTS in move to be 'more inclusive' as it pushes for 'gender neutral options for all students'
A school has banned pupils from wearing skirts in its drive to be 'more inclusive' and offer ' gender neutral options'. Students will no longer be allowed to wear the item of clothing as of September after a letter was circulated this week informing them of the uniform change. Furious parents at Honywood School in Essex have hit out branding the move 'group punishment' and 'crazy'. It comes after the headteacher James Saunders also said in his communication on Monday that pupils had been wearing the skirts incorrectly. Students can currently choose from trousers or a school-branded skirt - but come the new academic year their only options will be black trousers or black, knee-length, tailored shorts. A letter seen by the Colchester Gazette said: 'Over time, we have unfortunately experienced persistent issues with school skirts being worn incorrectly. 'By replacing the option of skirts, ongoing challenges in this regard are removed so that the collective staff and learner focus, and energy within school remains fully on learning.' It adds that tailored shorts will provide a more gender-neutral option for all pupils and uniform may become more financially affordable for families by replacing the skirt. A parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Gazette: 'I am disappointed - they are rolling it out as a gender-neutral initiative but it's not really, they are trying to do group punishment. 'Yes, girls should wear skirts appropriately and parents should be enforcing it.' She added her daughter, in Year 7, wore skirts with the school branding which she had 'spent money on' and concluded the change was 'crazy'. The parent also claimed last September the school banned female students from wearing socks and they now have to 'wear tights all year round'. Locals have taken to social media to weigh in with their thoughts, saying 'I'm surprised they haven't banned trousers instead' and 'is this not discrimination against girls'. But a few parents said they were not surprised as 'some of the girls roll them up so short'. One person said: 'It will stop them from rolling them over at the waist band so they are so short.' Another added: 'There should be a strict uniform regulations and if not adhered to parents heavily fined: end of.' Come the new academic year students' only options will be black trousers or black, knee-length, tailored shorts (file image) But a third commented: 'This is really interfering with their education.' And someone else said: 'That's ridiculous, yes have rules but making girls wear shorts/trousers... what is this world coming to.' The school issued a public letter to parents on social media this evening where Mr Saunders said in his view the approach to banning skirts was 'not contentious'. He explained: 'It follows a simple uniform model used by many schools across the country. 'I would like to reassure you that we will open a dialogue to include parents' views so that they may be able input directly into this process.' Honywood School has followed in the footsteps of a handful of other secondary schools that announced they would be moving to a trousers-only policy in September. Canon Slade School in Bolton and Philips High in Whitefield, Bury, are among those to have already made the change. The school's response A spokesman for Honywood School told the Gazette: 'On Monday, a letter regarding changes to our uniform policy was sent to families. The school received a number of queries about these changes. 'At this time, we have not been able to respond to these enquiries as they were received less than 24 hours ago. 'Our policy is to respond to all communications within 48 hours. We will be responding through the appropriate channels in due course. 'We take the opinions and concerns of our families seriously. 'It is disappointing that we have not been given time to respond in our normal community-minded way and that families feel this is a matter that needs reporting in the media. 'We have always preferred to work directly with families rather than respond to external pressures via third parties. 'We only wish families were more passionate and vocal about the real challenges schools are facing currently such as lack of funding and SEND support or that the media was exposing these issues publicly. 'The approach we have taken is not contentious and follows a simple uniform model used by lots of schools across the country. 'It is clear that our families have concerns and we will continue to work with them directly to achieve a mutually accepted solution as the media is not the appropriate platform to deal with this matter.'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Information Technology Department taps new chief information security officer
State officials, in announcing the appointment of James Saunders to be the next chief information security officer for the Maryland Department of Information Technology, said cybersecurity is "more important than ever" in the face of evolving threats. (Photo by) The Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) named a former U.S. Office of Personnel Management information officer Monday as its next chief information security officer. The department said James Saunders started in an acting capacity on Monday. In a statement announcing the appointment, the department said Saunders will lead DoIT's Office of Security Management, which is responsible for securing the state's IT systems, infrastructure and private data. Administration officials called Saunders 'a highly sought-after candidate,' who brings more than '15 years of cybersecurity leadership experience across the federal government and private sector.' 'I'm a big believer in partnership,' Saunders said in the anouncement. 'Whether they are part of my security team or not, I will work hand in hand with those across the State of Maryland to ensure we keep our people and our assets safe, together.' The department said Saunders served as CISO and deputy chief information officer at OPM, where he helped implement 'zero-trust programs and drove a cultural transformation within the agency's security team to enhance inter-agency collaboration.' He also served as CISO for the U.S. Small Business Administration when it was called on to develop secure systems to distribute nearly $700 billion in funds to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'As public and private organizations face new threats like agentic AI, strong cybersecurity is more important than ever,' said DoIT Secretary Katie Savage. 'James Saunders is an experienced cybersecurity expert who has helped secure some of our nation's most important systems. We are thrilled he is bringing his expertise and leadership to the State of Maryland.' Saunders is the latest federal official to shift into high-ranking state job, as the new administration in Washington brings uncertainty about the future of the federal workforce. He follows the appointments of Commerce Secretary Harry Coker Jr., who previously worked as White House cyber security director; Health Secretary Meena Seshamani, the former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and former Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz, who is now deputy secretary for external relations at the Department of the Environment. Saunders will serve in an acting capacity until he is formally appointed by the governor and his appointment is approved by the Senate. Gov. Wes Moore called the appointment 'a big deal,' since it is coming at a time 'when Maryland is choosing to bet big on the cybersecurity industry.' He said in the department's statement that with Saunders, 'we will continue to ensure our people are protected, our state is secure, and Maryland sets the standard for leadership in cyber.'
