If you are not British how do you feel about school uniforms?

[katepilar]

It should really be titled if you grew up in a culture with no school uniforms how do you feel about them? Do you like your children having to wear them?
I just dont know, its a very strange concept for me and as I grow older I have to choose clothes carefully to feel comfortable in them. I cant imagine anyone telling me what clothes to wear on so many levels ie skirt/trousers/dress, materials, different shapes etc. Even more concerned about shoes (my English charges long time ago had to choose from about three particular shoe and were told when to wear socks and when to wear tights and I was shocked).

I just remembered all this thinking about Ukrainian children in the UK that will have to buy a uniform to go to school which seem so unreasonable in the circumstances.

Am not English but came here when I was five and went to a school with a horrible strict uniform policy. Although not the primary reason, we chose to send DT’s to a school with no school uniform.

@Parker231

Am not English but came here when I was five and went to a school with a horrible strict uniform policy. Although not the primary reason, we chose to send DT’s to a school with no school uniform.

Thats interesting. How does one even find a chool with no uniform? I guess its not very many of those?

I hate everything about it from the enforced conformity to the practicalities of having to organise and maintain two sets of clothes and shoes.

I went to a school with no uniform till I was a teen and absolutely hated it when i moved schools and had to wear one. I never got used to it. I hate uniforms for children and I think the often used argument about how they mask different financial situations is complete bollocks.

My son will go to an infant school with no uniform. I think it's pretty sensible. It works fine for children at nursery so why not for infants too? Unfortunately the juniors has a strict uniform which I'm not keen on. The British are too obsessed with uniform in my opinion.

We don't have school uniforms in my home country.
I think putting kids in uniforms is ridiculous.

I just remembered all this thinking about Ukrainian children in the UK that will have to buy a uniform to go to school which seem so unreasonable in the circumstances.

Surely schools can provide this from lost property or initiate a drive for parents to donate hand me downs?

For a refugee family or any family where resources are tight I think uniforms are a godsend.

I’m not British but my children have a uniform and I love that there’s no decisions to be made in the mornings.

british but went to school in forrin.
no school uniform.

dc went to normal uk primary school. and I hated it. extra angst about having clean items every day. the sex division with clothing that inhibits girls moving around as much (skirts& mary jane type shoes)
plus the extra expense of having 2 sets of clothing.

and it's not the social equaliser that is dometime lauded. if't very visible who wear second hand or supermarket cheapest vs uniform store or more expensive department store items.

now living in forrin and dc go to non uniform school. much easier and practical ime.

I hate uniforms. For several reasons. 1. I have identical twins and it’s ridiculous that they have to go to school dressed the same, which makes it that much harder for everyone to tell them apart. 2. It’s a huge extra expense (my children's school have a particular uniform so I can’t buy cheap, generic ones, and I’m buying double of everything). 3. One of my children has sensory processing issues and finds the school informs really uncomfortable. It would make her life much easier if she could just wear the clothes that she is comfortable in. And lastly, I really don’t see any benefit to it.

I grew up with a culture of hair tied up, blazer on, and this horrible hairy kilt. We were lucky as we didn't have to wear a hat. Our school colour was red and so were our blazers which was quite unfortunate for redheads. We had rompers rather than shorts for PE. English school uniforms seem quite casual to me.

My children though went to a high school with no dress code. If you wanted to rock a purple mullet or grow a beard it was fine. I suppose they would have drawn the line at indecent exposure. My children got a good education and the school's marks in external exams were good. I have to say the school had a fair number of children from affluent and educated families. No time was ever wasted though on regulation shoes or facial hair or any clothes choice issue.

I always liked them and was desperate to wear one and never got to.

Very few schools where I'm from have them - only private schools (fairly rare).

There was a lot of energy expended in high school on what people were wearing, how people looked, which group you fit in to, etc, comments made if you looked wrong, teasing, etc. Not so much in primary school, at least until about age 9/10. But it would have been nice to have a set uniform and not have to make all those decisions and have that worry that you were going to stand out by looking wrong. (I know uniform can be worn in ways that are considered cool/dorky as well, but at least there are more chances of being able to change to fit in, if you want, whereas if you are just wearing the wrong styles, brands, combinations etc, you can't because you don't know what would be better!).

