Parents say school's 'ridiculous' rule leaves students 'cold' in classrooms

Author: Joel Kulasingham,
Publish Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026, 12:39pm

Mount Albert Grammar School is the second-largest school in New Zealand. Photo / NZME

Parents of the second-largest school in the country have expressed concerns about their children feeling cold in class because of a rule not allowing students to wear jackets inside.

Multiple parents of Mount Albert Grammar School students confirmed to the Herald that teachers have been enforcing a “no jackets and scarves inside” rule, despite the chilly winter weather this week.

Auckland recorded one of its coldest days of the year this week, with frost and sub-zero temperatures hitting parts of the city.

Mount Albert Grammar headmaster Patrick Drumm said: “Students are well aware of these expectations.

“This will be one of the routines and expectations teachers have of students as they enter rooms at the beginning of each lesson in preparation of the learning ahead,” Drumm told the Herald.

“Jackets (and/or scarves) are then worn (if students choose) once they leave the class.”

Parents said the “ridiculous” rule had left students feeling cold in “freezing” temperatures.

One parent, whose son attends Mount Albert Grammar, said it’s “tough on cold days, especially for the kids who are wearing jackets and scarves without jumpers underneath”.

“Those kids come in from the cold and have to immediately go down to just a shirt when they haven’t had a chance to warm up.

“[My son] said classrooms have heating but can still be a bit cold.”

Another parent said their son was told by a teacher, “it’s not raining inside so take your jacket off”, with the consequence for not complying being detention.

“It’s bloody freezing at the moment, I think we can all agree. My son has complained about how cold he is in the classroom several times in the last month. The heating in the class isn’t sufficient.

“Meanwhile, the teachers are all layered up with jackets in the class.

“Personally, I feel children should be able to wear the correct school jackets and scarves inside if needed, we aren’t all the same.”

Drumm said he was “unaware of any complaints to the school from parents about classrooms not being heated” and “every classroom in the school is heated by a number of different methods”.

Mount Albert Grammar School headmaster Patrick Drumm. Photo / NZME

Asked about the consequences for not complying with these rules, he said: “Normal classroom management processes and expectations [are] managed by teachers. We have very strong buy-in and understanding from students.”

Parents also say students aren’t allowed to wear extra tops underneath to keep warm.

Drumm said, “Staff do not check whether students are wearing thermals.

“Students follow the long-standing uniform expectations focusing on wearing our MAGS school uniform correctly and with pride at all times.”

Mount Albert Grammar has a roll of about 3500 students and is the second-largest school in the country, behind Rangitoto College in Auckland’s North Shore.