School ties for 4yo

[Tittie]

What's the point? My 4yo DS (and all girls too) has to wear a proper tie when he starts school in September, not even an elastic or clip on! The other parents seem to think it's great and looks smart. To me it's just something to struggle with in the mornings/after PE and get caught on equipment while playing.

How are unsecured cords in hoodies not allowed for under 13s, but an actual tie is fine on a 4 year old?!

There is no point, Britain is just weird about uniforms.

Keep moaning, keep complaining is all I can suggest.

Imo they don't look smart, they look odd.

We wore ties at secondary but seems slightly pointless for a 4 year old. Can he even button a shirt up? I know ds wouldn’t be able to.

Could you alter the tie so it’s a clip on? It would still then be the official tie just safer?

He'll be fine by half term, and will have made good progress at doing it himself. By Christmas will probably have mastered it. Its good for hand / eye coordination. Loads of kids manage it.

Safer?! What are you expecting to happen? I know of no tie injuries among family and friends but DN did sustain lip injury when he clipped his tie to his mouth (which to be fair if you are four you would try clipping it elsewhere ) and friend grabbed it off!

The teachers much have a lot of patience after PE.
Looking at most peoples work attire, i feel like we send our children to school in "period dress'.

I've bought clips to turn a tie into a clip on for DD2... but check the school info carefully as ours are not wearing ties when they go back (HALLELUIJAH) because they've cottoned on that they get washed a lot less than things like school shirts etc!

Clearly things tied round necks are not ideal on children. That is obvious.

Many schools have moved to clip on ties for safety reasons.

I didn't get injured not wearing a seatbelt but things move on.

Ties are for bankers and politicians, not children.

Most primaries round here have a tie as an option, most kids don't wear it, and stick to polo shirt/sweatshirt.

Teach your child how to loosen the tie to slip over his head to remove it, and then pull the narrow end to tighten it back up again.

I much prefer the shirt and tie look to polo shirts. I think they look so much smarter. My children wore a tie from 4 years old.

Most schools in Ireland have them too, but they are on an elastic.
And also unlike U.K. schools we don't get changed for PE in school. I find that whole concept bizarre!! They just wear their tracksuit to school that day!

@nowaitaminute

Most schools in Ireland have them too, but they are on an elastic. And also unlike U.K. schools we don't get changed for PE in school. I find that whole concept bizarre!! They just wear their tracksuit to school that day!

From Ed forums I’m on, it seems lots of schools are moving to not changing (primary school) for PE as clothing should be washed daily and this would increase wash load rather a lot.

Yes, because what matters when you're four is looking smart, not feeling comfy .

Britain and uniforms, it's a national obsession.

DD wears a shirt and tie and pinafore most days. She could wear a summer dress or polo shirt (which she does sometimes) but she likes her shirt and tie. She feels like it’s “proper” school uniform and feels nice and smart in it. She’s (almost) six.

She doesn’t wear them on PE days.

I like the shirt and tie. I like a smart school uniform I think it’s good training for kids to take some pride in their appearance. I went to a school with a really strict uniform policy so I am perhaps rather indoctrinated but I wear a suit to work every day (or I did pre-lockdown) and take a lot of pride in my appearance at work.

Totally agree. Really bizarre to dress children up as mini businessmen. We wouldn’t put children in red high heels to go to school. Ties are equally impractical and strange.

Four year olds don't need to look smart. They need to look like children.

TildaTurnip I envy any parent of a 4 year who doesn't need their uniform washing daily. DS just get filthy! No way am I getting 2 wears out of anything.

DS wear shirt tie and v neck sweater. I think it looks cute. I have made the tie elastic though.

They're kids, they're learning a lot through play, so why can't they be dressed to play, and comfortable too! I do understand being clean and taking pride in your appearance, but they can still do that in a clean polo shirt or v neck jumper.

I've worked in various professional settings and no one ever bothers with a tie. It's outdated! Good point about how little school ties will be washed too 🤢

Research shows that having a uniform has no measurable effect on school outcomes. I agree that it's a good idea to have a simple, inexpensive one as a social leveller, but shirts and ties for 4 year olds are ridiculous. There are other ways to learn hand eye coordination.

Normal at our school and all my dcs could do buttons and their ties ready for starting reception. When dd went to high school there were loads of children who couldn't cope with the uniform after being in polo shirts for primary at other schools. I'm not a fan of polo shirts and sweatshirts at all but then I was brought up with ties and boaters and love uniforms. I appreciate some don't though.

I teach tiny ones and it is hard enough work at the start getting jumpers/cardigans/sweatshirts off and on to do PE. I take a minimalist approach so said tops off and gym shoes on (especially in winter when little girls come in wearing boots etc). Most have PE kit but if your gym hall slot is 2:00 till 2:50 (home time) you just can't do it and deliver a meaningful lesson. I'm not a "formal" uniform person but I support my school's approach which is school colours. Think grey or black skirt/trousers/shorts/pinafore with white/red polo and red/black/grey cardigan/jumper/sweatshirt. It opens up most of the Tesco/Asda/Sainsbury's/Aldi school uniform offerings. Our parent council do a big uniform collection at regular intervals. A local launderette washes and dries the donations and anyone can pick up what they need. The only bit that concerns me is school shoes. If you have to spend money, spend it on their feet.

Here the local secondary school allows logo polo shirts while the primary school insists on ties.

Having said that, the logo polo shirts are a much more expensive option than supermarket shirts and a couple of ties to last the week.

@dotdashdashdash

TildaTurnip I envy any parent of a 4 year who doesn't need their uniform washing daily. DS just get filthy! No way am I getting 2 wears out of anything.

DS wear shirt tie and v neck sweater. I think it looks cute. I have made the tie elastic though.

Exactly, adding in another outfit each day increases this.

I wish schools would focus on what is sensible.