HEADTEACHERS fed up with parents wearing pyjamas on the school run have asked them to get dressed before dropping their children off.

Eleven primary schools in Middlesbrough have come together to make the request, amid stories of parents turning up in the mornings and afternoons, as well as attending meetings with teachers, in their nightwear.

Many schools have since sent letters home to parents asking for their wishes to be respected.

The 11 primary schools which form the cluster in east Middlesbrough – North Ormesby, St Alphonsus, Berwick Hills, St Pius, Park End, Pallister Park, Pennyman, Thorntree, Corpus Christi, Brambles Farm and Caldicotes – have agreed on the policy.

Chris Kemp-Hall, headteacher at North Ormesby and chairman of the cluster group, said: “We all have the opinion that appearing at school dressed in pyjamas isn’t the right way to go about things.

“It’s about setting an example and having self-esteem.”

Since the letters have been issued, many schools have noticed a sharp decline in the number of parents wearing pyjamas in the playground.

Chris Wain, headteacher at Pallister Park, said: “Parents have respected our wishes and responded appropriately. We no longer have a pyjama problem at Pallister Park.”

The move has also been welcomed by many parents.

Terri Llewellyn-Quinn, 28, whose children, Maddison, eight, and Lucas, six, attend Pallister Park Primary School, said parents heading out of their houses in their pyjamas should be “ashamed of themselves”.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” she said. “How long does it take to throw a pair of jeans on? I think you are asking for ridicule for your children if you can’t be bothered getting dressed.”

The wearing of pyjamas outdoors is commonplace in some areas of Middlesbrough.

Karen Downing, 60, of Penrith Road, Park End, said she “can’t be bothered getting dressed”.

“I wear mine because they’re comfy,” she said.

“People can wear what they want. I would get dressed up if I was going into Middlesbrough.

“A lot of people say ‘look at her’. I think everybody to their own. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said: “This is a matter for headteachers to address with parents, but the council supports schools in seeking to maintain appropriate dress and behaviour on school premises.”