Dress code

is another of those curious things I have had to contemplate of late.
There was a piece in the Guardian about a teacher not wearing a tie and being told to do so. Right or wrong? 
The Senior Cat doesn't like "dressing up" these days. He rarely wears a tie. It is an interesting departure from the teacher and then headmaster who went to school each day in a suit and tie. He even wore a tie out in remote rural areas. He did remove his jacket in extremely hot weather but he still wore a suit to school. It was expected of teachers back then. 
When I was in teacher training college the boys were expected to wear ties and the girls were not permitted to wear trousers. The girls in fact were expected to wear shoes with heels and stockings too. I had to get "special permission" to wear the only footwear I can manage. It was, perhaps, a slightly ridiculous situation in college but it was not a ridiculous situation out in schools back then. Teachers still wore ties and skirts.
My brother wears a tie to work. My brother-in-law wears a tie to work. My nephews wear ties sometimes. It depends on what they are doing. They keep ties in their desks in case they are needed. If they aren't meeting the public they are not required to wear ties. If, as in the case of one, he is in the lab then he doesn't wear one. They know when they need to do it. 
It's about showing they care about their appearance and about respect for others. It is like having clean hair, clean shoes and clean fingernails. It is about wearing trousers that have been washed or dry-cleaned and pressed. It is about changing your shirt at least once a day. 
Ties do seem odd articles of attire - and not particularly comfortable ones. The Whirlwind still has to wear a tie as part of school uniform in winter. She thinks it is "stupid" and yes, it probably is - but she does it anyway. Ask her whether she thinks "uniform" is "stupid" however and she will tell you "no" - because everyone wears the same thing and she doesn't need to think about what to wear or compete with anyone else. 
School uniforms are more common than not here. Most students wear them. Some schools have a much stricter dress code than others. 
I can only assume that goes for teachers as well. More than once I have observed groups of students out and about on, presumably, a school excursion. I have noted the adults with them. Most teachers wear name badges so it is easy to identify them. I have noted that the male teachers who wear ties appear to have much better discipline than the male teachers who wear t-shirts and ripped jeans.
I might be wrong but it seems that wearing a tie can make a difference.