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Original poster

To think that plenty of schools still have brown uniform?

188 replies

Nametobechanged · 17/05/2025 10:52

My DC’s school has brown skirts/ pinafores for the girls uniform. They can wear black trousers if they want but most of the girls prefer skirts.

Asda seems to be the only big shop that’s selling them. M&S, Next, John Lewis, etc have all stopped making brown uniform.

We can’t be the only school with this issue?

OP posts:
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5
MamaLenny · 18/05/2025 10:55

CruCru · 17/05/2025 10:58

It’s a bit off topic but I love it when girls get to wear ankle length skirts. I remember buying a long skirt for school (in the days before they got stricter on the uniform) and I could sit cross legged on the school playing fields.

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A lot of girls these days wear cycling shorts under dresses so they can still sit cross legged

ImthatBoleyngirl · 18/05/2025 10:49

I don't think I've ever seen a brown school uniform.

Annascaul · 18/05/2025 10:42

Lol at brown being “old fashioned”. It’s school uniform; not haute couture.
London has several state schools with brown uniform.

Poppins2016 · 18/05/2025 10:38

I haven't ever seen brown uniform (and I live in an area with a high number of private schools).

High street retailers/supermarkets must have started to phase brown out due to low demand.

zingally · 18/05/2025 10:33

Brown is very unusual these days - and quite old fashioned.

I'm a primary supply teacher and have been to over 40 schools this year within a 15 mile radius of me, and none of them are brown. In fact I can only think of one near me that wears brown, and it's a small private school.

mackerella · 18/05/2025 10:07

TheFormidableMrsC · 17/05/2025 20:08

I don’t know of a single school from childhood upwards that has brown uniform. I’m 55. Absolutely none in my area of North Herts. I’ve never seen any brown uniform anywhere. Apart from Brownies.

There's one in East Herts, so not very far from you

mackerella · 18/05/2025 10:06

Dahliasrule · 17/05/2025 11:07

I have just checked and my old school in Hertfordshire still has a brown uniform.

I bet we went to the same school!

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 18/05/2025 08:34

Only 1 brown uniform that I can think of locally, and they charge you £5k + a term for the pleasure.

voxnihili · 18/05/2025 07:54

My DD’s school doesn’t have a brown uniform but burgundy and we have the same issue. We can get cardigans easily enough but the skirts / pinafores are getting harder to find. I think the only place is Asda online and they’re often out of stock.

FedupofArsenalgame · 18/05/2025 07:38

LoveTKO · 17/05/2025 15:37

Two I know of locally. Looks quite nice. Black is very boring.

Lol I had the joy of brown uniform from age 7-16. I've never ever worn brown since then and I'm in my 50s. Give me black anyday

TiswasPhantomFlanFlinger · 17/05/2025 22:01

A state primary school near me wear grey trousers, skirts or pinafores with a white polo and a brown logo sweatshirt or cardigan. I think they used to wear all brown with a yellow polo but must have changed that a few years ago.

ToffeePennie · 17/05/2025 21:15

Mynewnameis · 17/05/2025 10:55

The only school having brown uniform near me was private. It's not normal.

Same. Brown and yellow and straw hats in the summer. Girls have to wear brown pinafore dresses in the summer and yellow gingham in the winter. I sometimes drive past when the parents are dropping their children off and I always think how cold it must be for the girls in summer dresses on a cold April day!

QueenOfSwedenRose · 17/05/2025 21:13

TheNightingalesStarling · 17/05/2025 19:12

Harris Orpington had burgundies blazers, kilts and floppy bow ties for the girls in the 90s/00s.

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When I moved to where I live now, a local prep school had tam o shanter hats and floppy bow ties for the girls. They seem to have moved to normal ties and got rid of the hats now though.

GotToWearShades · 17/05/2025 20:26

Brown is quite unusual. There's an academy trust secondary that's changed to light grey near here and it's been said that even light grey is hard to get. Looks awful too - pale jumper and trousers on secondary aged kids looks very primary school

GetDressedYouMerryGentlemen · 17/05/2025 20:24

I'm still traumatised by 5 years in brown polyester and I left school 35 years ago. I drove past my old school recently and noticed they haven't changed the god awful uniform yet.

FcukTheDay · 17/05/2025 20:17

bigmix · 17/05/2025 20:17

We have a local selective school with brown uniform- can only buy the skirts and blazers from two retailers though

Kent?

FcukTheDay · 17/05/2025 20:17

My daughters school has a brown uniform but the skirts are embroidered with the schools logo. They have to be purchased from a particular school uniform shop.

bigmix · 17/05/2025 20:17

We have a local selective school with brown uniform- can only buy the skirts and blazers from two retailers though

MidnightPatrol · 17/05/2025 20:12

The only school I know that had a brown uniform had to give it up, as the parents hated it so much.

Trying to find brown tights and school shoes was a bigger chore every year.

TheFormidableMrsC · 17/05/2025 20:08

I don’t know of a single school from childhood upwards that has brown uniform. I’m 55. Absolutely none in my area of North Herts. I’ve never seen any brown uniform anywhere. Apart from Brownies.

londongirl12 · 17/05/2025 20:04

We don’t have any brown uniforms in my fairly large town. But in the next town there is. Why a school would choose such an awful colour for a uniform is beyond me.

ilovepixie · 17/05/2025 20:03

A primary school near me is brown skirts/trousers and yellow polo shirts.

Mokel · 17/05/2025 20:02

My parents were thinking about me going to a different school. Saw the uniform- brown and light grey stripy blazer with mustard coloured blouse. Can’t remember if the trousers were grey or brown.

AlannaOfTrebond · 17/05/2025 19:46

I've only known two schools with brown uniforms.

My primary (small co-ed private), which was brown jumper and skirt with yellow gingham dress in the summer. The second was an all girls private convent, brown skirt and blazer with fawn jumper and pink and white summer dress.

Both schools are long gone.

MargaretThursday · 17/05/2025 19:46

It's something I noticed when we moved here: Where I went to school all schools pretty much (at primary) had the coloured skirts/pinafores for the uniform. Wearing grey was generally not done - any child wearing grey stood out.

Round here, none of the primary schools use anything but grey for pinafores and skirts.

However eBay has plenty of brown skirts etc (new)

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