To think we should do away with girls/ boys uniforms?

[MerryMarigold]

Can't we just have a gender neutral uniform? Trousers, jumper, shirt, maybe tie
My daughter literally NEVER wears skirts outside of school but obviously ALL the girls wear skirts to school even though trousers are permitted.

A. It would help those struggling with what they identify as wouldn't need to make any massive statements via uniform.

B. The cost of girls uniform (usually) is ridiculous and much higher than boys. My daughter's school has a specific skirt and specific blouse (skirt is 30.00 alone!) where whereas boys have generic grey trousers and generic white shirts.

It seems schools have bought into/ contribute to/ emphasise this very distinct boys/ girls gendered clothing. I hate it!

The kids should wear what they want. I get that it's expensive but my DD likes being feminine, she likes wearing skirts, so why should she ditch it to make everyone else happy?

YABVU. Some girls love to wear skirts and dresses to school, why should that be taken away from them?

I wouldn't want to see the end of skirts. My DD likes to wear them and they're cooler than trousers in summer. However, I do think there should be a range of uniform options and children should be able to choose what they wear (boys in skirts or shorts, girls in trousers).

Conversely my dd does wear skirts out of school and hates trousers. Why should she have to wear something she doesn't want to?

And her school uniform was bought from the supermarkets the same as ds's uniform was

Surely the choice of a skirt or trousers is better if a uniform is required.
I hated school trousers DD only wears a skirt or skort it is her choice of uniform.
Abolishing uniforms would be a better idea not making it trousers only.

I get rid of all uniforms if it were up to me.

If I was in charge schools could specify a widely available colour for bottom half (skirt, trousers, shorts, culottes), a colour for polos or shirts, and a colour for jumper or cardigan, and that's it. But I don't see why girls should be prevented from wearing skirts if they want. My DD often prefers one.

Schools around here girls can choose to wear trousers or a pinafore or a skirt. My daughter prefers a skirt she dislikes the trousers but her friend much prefers trousers. So everyone is happy

What a crap idea

I think skirts/dresses are fine but there shouldn’t be a ‘boys’ list and a ‘girls’ list of uniform. Just ‘these are the accepted uniform items’.

Personally I think we should do away with uniform full-stop, particularly given the ludicrously draconian way even the slightest deviations are policed in many schools. Dripping with jewellery/earrings etc is evidently a concern for health and safety reasons, and here some restrictions are reasonable. But the controversy over even vaguely visible branding, to the extent that parents talk of cutting off tags from shoes and filling in brand names with sharpies, is totally ridiculous.

The USA, Scandinavia and European continent manage without uniform perfectly well, and in several cases have higher standards of achievement than the UK.

My girls are very happy in their pinnafores thankyou.

Erm no. my daughter hates wearing school trousers
Always refused to wear them, which is fine by me

Have a skirt/dress option and a trouser option and allow pupils to choose rather than segregating by gender or sex.

So your gender neutral idea just puts them all into the 'boys' uniform? Girls (and boys) should be allowed to wear skirts if they want. I also think boys (and girls) should have the option of shorts

A. It would help those struggling with what they identify as wouldn't need to make any massive statements via uniform

So for the very few who can chose what to wear, the rest of the girls should conform?

Much alone the lines of girls skirts are a distraction for the boys so should stop wearing them?

Nope because trousers (rather than leggings) are much more difficult to get to fit than pinafores both on reception kids and as puberty kicks in.

Sounds like another example of "gender neutral" being used as a synonym for "male default". Can't see it catching on tbh. I would however support a campaign to a) make skirts/dresses/blouses a uniform option for boys as well as girls and b) make sure they all cost the same/are of the same quality.

@MyFloorIsLava

If I was in charge schools could specify a widely available colour for bottom half (skirt, trousers, shorts, culottes), a colour for polos or shirts, and a colour for jumper or cardigan, and that's it. But I don't see why girls should be prevented from wearing skirts if they want. My DD often prefers one.

That's exactly what DDs primary do.

Grey or black bottoms/dress
White polo/tshirt/shirt
Royal blue cardigan/jumper/sweatshirt
Black shoes/trainers/boots

You can get logo stuff if you want but don't have to.

DD wears black leggings, plain white tshirt and blue cardigan.

Why should a gender neutral uniform mean taking skorts away rather than opening up the skirt option to the boys?

Just have a list of items and let all the kids choose which wear.

Or scrap the cheaply made over priced hideously impractical , let's exclude all the disabled/poor kids from applying by making it unaffordable or disability unfriendly, uniform altogether

Nope my daughter would be furious. She loves her school dresses and often struggles with getting trousers the right length. The premise of your post seems to be that no-one should have the choice because your daughter doesn’t like wearing skirts.

Primary uniform should be (imo)
Skirt,, Pinafore, Trousers in X colour
Polo shirt in Y colour
Jumper, Cardigan in Z colour.
Summer dress and shorts option.
Colour can be any colour as long as it's mainstream available or you sell specialist colour for comparative price.
Black shoes, no logo, no heels

Secondary similar but with shirts / tie / blazer. Same rules as above. Badges for blazers

@JazzerMcCreary

I think skirts/dresses are fine but there shouldn’t be a ‘boys’ list and a ‘girls’ list of uniform. Just ‘these are the accepted uniform items’.

This

YABU because gender neutral/uni sex clothing automatically defaults into everyone to wear male clothing.
The police are currently looking in to gender neutral clothing but the reality is women will be required to wear male trousers, jackets etc.

It would help those struggling with what they identify as wouldn't need to make any massive statements via uniform.

Quite frankly young kids of school age don't need any encouragement in that regard.

I identified as a Goth. I was still sent home for school for dressing as one, since the school weren't buying my excuses that their code of dress was black!

Sick and tired of all the 'gender' angst, but it's my comfort that in five years' time the whole thing will probably look as embarrassingly passe as Twilight.