Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:12

A school in the West Midlands has decided to introduce clip-on ties in a bid to make its students' school uniform smarter.

Pupils at the Arthur Terry School in Sutton Coldfield must now where the clip-ons as part of their daily workwear rather than traditional ties they knot themselves.

According to headteacher Christopher Stone, the new scheme has done a lot more than improve the students' behaviour.

He told the Scotsman: "It's a mess when you walk around town and you see children with their buttons undone and their ties all over the place.

"Our attendance has risen in the two weeks since the ties were introduced and I think it's now one of the best in the area."

The school provided pupils with the new ties free of charge.

However, Mr Stone stopped short of recommending such a scheme for all schools. "It's not for me to advise other schools on whether they should adopt something similar," he added.