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Original poster

If your child's school has a house system ...

70 replies

blamed · 22/01/2025 23:04

... do they all have different coloured ties, or socks or badges, or ... what?

Our school will be introducing a house system this year and I'm wondering if uniform changes will be next. (Hope not, as they look perfectly smart as they are, and surely the whole point of a uniform is that it's uniform!)

OP posts:
Noidea2024 · 23/01/2025 08:00

Ties and the side panels on PE shirts here

LaPalmaLlama · 23/01/2025 08:00

TickingAlongNicely · 23/01/2025 07:48

Those whose uniform changes... what happens if they move house? Can you swap the uniform?

You dont really move house within schools. Even in boarding schools where houses have more relevance, they only move students as an absolute last resort, or in cases, just don't allow it- they'd let you leave before they let you move house.

Sherararara · 23/01/2025 07:53

Nothing at DS school, all kids wear standard uniform irrespective of what house they are in.

Lovelysummerdays · 23/01/2025 07:49

Another with different coloured stripes on tie in secondary. In primary the pe shirt was different colours but it was only mandatory for sports day stuff.

Runnersandtoms · 23/01/2025 07:49

Just different coloured pe tops for ours. But their houses are also their forms which is weird to me as my school had a mix of houses within a form. So pre GCSE they have most lessons with their form/house but Games/PE is the whole year group. Then GCSE onwards they are still in the same 'form' but it's only used for registration.

TickingAlongNicely · 23/01/2025 07:48

Those whose uniform changes... what happens if they move house? Can you swap the uniform?

RightOnTheEdge · 23/01/2025 07:48

Nothing at my dc's school. They all just wear the same.

stanleypops66 · 23/01/2025 07:46

Different coloured ties.

rugbychick1 · 23/01/2025 07:45

Just a coloured badge at my DD's school

autumnboys · 23/01/2025 07:43

Badges and PE socks at my sons’ school.
Badges where I work.

Panicmode1 · 23/01/2025 07:40

At primary they just wore their house colour top for PE.

At secondary (state grammar) my boys have different coloured stripes in their ties, infill colour on their games kit and piping on their blazers. In Y7-Y9 their form is their house, and then they are muddled up.

CrazylazyJane · 23/01/2025 07:40

Different coloured, thin stripes on ties, a different colour trim on their PE tops. For inter house competitions they have coloured bibs which they wear. House Captains get a pin badge with the house colour as the background.

ArchMemory · 23/01/2025 07:38

State schools (in case relevant):

Primary: different colour teeshirts for PE

Secondary: badge with house letter. Although I haven’t seen my y10 son wearing that recently so maybe they don’t have to. Not related to houses: they have different coloured polo shirts and stripe in jumper for each cohort (ie you stay with that colour from y7 to y11).

edit: thinking about it now I’m wondering if colour coding the cohorts is so if a member of the public reports seeing a child smoking (or whatever) they can narrow it down to the year. Or maybe I’m cynical 🤨

Saisong · 23/01/2025 07:38

They used to have coloured tapes with the names of the house which you had to sew onto each jumper. It was a right royal pain so fortunately they ditched it. Now the kids dress in the house colours for sports day - any old (appropriate) clothing, even fancy dress and face paints. That's it!

Original poster
blamed · 23/01/2025 07:37

BlackCatsAreBrilliant · 22/01/2025 23:15

Different coloured stripes on ties here.
They used to do different coloured PE tops too, but that got ditched a few years ago.

So how do they do inter-house sport competitions e.g. do they have coloured sashes to mark which team they're on?

OP posts:
TickingAlongNicely · 23/01/2025 07:37

This has adequate me remember.

When I was at Secondary, the boys uniform had pe tops and rugby shirts in the house colour.... but the girls uniform had nothing. We had white PE tops.
Seems strange looking back...

Original poster
blamed · 23/01/2025 07:35

AgeingDoc · 22/01/2025 23:15

Just a badge at my DC's school.

Is the badge compulsory? Our school already hands out metal badges for other things (e.g. 100% attendance, achievement/effort etc). Some kids wear them with pride, but mine always keep them in their blazer pocket.

OP posts:
Ohdearwhatnow4 · 23/01/2025 07:34

Nothing at ds school but the kids do seem to paint their faces in house colours at sports day or similar. Ds often comes home with different team colours painted on him as he wanted to be with his mates and teachers don't seem to notice. DS in year 11 now and 6ft 4ins so easy to spot.

pelargoniums · 23/01/2025 07:34

Nothing. The house is buried deep in the student profile on one of the bastarding school apps, and each house allegedly has a colour. But the colour is one thing on the school website, another on emails when they want harvest festival donations in house colours, yet another on the app. Chaos reigns.

LookingforMaryPoppins · 23/01/2025 07:32

Each child has a house T Shirt - Green, Blue, Red or Yellow depending on house.

Rest of uniform is the same. House T Shirt worn for house events.

RampantIvy · 23/01/2025 07:31

Pinkelephant66 · 22/01/2025 23:05

Different coloured stripes on the ties for us

Same at DD's school.

Sprogonthetyne · 23/01/2025 07:30

I went to a secondary with houses, the prefects had a tie & badge in the house colour, but every one else was the same.

My DC's primary has zones split by year group (nursery/reception, Y1/Y2, 3/4 &5/6). Each zone has it's own colour which the polo's or summer dresses match. It a bit of a faff, and they all look a bit scruffy for the last term before a change, as everyone holds off buying new until the new colour, but it's not terrible.

HippyChickMama · 23/01/2025 07:29

Coloured stripe on their ties, coloured lanyard, and optional to have initials on PE kit in the house colour. Captains and vice captains are given a coloured lapel badge.

JimHalpertsWife · 23/01/2025 07:23

Ours had a small coloured metal pin for their blazers which they got in y7.

By y8 everyone had lost them and people just seem to know

MollyButton · 23/01/2025 07:22

My DCs school introduced a House polo shirt, not compulsory. But there were days you could wear it instead of shirt and tie. Also in summer (usually after it got hot) you could choose to wear it instead.
The year 11s would be in the "you can wear home clothes for exams" bit by then, so no real pressure on them to buy the polo.