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Teenagers at Bishop Heber High School in Malpas, Cheshire, are only permitted to wear the branded school jackets on school grounds. One mother said her asthmatic son was put into isolation for retrieving his confiscated coat as he was so cold.

But the school, which caters for more than 1,000 children, said pupils might end up wearing hoodies if they were allowed to wear their own coats and this would “erode the great relationships we have with the students”.

Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, Cheshire, is currently pushing a Bill to make sure parents are not being saddled with hefty bills for branded uniforms.

However, parents are worried about the safety of their children.

Spaking about her son, one angry mum told Cheshire Live: “It was bitterly cold, freezing all day, and his hands were so cold that he couldn’t hold his pen in English. When he came out of school he was absolutely frozen.

“These children are freezing outside, then they’re going into a classroom with the windows all open – they need to be warm. If we’ve got to have this rule, if that’s what the headteacher wants, then please can he ditch his padded coat and can the teachers lead by example by all standing outside without their coats on? Because I think that would set a good example for the children.

“These children have a right to be warm.”

It was bitterly cold, freezing all day, and his hands were so cold that he couldn’t hold his pen in English

A mum

Another mum said the school’s branded anorak was not sufficient to keep her children warm.

She added: “They would literally have to have a branded polo, branded sweater, branded fleece and branded anorak in order to be warm and dry outside.

“Given Mike Amesbury’s law, that is extremely excessive branding – and I’ve never heard of another school having a branded outside coat before now.”

The various items of clothing together would cost a family up to £100 per child.

A third parent said: “They confiscated his [my son’s] coat yesterday – outside – which I thought was absolutely ludicrous. He has asthma, which he is on constant medication for, so getting cold does him no good whatsoever.

“Because he went and got his coat back because he was cold, he has been put into isolation, that was his punishment.

“Why would you take a coat off a child when you know they’ve got asthma?”

She continued: “Kids should not be worried about getting into trouble for keeping warm.

“It’s just nonsensical. When they’re going into a warm classroom it’s totally different, but when you’re going into a classroom with the doors and windows open, you soon get cold when you’re sitting down.

“At some point, common sense has to prevail. These kids should not have to be cold.”

Nicholas Trench calls to ‘get rid’ of school uniforms

The school, rated as Outstanding by Ofsted after its last inspection, says the rule has been introduced to “ensure every child can be the best they can be”.

In an email to the parents of Year 9 students, headteacher David Curry said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to state that students are allowed to wear coats to and from school as some have long journeys and have to wait for parents and/or buses in the morning/afternoon. However, once they arrive at school after registration period, we expect that an undergarment (e.g. vest/t-shirt/base layer) along with a school polo shirt, jumper, fleece and optional jacket (windcheater) would be sufficient to keep them warm and conversely allow them to take layers off when in warmer classrooms.

“In essence, the four/five layers of clothing we suggest should be more than ample to ask them to go out at break to get a blast of fresh air and withstand almost all weathers.

“We are fortunate at Heber that students almost always understand this and so usually it works really well.

If we allowed non-uniform coats, we believe strongly that it would erode the great relationships we have with the students day to day as inevitably students would push the boundaries and wear hoodies and other coats (inc. styles and colours) that undermines the high standards we have.

“More importantly, I also believe that it would become a status issue for us and possibly make some students feel vulnerable. Many of the most expensive coats (e.g. North Face and Canada Goose are upward of £200-£300 even £1,000) and wearing/owning the ‘right’ coat could become the motive rather than its thermal properties which I feel, could undermine what we stand for as a comprehensive school and put pressure on students in school and families to conform to a set of norms/expectations that aren’t healthy, marginalising some students and putting at risk that sense of belonging which we work so hard to achieve at Heber.

“I hope our rationale makes sense and that our drive to ensure every child can be the best they can be is central to the decision.”

An Act of Parliament designed to reduce exorbitant school uniform costs was passed this year, and is set to come into force from this September. The Bill was introduced and championed by Mr Amesbury, who has been an MP in the area for four years.

Cheshire West and Chester Council and Ofsted both said that they do not have a policy on school uniform, and so could not comment on this case.

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