Help me with this response to school about uniform....

[nevernotstruggling]

So my dds primary school are doing a parent consultation about uniform. It pretty much reads xxxx is the uniform, even better if?

There's a little essay the head has written with it saying that the kids need to get ready for blazers and then uniforms for working life. This statement makes me want to pull my eyes out.....

Help me with a suitable response

I have no objection to school uniforms in principle. In primary, my dc's were cheaper than day-to-day clothes, and very practical (polo shirt and sweatshirt/cardie in school colour, grey trousers/shorts/skirt/pinafore).

An argument against blazers is the cost. In secondary most children get away with no more than two blazers over 5 years. Sometimes even only one, for girls who stop growing relatively early. But in primary they would need a new blazer every year! How can that expense be justified?

And as for ties, will they be expecting the teachers to do up 30 ties after every PE lesson? Sure, young children can learn to tie ties (I did, in my primary), but will they? 40y ago most children could tie their shoelaces by the end of Reception, and certainly all could by the end of Y1. But not nowadays. Ties will be no different.

And if, instead, they choose to use clip-on ties, how is that any different to wearing jewellery? Which would be banned. And how does weraring a clip-on tie prepare anyone for anything?

Some amazing responses thank you.

Unconscious gender bias though - head teacher is a woman. A natal woman for clarity

I bloody love a school uniform. Easy find in the morning, easy to wash, easy to iron ( or not).
Not sure about blazers but after the first couple of years don’t most primary schools sell on second hand school uniform?

The head at DS's Primary pulled this condescending kids need to get ready for blazers and then uniforms for working life. shit.

I wanted to reply... they could end up teaching and be scruffy so and so's

DS's school staff are notorious for being scruff bags...I used to regularily be met with the outline of his teachers fanny lips in see through leggings

oldraver (not envy)

Oops on the gender bias, could have sworn you said he.

@Obsidian77 I'll let you off

Blazers? For primary kids? I'm fine with uniform but it needs to be cheap, comfortable and easy to keep clean. I'm nearly 40 and have a professional career (head office of a bank) and I haven't worn a blazer since I left high school. Plenty of time to learn about dress codes later and maybe still ignore them! Who you are is more important that what you wear.

A lot of primary school staff are going through the same! Blazers or tailored jackets for all staff inc. EYFS just incase a parent or visitor sees you and drops dead because you're too scruffy. If you need to run to the office to get a sick bucket you have to stop and check your appearance first.
So I completely sympathise. Restrictive clothing has no place in primary school. As a compromise, allow year 6s to wear a generic black jacket/blazer if they want to 'prepare' for secondary.

Even better if.... The HT informed themselves on current expected workwear. Its far, far more informal nowadays. Fewer places expect suits. My office allows dogs.

Not as workwear, of course!

I work in a primary school and don't wear a blazer along with the rest of the staff unless they choose too. Even our head teacher doesn't wear one very often. In my daughter's secondary the head wears a blazer most days (very rare to see her without one) but the majority of the staff again don't wear one including those who are on the SLT.
I think that it is ridiculous that children are expected to wear blazers when many of their teachers don't. There are a few schools close to me where the children have to wear blazers at all times but the teachers don't and the children hate it and always say how unfair it is.

I work in finance for a huge multi Nat- I wear smart (ish) jeans and a nice (ish) tops.

Only crack out the office wear if I have a meeting or similar! They’re super progressive and I believe that most large companies are heading this way!

Ironically I do wear a suit for court work. Dd2 always says ooooh mummy you look so pretty (in my funereal black dress suit!!). The rest of the time I wear what's fit for purpose since I sit on the floor with small children a lot!
I'm doing a masters and I work full time as a sw. The only times I've ever worn a uniform in my life were working in the cafe in John Lewis and as a camp counsellor!!! Both many many years ago!

If this school is wanting to churn out nurses, police, or supermarket workers then I would be thinking the school needs to open its mind to other possibilities.

Dp is qualified in two professions and has never worn a uniform in his working life.

I have worked in various jobs and industries and never worn a uniform.

