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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
Imnutty · 17/05/2025 12:04

I think schools should band uniforms and let kids go in what they want.
Be cheaper for the parents and alot less hassle.
And everyone would be more comfy.

IwasDueANameChange · 17/05/2025 12:02

Theres a local primary near me with brown & yellow but all the others are grey trousers/skirts/pinafores.

sesquipedalian · 17/05/2025 11:57

Round here, in terms of tops, it’s red, blue, green, black, grey, with either grey or black skirts/trousers. There’s one local (state) primary that has what is described on the school website as a “jade” top, which obviously you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere other than the school shop, but I don’t know of a single school in the area, either state or private, that wears brown skirts or trousers.

PonyPatter44 · 17/05/2025 11:49

My old primary school in north London had a brown and yellow uniform. We had MANY yellow gingham summer dresses in our house! I've just looked on their website and they have now changed to a black and yellow uniform, which is much easier and cheaper for parents to source, but does make the kids look like a swarm of giant bumblebees.

Catwoman8 · 17/05/2025 11:48

I have never seen any school wearing brown uniform, nor do I ever see it in shops 😳

It's always grey , blue or black , with various different coloured polo shirts/jumpers.

MitchamMum · 17/05/2025 11:46

Toddlerteaplease · 17/05/2025 11:45

I wonder if the Catholic schools with them, were founded by people/ orders with a Carmelite tradition. As they wear brown habits.

DD1 is starting primary this year and of the 9 we visited, the only one with a brown uniform was a Catholic school.

elusiveemz · 17/05/2025 11:45

kierenthecommunity · 17/05/2025 11:32

When did Wales leave the UK? 🤔

Show quote history

Was meant to say across the UK- in England Wales....clearly not enough coffee in my system yet!

Toddlerteaplease · 17/05/2025 11:45

I wonder if the Catholic schools with them, were founded by people/ orders with a Carmelite tradition. As they wear brown habits.

Beautifulspringsunshine · 17/05/2025 11:45

None here. It’s usually just private schools.

Mrsttcno1 · 17/05/2025 11:45

I’ve actually never known any school where we are do brown, so I wouldn’t expect to see it in shops here!

Runnersandtoms · 17/05/2025 11:44

In our area there are two with brown jumpers but I think trousers/skirts can be black. Others here are all black plus various colour jumpers.

FedupofArsenalgame · 17/05/2025 11:43

I had brown uniform as a kid. The local urusuline has brown uniform with stripes on blazer

To think that plenty of schools still have brown uniform?
LoveFridaynight · 17/05/2025 11:43

None round here at all. All the local schools have blue or green tops with black or grey bottoms.
Brown would be a nightmare I imagine, especially if only one supermarket sells it. Do the school do second hand sales of uniform? I got most of my children's jumpers from there (instead of spending £30 on one jumper from the uniform shop).

IzzyHandsIsMySpiritAnimal · 17/05/2025 11:43

There's a senior school in my area that has a brown and yellow uniform. It looks really outdated.

SugarMiceInTheRain · 17/05/2025 11:42

Nope, have lived and worked in several different areas and cities and the only brown uniform I recall was from my childhood (35 years ago!) and was a private school.

WelcomeToMonkeyTown · 17/05/2025 11:42

My old school uniform was brown and it was hideous. They changed it to a really nice turquoise/navy just as I left 😂

Toddlerteaplease · 17/05/2025 11:40

I have only ever seen one school that wears brown. I always think it’s depressing.

TheNightingalesStarling · 17/05/2025 11:39

Growing on SE London, I'm sure the schools were competing for the most outlandish uniform (although no striped blazers)... it seems to be a lot tamer now (in part due to Harris taking over many schools...). Uniform is definitely more affordable now!

FancyCatSlave · 17/05/2025 11:36

No brown in our (small) county. There was 1 brown uniform where I lived growing up, we called it the poo school 💩😳

I’d say it is pretty rare @Nametobechanged so understand it has a limited market.

It’s almost all grey or black here.

FabuIous · 17/05/2025 11:35

We have one state primary in our city which is brown and yellow.

NancyGreens · 17/05/2025 11:35

Loveduppenguin · 17/05/2025 11:26

Yeah it was common enough in Ireland but not so much even here any more. We had owned local primary that had brown and yellow. They changed last year to black and grey.

Show quote history

Yes, this was when I was at school in the late nineties

ChandrilanDiscoDroid · 17/05/2025 11:35

There's a state primary very near me in W London with brown uniform. Don't know where they get it, but all the local schools do sell uniform through a chain of suppliers with branches locally.

ShodAndShadySenators · 17/05/2025 11:33

I was considering sending to DS to a private school near us, the brown uniform didn't put me off but I did think it was unattractive. The majority of schools around our way use typical (and pleasant) colours for their uniforms.

One local secondary school had striped blazers which was... interesting and presumably meant you couldn't buy a standard coloured blazer from supermarkets and just buy their logo badge and stick it on, which most secondaries offered as an option. So that seemed a bit excluding imo. They have changed it now though, I wonder if there was pressure about costs?

kierenthecommunity · 17/05/2025 11:32

elusiveemz · 17/05/2025 11:25

I've done supply teaching in both the UK and Wales, so taught in countless schools, and I've never come across a school with brown uniform.

When did Wales leave the UK? 🤔

AusBoundDD · 17/05/2025 11:30

Only one school in our entire city has brown uniform - I feel so sorry for the girls!! It’s awful looking and so outdated.

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