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.

Loathe school uniform.
Never wore one as a child or teen.
Delighted in expressing my gothy punky self at school, experimenting with hair and clothes. It was really validating, even though, at the time, I could have sworn blind I was rebelling.
DC wear uniform at their UK schools. DD1 has SEN with significant sensory issues and will only wear very specific things. I must have spent thousands over the years trying to source clothing items that could pass for uniform which were then either rejected (waste of money) or worn to within an inch of its life, necessitating the scouring of shops and pre-loved selling sites to find the exact same item the next size up. Had DD1 been able to wear her own clothes to school, so much effort and anxiety could have been spared!

I don't like the way uniforms are now.

I think it would be much better to do away with them.

Loved wearing uniform. Moved schools at 16 as my school didn't have a 6th form. The one I went to the 6th form was new and had decided not to have a uniform. Was the biggest downside of it. I would have much preferred to stay in uniform throughout school.

I'd prefer it now at work to be honest but I have an office job. Wasn't long before lockdown when 5 of us, all middle management in our 40s, all agreed that deciding on clothes to wear was tedious and uniform would be ideal. It was infinitely worse at 16.

Primary school age, we all did PE in the same clothes we wore to school -- what i truly think is that stupid amounts of time are spent changing out of clothes/into PE clothes. If there is uniform in primary at all, it should all be PE -ready.

Primary schools without uniform -- from what I have seen, the kids ALL turn up in scruffy clothes. It's the school culture. This is wonderful, I am not convinced they'd all turn up in heels & totally unsuitable clothes if uniform not required (when I was kid at non-uniform schools, we all turned up in clothes we could do PE in...)

I was badly bullied as a kid and took no care over my clothing; I can't recall it being mentioned by the bullies. Bullies find excuses, doesn't matter what you wear.

I am ambivalent about secondary uniform, but if it must happen, would prefer shorts, trackies, t-shirts, hoodies & PE-ready shoes, probably. I suppose fair to say that DC like blazers as places they organise all their stuff into.

My school was one of the only ones in my city to wear ties and blazers. They were incredibly strict about it. But I loved it!!

And still today prefer wearing a uniform so I don't have to think about what to wear

Not British and have mixed feelings about them. Wearing anything and everything did cause some issues with bullying at school. You weren't cool enough, or wore something deemed strange or needed to get the latest fashion.

Some aspects of the uniform policies seem insanely strict though, especially around shoes. And why do school children here in the UK so rarely wear coats when it's cold? I grew up in a colder country and can't remember anyone not wearing seasonally appropriate coats and shoes/boots. We had coat racks outside class rooms all through primary and lockers later on.

I don’t care either way. I can see the benefits of letting kids dress how they want, but equally that uniform removes pressure. I imagine the benefits cancel each other out. I’m pretty sure it won’t be what Ukrainians refugees are worrying about either.

There is a chapter in Kate Clanchy's book
"Some Kids I Taught and What they Taught me" about school uniform.
If you Google her name and school uniform you can read one of her examples as to why for some children, uniform makes school life bearable.

In Australia. Thankful for uniform (my DD would have a hard time choosing 'an outfit' every day) but very thankful it's casual and cheap generic items are acceptable. No ties, button up shirts, blazers etc. Nothing that needs ironing!

I remember reading something where an American woman saw a load of British reception-age school kids and described the boys as looking like 'miniature estate agents'.

It seems so odd to expect kids to play in ties, shirts, etc. Not to mention girls 'having to' wear skirts etc.

My DC's uniform is dress (with bike shorts under), skort, shorts or pants (the pants can be tracksuit pants or 'jazz pants' - like slightly smarter leggings, not as tight) with a polo in short/long sleeves and either a cardi/sweatshirt/zip up fleece.

95% of kids wear sneakers, any colour or style is fine.

So much easier for kids to run around in and be comfortable, but still with options. Everything dries easily and no ironing. There's a real mix of 'uniform shop' items with logo and the super-cheap generic polo tops.

And no spending half of the PE lesson getting ready for PE! Kids just do PE in uniform, as it's all sportswear (except the dress I guess). I just make sure my DD wears sneakers, not sandals or boots, on PE day. Super easy.

I'm not British but strongly in favour of uniforms.

Provided they are practical however. For example in my country school shoes were all sturdy lace ups past the age of about 6. When I first worked in a British school some of the girls in upper primary wore ridiculous slip ons that weren't any good for running around at break time.

However, the shoes met uniform requirements (black flat shoes) but weren't stipulated, so they weren't forced to wear them by the school and may have worn equally stupid shoes without a uniform.

I grew up in a country with no uniforms, and was bullied for the clothes I wore quite regularly. My parents could not afford to buy the name brand clothes that were trendy ... a uniform would have been great.

