School Uniforms and Covid 19

[WhoWants2Know]

I can't do a click link on my phone, but an article in the Mirror mentioned that school blazers and ties may be banned from September, as the Department of Education recommends fresh clothes be worn every day.

Has this already happened, for secondary students who are currently in school?

Although it makes sense to wear fresh clothes every day, I can't help but wonder what happens in cooler weather? For my oldest, she generally wears her blazer instead of a coat, because there's nowhere to put a coat during the day.

I'm assuming they'll still be dragging their book bags around with them every day, collecting germs on them anyway.

So I guess what I'm asking is do you think a ban on ties and blazers will happen, and is it a good or bad thing?

our school has specified no ties or blazers when they go back in August. This is because they want them to wear clean clothes each day and its impractical to wash these items daily

We have had no word about school bags/ lunch bags although the local primary school has said not to bring school bags and to use a disposable bag for lunch

DS is in secondary and going in "own clothes" for these catch up days

I think it is entirely sensible to scale back on school uniform requirements. Of course they will need to launder clothes every day.

For financial inclusion reasons too.

I've emailed our youngest's secondary asking them to finally offer plain unbranded jumper options for this reason.

Do they not have lockers at your DC school? For coats? They also may end up not moving around so much and able to keep them in the classroom.

Primary school for DD but they wear uniform Monday, Wednesday and Friday and PE kit Tuesday and Thursday. No lunch boxes only disposable bags and no school bags are going in. They take in water bottles which can be wiped down.

Dd has gone back today for 2 hours. They can wear blazers which doesn’t bother me as they dry quickly and she is only in today till Wednesday. I am glad they relaxed the rule on wearing their tank tops because they take ages to dry!

Older DC is in secondary, with 1000+ students and no lockers. A fresh jumper every day is feasible, but I don't fancy paying £30 each for the school logo version! Plain jumpers I can just about manage.

DH's school are modelling various scenarios for September, one of which is smart casual until half term and then back to full uniform after that. That's only if social distancing is still a thing in September though - if we're back to business as usual by August, they'll just go straight back to full uniform in September.

Right now, both my DCs are back at school - one is is home clothes every day. The other is PE kit every day, but luckily because of the way the school was set up anyway, every parent has enough PE kit to not have to launder daily. They're mostly doing games outdoors anyway as there's only a week left of term.

We're full uniform but no ties because they don't stand up to washing every day. School have said polos, leggings, joggers etc are fine though. We have cloakrooms so blazers/coats aren't a problem. They've to take them off then wash hands before starting class. They've to have sturdyish shoes for outside so they'll be able to do more outdoor learning.

Our primary is fresh clothes, uniform optional.

Well they will have to make the skirts a damn sight cheaper then, at £28/skirt she has two and I can't wash them that quickly. Don't mind the shirts as I can get cheap supermarket ones for that. Hopefully they will allow unbranded jumpers.

And how is a coat, which they will need in the winter, not a problem if a blazer is? I can wash and dry a blazer overnight, but I can't with her coat

Our primary has gone none uniform for the children attending, but has been advising on where to buy uniform for September, so not sure what the plan is for then.

We’ve been told no blazers due to washing. They are allowed to take bag of essential books and lunchbox.

Primary are only allowed to take lunchbox and drink bottle nothing else. Sunhats have to be washed every day with uniform.

My DC primary school is saying NO uniform.

Clothes to be washed after use.

Get some cardigans or hoodies. Although the school will probably say 'no hoodies' because they all seem to say that which is such nonsense. Zip up fleece = fine, add a hood to it = OMG gang culture blah blah.
I am hoping Covid will bring an end to these ridiculous over the top uniforms and not be sending kids home/to isolation because they only had clean black socks that day and not grey or whatever.

My kids' school is asking parents to send them in PE kit and wash the kit every evening. Fine for summer term but not sure what's going to happen later in the year?

My children are in their primary school two days a week. They are wearing their own clothes and it's clean clothes each day.

One in secondary, one in primary, both have been in own clothes throughout. Now that Y1 are back (they haven't brought back YR or Y6) they are also in own clothes, as are Y10. No word on what will happen in Sept though.

Dds primary is full uniform minus ties, although I've seen children in none uniform trousers and t shirts and the head just seems to be going with it (she opens the gates and greets every child every morning even pre-covid).

Local high school have switched to summer uniform only which is polo shirts and no blazer.

My DC primary are saying own clothes ( clean every day) until further notice

our primary hasn't said anything about entirely clean clothes every day or no ties.

secondary wise for september skirts are too expensive to have more than 1 so if they say that then they will have to be non uniform

I think it's impractical to expect people to have 5 sets of uniform per child.

And although you may be able to wash every night you can't necessarily get it dry in time, especially in winter, so I don't think 2 sets will be enough either.

I think if they're going to have to allow own clothes.

I think if they're going to have to allow own clothes

Not sure where the "if" came from!

I think they're going to have to allow own clothes.

DC’s primary is own clothes. I really like it actually and hope we can do away with uniform permanently!

@cologne4711

I think it's impractical to expect people to have 5 sets of uniform per child.

And although you may be able to wash every night you can't necessarily get it dry in time, especially in winter, so I don't think 2 sets will be enough either.

I think if they're going to have to allow own clothes.

Our headteacher has said that any child who can't be put in clean uniform everyday due to either washing/drying facilities or money to buy the uniform can talk to her and she'll come up with a solution.

I know of one family gifted an extra 5 polos and 3 pairs of trousers so they have clean every day, and another whose sending their dirty uniform home with a TA everyday as she has a dryer so is washing and drying it for the family.

Our secondary school haven't mentioned anything.
DD y10 is due in for a week and they have said full school uniform (which includes blazers and ties).