‘Rules are rules’: Grammar School defends uniform crackdown

By Azara Lavia Antigua Grammar School Principal Sam Roberts has defended the decision to send senior students home for breaching uniform regulations, saying students and parents had been repeatedly warned about the dress code. The issue drew public attention on Tuesday after a parent said in a Facebook post that 102 students, including his son, had been sent home because their trousers did not meet the school’s standard. The parent also shared a photograph of his son in uniform, prompting widespread commentary and a broader debate about school rules, discipline and whether students should be sent home over uniform breaches. Roberts told Observer Media that the affected students were in third, fourth and fifth forms. He said the school had become concerned about a trend among some senior boys of wearing trousers that were more fitted, narrow or tapered than the institution allows.

“Rules are rules,” Roberts said, maintaining that students are expected to comply with the standards set by the school. He said parents were given a handbook at registration ahead of the 2026–2027 academic year outlining the school’s rules and expectations, including its dress code. According to Roberts, the issue had also been raised repeatedly with students and parents before the school decided to take stronger action. “We have warned, forewarned and warned again,” he said. The principal said first- and second-form students were not among those sent home. He explained that the school was seeking to address what it regarded as a developing trend among older students before younger boys began adopting the same style. Roberts said the matter therefore went beyond individual students and concerned the school’s responsibility to maintain established standards across the institution. The affected…