I then lived in the UK but without school aged children. I live in Europe now. My son goes to a school here, which requires a branded set of cotton shorts or joggers and a short sleeve t shirt or long sleeve t shirt and fleece most days. If they go on a trip or have external people into the school, they need their formal uniform (trousers, shirt, tie, jumper, smart shoes), as they are taught they are representing the school. I quite like that!

I’m Scottish I hate uniforms .I think it’s time to be done with them or at least make them comfortable. I don’t see why the kids have to wear shirt , tie and blazer everyday . When a logo hoddie would be fine .

@RaraRachael

I'm in Scotland and there are "uniforms" for schools and kids are encouraged to wear them, but it can't be enforced so we have pupils coming to school in almost anything they like.

I find it really odd to read of children being sent home for having the wrong shoes or haircut etc. They'd have a field day up here - there would be no pupils left in school

It’s definitely enforced at our school in Scotland . Kids get sent home for having white stripes on their shoes etc

They're nornal in ireland too. I know they're not the norm in america but assumed they are normal in europe.

Grew up in New Zealand but now live in the UK and I have no strong feelings either way. I don’t get all this hatred though in posts, that’s such a strong emotion about clothing.

Where I am from only private and faith primary schools had uniforms, and it was a mix for secondaries but more in favour of uniform I seem to remember (was the 80’s). I wore uniform from age 9 and don’t recall having any particular feelings about whether I liked it or not.

My DC wear a uniform and I like not having to think about what they need to wear each day. The school also has a fairly basic uniform, so aside from the logo sweater and PE top it can all be bought from wherever you like. Agree through that many schools should do away with items like ties and blazers and stick to basic uniform with just a logo top.

ExcuseeeeeMe our HT always said that she could only encourage uniform to be worn, not enforce it. Our primary is bad but ths high school is unbelievable.

@RaraRachael

ExcuseeeeeMe our HT always said that she could only encourage uniform to be worn, not enforce it. Our primary is bad but ths high school is unbelievable.

Yeah in my experience the primary schools are not strict at all but it’s our first year in S1 it’s been a eye opener .

@JaninaDuszejko

I also think it’s good for things like kids dressed head to toe in designer clothes and another kid in primark being bullied for not having expensive brands

People who have no experience of no uniform always say this but it's not actually what happens. Kids who always wear their own clothes care less about expensive labels.

As I already said my son was teased For not having Nike shoes.

You previously said: my son was laughed at for not having Nike shoes, so I dread to think how much worse it would be if he was wearing all his own clothes -implying that he goes to a school that has a uniform, so by arguing with @JaninaDuszejko you actually reinforce her point.

As a parent of children who went to a non-uniform secondary I totally agree with her.

@JaninaDuszejko

I also think it’s good for things like kids dressed head to toe in designer clothes and another kid in primark being bullied for not having expensive brands

People who have no experience of no uniform always say this but it's not actually what happens. Kids who always wear their own clothes care less about expensive labels.

Thats what I always wondered about. The clothes brands and designer clothes are so much out of my radar that I couldnt tell. Obviously different as I grew up in a communist country and there wasnt much clothes altogether.

I think uniforms are great for all kids. The reason is that I think poorer kids get identified and picked on much earlier as it's apparent that they can't buy expensive clothes whereas not so obvious in uniform. My SIL sends her 4 year old to school in Frugi and other similarly expensive brands and they live in a diverse and built up area of an inner city. Many of the kids in that class will be wearing cheaper clothes (and not have so many) and I grew up poor and I would've felt really jealous and sad that I was wearing the shitter clothes

Brit in the USA.

I liked not having to think about what I wore to school, but never did like wearing a blouse and pleated skirt.

My kids go to public schools with no uniform and it doesn't seem to make a jot of difference for behaviour. In some city schools they have uniforms (lots of khaki trousers or pinafore dresses and polo shirts, it's easy to buy but not very nice looking IMO) and some parents like it, but from what I've read it doesn't seem to make a measurable difference in outcomes for academics or behaviour. Catholic schools also have uniforms.

Some schools here become fashion shows, but these days all the kids seem to be into fast fashion. Half the girls live exclusively in leggings or yoga pants, especially since Covid. The most important thing for the middle school boys seems to be avoiding long pants or jackets until frostbite sets in.

I find they make life more difficult and I don't like them.

Buying a whole extra set of clothes that I don't even like. Why does it matter what colour my 6 year old's socks are?? Why does she need to wear her hair up everyday? I find it also makes dressing for the weather difficult because she has to be wearing "school shoes."

I'm in Australia and I love them.
Takes the stress away of "keeping up". I wish we didn't have white shirts though as the sweat marks are horrible to get out.

Our uniform is polo shirt (branded or unbranded) and trousers. All from supermarkets. Obvs shoes are expensive. No blazer or any of that nonsense. If the kids have pretty basic uniform it's cheap, durable, and easy to organise, nothing to decide in the mornings.