Dd has her own business and Ds will be qualifying into a trade. Neither will wear a uniform.

This is like going around secondary schools and they tell you that there is no uniform in years 12 and 13 but they insist pupils dress office ready because to them there is no other careers that don’t revolve around an office.

It is quite depressing really how narrow schools aspirations are nowadays.

It's a parents' consultation, so the HT is looking for opinions, not making demands. If enough parents don't want blazers, presumably the children won't have to wear blazers. The consultation does not include teachers' clothing as teachers get to make their own sartorial choices, within professional boundaries (which are not dictated by parents). Lots of jobs do still require staff to wear uniforms but teaching isn't one of those jobs.

@Oliversmumsarmy I agree.

This new head has got an issue with uniforms. Her first proclamation in January was to band Alice bands with ears. Both my dds wore them sometimes. Both are high achievers dd1 especially so no evidence her brain was leaking out of her car ears ffs.

This is a very middle class school where all the kids are very well turned out so why she is so obsessional about uniform god knows as it's really not an obvious problem there at all

Primary uniforms need to be cheap because primary kids grow ridiculously quickly. You can't stick a 5 year old in a blazer sized for an 8 year old, they would drown. And then by age 10 and a half the same blazer would rip at the seams if they tried to wear it. Couldn't get away with fewer than 3 or 4 blazers across the school.

Meanwhile at senior level it is perfectly possible for an 11yo to wear a slightly baggy blazer sized for age 13/14 as the difference in size isn't that much. And a 16yo can still just about squeeze into that blazer too - only one blazer needed if money is tight.

I'm a fan of school uniform. Basic uniform makes life easier for parents and children and should be cheaper than non uniform clothes.

But blazers for primary? WTF? I'm in a senior non-executive Director and I don't own a blazer. I've not worn a jacket regularly since the turn of the century. I find it hard to understand why blazers/jackets prepare you for the world of work. No. You need to learn to dress appropriately for the work, to be clean and neat and to turn up on time without being hungover. A blazer is irrelevant,

I'd turn it back on the school. Do the teachers need to jacket to do their job? No.

I think the question has to be asked what aspirations this ht has for children if they are thinking that they need to be taught to wear a uniform.

Having worked in a secondary school that went from polo and sweatshirts with logos, to blazers and ties, I can say that uniform in that particular school made no difference to behaviour etc. Just meant staff had loads of battles about clothes whereas they'd had very few before. The kids could see the logic in wearing clothes that avoided the fashion show issue of no uniform and appreciated that they were fairly comfortable. So not worth rebelling against!
Blazers in primary sounds a nightmare, maybe a better quality (woollen?) jumper would be a good compromise if the new head wants a smarter look?

FWIW I hated school uniforms when my dc were at school.

I found it so stressful to make sure that dc had all the uniform ready. Much rather they could have just worn what ever was in the wardrobe

I am a lawyer in a City law firm. Our dress code is “dress for your day”. I don’t wear tailored jackets these days. Primary school children definitely don’t need to wear them!

I would just ask how they plan on keeping the uniform easily available and affordable whilst ensuring the quality enables children to be able.to get adequate exercise at break and lunch times.

Dd2z school insists on shirts and ties and then sends letters to reception parents asking them to get their kids to practice getting dressed as they take too long changing for pe

And then tell them that if the uniform requires multiple unremoveable layers such as blazers and tights in order to make it "acceptable" then their uniform.is not for for purpose

Blazers on 4 yr olds

If I was feeling brave I'd consider asking if they honestly felt that there was no other improvements that could be made in teaching standards, dealing with bullying, SN intervention, behaviour etc because if all they are giving thought to is uniform.i presume they are an Ofsted outstanding school and not a single child failed the phonics test, is above target for their year group and every single piece of homework has been marked and documented?

Or suggest every parent donate £25 in liu of uniform cost to school and suddenly they might realise how much money they are asking people shell out. And how lucrative it could be for them to focus on something more actually beneficial.
Also someone who eaarns well with no one wearing blazers...