I'd have loved uniform.

I'm British but I hate uniforms. I would gladly get rid of them. If we keep them, then at the very least, we could make them more comfortable - sportswear or something, rather than weird blazers and ties etc.

I grew up in a country with no uniforms in state schools. I did wear a uniform from 14-18 years old in private school though. I loved my uniform. It was so easy to get dressed for school, it just took all the pressure of wearing the "right" thing away.

I'm glad my DC have uniforms. I think they are cheaper and more durable than normal clothes. There is never an arguement about what wear in the mornings. It's just easy.

The only bit I don't agree with is teachers in summer dresses and sandals enforcing a uniform policy where the DC can't remove their school jacket without explicit permission when it's very hot.

I like them. They have their place. But I just can’t get all het up about the length of skirts and hair, or piercings. Nor shoes, as long as they vaguely resemble what is required.

uniform policy where the DC can't remove their school jacket without explicit permission when it's very hot.

Thats so ridiculous, I feel sorry for those children.

British and I think uniforms are pants.

I'm in my 50s. In my town growing up, we did the equivalent of Key Stage 3 at one of the high schools with a uniform, which wasn't heavily policed, then our O level years at a different high school that didn't have a uniform.

Despite the claims made in some schools in town today, wearing or not wearing uniform made no difference to the behaviour, it made no difference to the results. What did make a difference was the size of the school and therefore the amount of time the adults would be able give you.

I also find it laughable that some schools claim the uniforms help children to understand how to be businesslike. It's rubbish. Schools are far, far more strict on uniform/dress code than any job I've had, including when I worked in the MOD.

I like school uniforms but I think they should be made to be more practical and comfortable.
My many forrin local friends professed to be dead against them until they got used to the idea and then became the biggest supporters. Likewise much about the British school system which many of them became very committed to after much complaining. I did point out a few times that a private school in hampstead is not typical!

Uniform seems about the only thing that a UK school can be consistent about, anything else they get undermined by some parents.

My two went to a state primary that had uniform, then we went overseas and they continued the rest of their education in schools without uniforms. Much, much easier, although the “no uniform uniform” was essentially jeans, tee shirt, hoodie, Converse or similar. When we returned to U.K. they both asked for schools that had no uniform.

They were introduced in my final year year highschool. Just another step on the indoctrination ladder as far as I'm concerned.

But I'm pretty much against all formal systems of schooling. After the age where they've learned to read, write and do basic math anyway. It's just so wrong to force people to be somewhere they don't want to be. Its something we do to criminals because depriving of their rights to freedom is a punishment. So why do we do it to kids?

Funnily enough, they make criminals wear uniforms too.

My dad went to a state school in the 60s with no uniform and his sister a grammar school with a Uniform, apparently it was to set standards and pride but could be understandably divisive, and it started to be rolled out to all schools to prevent bullying, when he went into a care home (both parents died young) he went to a state school with a Uniform and was so relieved because it meant he didn’t stand out and could then fit in, no one knew anyones background, wealth or home situation, everyone was equal.

I’m my daughters school they’d be a real mix of those peacocking designer clothes amongst those without designer clothes so in that respect I can see a place for it. Although the cost of Uniform can be itself really expensive!

English but hate uniforms for all the reasons given above. I also appreciate they do make MY life easier in terms of getting them dressed but none of the arguments for wearing them stand up. However, at least one of my children really likes wearing them...

Not keen on them. I can't see what purpose they serve. The second you meet someone, you know what social class they are, regardless of what they are wearing. Surely rather than hide the problem below the surface, you (ie. the State) would want to tackle the issue head on.

It's quite a hassle to have to buy another set of clothing, and quite frankly, it is so ugly no one is going to wear it in their spare time.

English, wore uniforms all school years. Hated them. Now overseas, no uniforms, schools work fine without, and much more practical to actually wear something suitable each day for the weather or activities.

on one hand it makes life easy.
on the other hand: how will they learn how to dress properly?
with a DS it is not so much an issue, but seeing him rather put him school trousers on instead of jeans is irritating me. I hate the school uniform.
but I also know that this is my issue, not his :)