The NSW Government has released its first-ever "explicit" dress code for state school teachers as part of its plan to boost the "status" of teaching.
"The Dress Code is the latest element of our plans to improve the status of the profession -- something we know teachers care passionately about," the NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli said in a statement.
The dress code, which will come into force from the start of Term 2, will bar teachers from wearing t-shirts, rubber thongs and clothes displaying alcohol advertising, the minister said.
"Principals have asked me to provide greater clarity about what is acceptable," he said.
"The Dress Code recognises that context is important. Obviously, what a teacher might wear for sports events or metal work is different to what is required for parent-teacher interviews or an end-of-year awards ceremony. For such occasions a suit and tie, or trousers and jacket, is more suitable."