Uniform is supposed to equal the DC out......but of course it doesn't

[JoceHark]

At DC's school everyone knows who has money and who doesn't. First it was the designer coats, the school then cracked down and said no brand names on coats.

Then the bags.

Now it's the belts. Kids wearing designer logo'd belts to school (no current ban in place).

Also a bizarre rule which says girls can wear one single ring (plain) and boys can wear a signet ring. Firstly I know plenty of women who still wear a signet ring (seems sexist that only boys can at school), but the signet rings they are wearing are bling'd to all hell and back.

Should we just accept that school uniform is actually a load of bollocks.

It doesn't prepare them for work, how many office staff do you know who wear a tie and blazer to work everyday? And how many of them are women?

It's a huge bill for parents

It creates a wall between parents and the school and kids and the school

It's just an unnecessary cause of stress all round and hasn't been proven to have any benefit on education. We seem to just cling on to it as a British thing which has always been done

I completely agree with you.

One thing that you’re missing is that all of the kids are wearing the same thing every day. Take that away and the kid who is turning up in the same outfit every day is suddenly very visible.

I think uniform is the best the school can do to try equal out the kids but it's not perfect. Parents will always spend different amounts of money on coats and bags. I think the uniform is cheaper than buying casual clothes but I don't think it prepares them for work as you say.

My DC prefer school uniform. They hate choosing shirts and ties for their sixth form every morning and wish they could just continue with their usual uniform, when they did not have to plan outfits to look “cool”.

I dunno, I never had that when I was at school. People knew the posh kids from the Not-So-posh kids but I think school uniform or not then kids will work it out somehow.

I don’t think the reasoning of ‘it helps with education’ washes (what a load of bollocks, right?) but I think it sort of sets the precedent that if going to school/working then you need to be formal (or at least know what constitutes a ‘formal’ dress)

Bling jewellery is generally worn by poorer people though isn’t it? I mean I guess maybe the effect is the same, that they don’t have the same things but....

I hate uniform. Sent the dcs to a school without one for primary.

Also before DC started at their sixth form I could buy school shirts and trousers from ASDA, now I have to buy suits and shirts in men’s department, have to spend so much more than on (private school) uniform...

I agree with pp. The fact is if everyone is wearing the same uniform day in day out. People who can't afford designer clothes/ massive wardrobes for their kids don't stand out.
But I also agree with op, the price of uniforms are ridiculous ( not the bits you can pick up from supermarket, but the logo'd blazers/jumpers etc)
It's cost me 200 per child this year & that's only 1 of each item.
I will have to start saving now for next year's haul or no way will I be able to afford it.

Uniform is a form of control, and I say that as a secondary school teacher. It's all about conformity.

I have never heard an argument that says it prepares students for work, because it obviously doesn't.

Allthingsred, wait till they are in sixth form and you need to buy 3 suits, smart coat, designer shirts and matching ties, belts and cuff links...

I couldn't think of anything worse than picking out different clothes for each child every day . Love school uniform (but hate the cost each summer...)

I agree with uniform in principle. I also believe that if there is a uniform in place it should be enforced (as otherwise it communicates that rules don't have to be followed).

I do, however, think that some uniform is unnecessarily expensive (esp secondary). Also, as an adult, if I am hot I can take off my jacket, DD1 needs permission to take her blazer off. That is overkill to me.

I do agree with you. My dcs go to a council school and I buy uniforms from the supermarket and also books and shoes . I do spend more on coats though. Dds winter coat coat me £55 reduced from £75 ( poshish label) ds coat will coat about £40 I think.

Ds school jumpers and shirts come from school uniform shop
Because of the logo. The shirts are cheap but the jumpers are about £10 each and it all adds up. Dds jumpers (logo) also about £10 each.

Uniform has huge advantages and is linked to higher achievement.

