Uniform - opinions please

Traditional uniforms are coming back into fashion and are apparently much loved by OFSTED inspectors (together with the house system). DS2's school changed from a similar uniform to one involving both sweatshirts and blazers (must be very smelly) though the tie has not yet reappeared.

Seeker, I was a Greenhammy type of your vintage. So indeed was MB. And here we find ourselves, in our 40s, discussing school uniform. Which must mean something or other, but I am not precisely sure what.

Head at dd's school says; 'I've never found that uniform has much bearing on behaviour in schools.' As it's a very popular over-subscribed school, she may have a point.

DD went to a primary with no uniform as well and I'm glad. When we were poor I'd buy her sets of leggings/sweat pants in bulk (never the same colour, always one navy, one black) which would have been no good for uniform (or rather just one pair would).

Why do heads rarely take into consideration the cost of these things? One woman I worked with bought her dcs uniform to the value of £124 EACH after they joined a school halfway through the year. Then the next year the uniform was changed and she had to pay out even more.

Her dd was a short, well-developed girl. Uniform for girls: grey pleated skirts knee length, no longer, no shorter. So she had to buy a large size which got dd into trouble becaues it was too long. Try shortening a pleated skirt! DD used to roll it around her waist (the way we used to do when we wanted mini-skirts!) whenever she thought a teacher would pick on her for non-standard uniform.

So glad my dd can wear what she likes (within reason).

oh and the uniform is all available to a number of local shops, is reasonably priced....far cheaper than things the kids would want to wear if we didn't have uniform, and everything is machine washable.

My two have an utterly knobtastic blazer, typical private school vileness. The school must be good, for me to put up with the horridness of the uniform.

Where I work we have blazer, shirt and tie for all, also trousers for all, and skirts for the girls.

Hardly any of the girls wear skirts. No boy has ever tried, so I don't know what we would do if that happened.

When we tighten up on uniform, their overall behaviour improves, as does their learning. Sounds crazy but it is true IME!

I think it's that the Head is trying to "make her mark" and it seems to be common practice to do that by changing the uniform.

Here the boys grammar has blazers etc (apparently the girls does too but I've never seen one of their girls in a blazer) but the High schools all had sweatshirt/ poloshirt.

One of the High schools went over to blazers a couple of years ago with a new Head and has improved so much that the other High schools were thinking about doing it too.

Some of the kids prefer it because all the primary schools have sweatshirts so it emphasises that they are older- esp for Y7.

My DCs have all had blazers (except DS1 who went to High school) and I don't have a problem with them. All have been machine washable/ easycare

Message withdrawn

ruby my ds wears shorts all yr.

state infants school

he refuses to wear trousers for some obscure reason

as for blazers for girls

dd's school has blazers and shirts for girls,ties for boys only

not a problem imo

atleast it's black and not red like the relatively new head wanted to change it to.

Blazers are quite vile. Remember mine, in the 1970s, with vivid horror still.

an answer to OP: my dd has huge norks and wears botha jmper and a blazer - this negates the need for a coat she thinks

i think blazers are either for boys schools or are rather "chantelle..esq" in that its someone wanteing the pupils to look posh but the real poshies wear jumpers in hiddious colours

Have you actually taken this up with the head? Maybe she has been approached by the elitists and has not had any feedback from parents who are happy with the status quo.

Has it gone to parent consultation? If so then you need to be sure that as many people as possible vote/comment. Often only a few do and so the school decision is made without them.

FWIW my DD is in a uniform with a blazer at senior school. She looks gorgeous in it and she's warm. She has growing bosoms. The blazer is well cut and so far no problem.

The main problem with shirts and ties is that the children do not want to wear them with their top button done up and at a regular length so the uniform then looks shabby, and the teachers have to spend a lot of time asking the students to sort out their uniforms, this happens alot at the school where I work. The previous uniform sounds much smarter. Will there be consultation with the parents?

Maybe the head could be persuaded to drop the tie, while keeping the blazer idea? At my school we either wore a revere neck blouse, or a button up shirt with a tie. Either still looks smart.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article2943717.ece
Here it is.
Not saying that I agree with the head, but this may be where the idea has come from.

I will do a search, but there was an article in the Times about a month ago about the resurgence of blazers at girl's secondary schools. Part of the article referred to one particular school where results were poor, blazers and strict uniform policy was introduced, and lo and behold, the results rocketed.
But part of the whole project at that particular school was a consultation with the pupils, who chose the colour and design of the blazer and new school badge. Also, was underachieving before, whereas your dd's school sounds excellent already.
Will do a search for you.

Agree - the most important thing is that the girls all wear the same and they willingly wear it. At Secondary uniforms are more expensive, parents are not made of money. Would speak to other parents and see if they feel the same. Don't change what's working!