Teachers furious as M&S launches school blazer with built-in iPod controls

The 'Blazer for iPod', which is part of the shop's 2008 Back to School collection, has been branded irresponsible by Britain's biggest teaching union, the NASUWT.

Teachers fear that the new jacket will encourage children to flout school rules by listening to MP3 players in class.

'Error of judgment': The iPod blazer being sold as part of the back-to-school range

The blazer, available for boys and girls, has a five-function keypad in the lapel lining which allows the wearer to change the volume on the iPod and play, pause, fast-forward and rewind tracks.

M&S says the eco-friendly blazer - made from fabric produced by recycling plastic bottles - is perfect 'for music on the move'.

It features 'a strategically placed iPod pocket which doesn't bulge, an iPod connector with a hidden circuit, concealed controls for operating the settings, lapel loops concealing the earphone wires'.

Function controls are sewn into the lapel lining

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates dismissed the whole idea as 'an error of judgement' and entirely unnecessary.

'Teachers are already battling against the misuse of such technology in classrooms,' she said.

'Pupils nowadays come to school equipped with mobile phones, MP3 players, and portable games consoles when teachers would like them to just bring a pen.'

The gadgets not only distract the users and those around them, but thefts and breakages put extra burdens on staff, she added.

NASUWT has been running a major campaign to secure government backing against the misuse of technology in schools, and most prohibit MP3 players and other gadgets from being brought into the classroom or even onto the premises.

Ms Keates said: 'Providing pockets in school uniform specifically designed to conceal these items is tantamount to legitimising the flouting of school rules.

'Some youngsters already have little problem in doing this. They don't need to be aided and abetted by businesses using such gimmicks to give their uniforms the edge over their competitors.'

Parents echoed her concerns.

Hayley Hamlett, 38, said: 'It sounds horrendous and it encourages anti-social behaviour and children to listen to music in lessons.

'Many adolescents seem to walk round unable to hear what's going on a lot of the time anyway because they have earphones in, and this encourages that.

'My daughter Sherri might love it … but there's no way I would buy it for her.'

Sherri, 15, head girl at Hamble Community Sports College, Hants, took a pragmatic view.

'It sounds cool but I wouldn't spend £30 of my own money on it. If you want to you can do something similar just by running the wires of your iPod up inside your top.'

The blazer, which is black and comes in sizes from age 10 to age 16, costs £25 to £30.

The technology has also been fitted to a range of children's winter school coats for £35 to £40 by international electronics company Fibretronic.

Spokeswoman Dianne Jones said: 'It's certainly very different from my school uniform in the late 1970s - to be honest I don't think I would've dreamt of anything like this.

'We first started putting electronic controllers in top-of-the-range snowboarding garments and it's now being picked up by high street retailers like Marks & Spencer.'