EXCLUSIVE
By Suffolk Gazette staff

Suffolk teachers have been ordered to wash in the mornings and not turn up to lessons in their pyjamas.

School heads have noticed a rise in staff arriving still in pyjamas to teach their first class – and some have even worn them all day.

A shock Ofsted report revealed one teacher even attended a parents evening still wearing pink pyjamas and a pair of slippers, while another refereed a school football match while sporting a green-patterned onesie.

A county council letter to all teachers, seen by the Suffolk Gazette, warns them that keeping to a strict dress code is essential if pupils are to be set a good example.

The move comes just weeks after a headteacher in Darlington made the headlines by writing to parents asking them not to wear pyjamas on the school run.

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One Suffolk head, who asked not to be named, told the Suffolk Gazette: “It’s hard enough keeping kids awake in class without their teacher standing in front of them in their nightwear.

“Some pyjamas can look quite smart, but most of the time they are embarrassing and not at all appropriate. And the fact they are being worn implies the teacher has not even bothered washing in the morning.

“We have enforced a blanket ban and any teacher refusing to comply will face disciplinary action.”

But a spokesman for the local National Union of Teachers branch insisted: “We will defend our members. Teachers are often so overworked at home with marking and lesson planning that they don’t have time to get dressed in the mornings.”

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