It doesn’t completely equalise but at least it take so the daily drama out of what to wear every day. I also think that the poor child who has a scruffy, badly fitting, dated track suit as their only outfit will be much less visibly poor in uniform.
It does teach children to follow rules and dress codes and that’s not a bad thing. Time enough for wilder clothes outside of school. Children do need to learn that rules apply to them too. That does prepare them for work.
Uniform is generally fit for purpose and saves teachers constantly debating whether outfits are appropriate and safe.
Ours had uniform in sixth form too. It saved a small fortune. Yes some uniforms are relatively expensive but they get high use. Buying the latest fad or trying to keep up with the most fashionable is more expensive and places additional burden on both children and parents.

I was told everyday in secondary that uniform prepared us for work as we’d need to wear it to work. They didn’t mean as Rear Admiral - shows the kind of secondary I went to

I think it works, and there just need to be penalties for those that try to circumvent rules, same as any other rules.

It ensures conformity, the idea that its about instilling a sense of a being a proud representative of your school and responsible about that.

There are a lot of dc that struggle to keep to simple rules, this in inself shows the need for this, that all are treated the same in this respect,noone special, individualism in their own achievements, and not about the looks.

I think we are overly obsessive about looks and that can be harmful to dc, especially when its so horribly competitive, or can be, in schools.

To make it work though there should be standard school bags and coats, and everything else left at home. How is it more expensive to stay in one school uniform the whole year, excepting changes for growing of course?

Its hard enough getting multiple dc out the door, but having to chose clothes every day just adds to possible obstacles. Im thinking here particularly about any that are bullied or sacred of wearing the wrong thing.

It shouldn't be costly though, as the materials are often very poor quality, but they have you over a barrel, and they shouldn't, school suppliers seem to produce poor quality clothes for a lot of money!

Uniform has huge advantages and is linked to higher achievement.

If you're going to make a statement like that, you'll need to back it up with actual evidence.

How many countries around the UK have no school uniform but have better educational outcomes?

Uniform is a nonsense. The argument about 'they hate to decide what to wear each day' just makes me . These are young people who will soon have to function as adults in society and they can't bloody decide what to wear without getting stressed out? Really? I think our children are better than that.

My oldest is off to uni, my youngest is off to 6th form - with no uniform at all. I've had to spend £0 on additional school clothes for them. Uniform - bollocks to it.

Pointythings

It stands to reason though, that even if you have zero additional initial outlay, that the clothes worn will be getting in excess of 100% additional wear and tear, which means replacing more expensive clothes quicker

Just because they weren't extra doesn't mean they wont magically be wear resistent! Plus needing more anyway to cover five changes a week

Completely agree with you OP.

(Except the paragraph about rings and signet rings, I think you're splitting hairs there)

But the rest of what you and others are saying is so true, it's hard (and expensive) being the parent of teens, it's a bloody mine field and I don't think school's uniform policy helps at all.

DD has just finished three years in a sixth form with no uniform.
There were no dramas about what she was wearing. She managed to dress appropriately everyday. We didn't have a dramatic increase in the amount of clothes she needed. She's heading off to university in a couple of weeks and has required zero clothes to take.
In comparison I've had to spend nearly £300 updating and replacing her three brothers uniforms.

Smother my DDs have had a clothing allowance for 4 or 5 years now, and are older teens so no longer fast growing. In that time they have built up a decent wardrobe. Since they are not brand obsessed fashion victims and are keen on charity shops, they have been able to buy high quality clothing for very little money. There is plenty to cover the school week and then some, for all seasons, built up gradually. The same can be done if you haven't got uniform to deal with. For us, uniform has been an additional expense and I'm so glad to be shot of it.

In my native Netherlands, schools cope fine without uniform. Kids wear jeans, T-shirts, hoodies. Doesn't have to be expensive at all. Bullying levels are lower than the UK. Educational achievement is higher. The UK has a weird uniform fetish that it really needs to deal with.

And since this is unlikely to happen any time soon, we need the government to put in place some legislation that has teeth. School demands single supplier logo uniform that is significantly above high street price? Instant special measures for the school. Maybe then they'll take notice.

This is a genuine question (from a non uniform place):
What masses of non uniform clothes do people have at home so that their kids can make a song and dance about choosing clothes?

And if there is lots of choice it surely would have to be made in the evening when bags etc. are prepared?

@CherryPavlova could you evidence the link between uniform and achievement please? Given that the vast majority of the world do not have uniform I find that link hard to believe!