Girls being less active due to school uniform

[SummerDays2020]

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2024/feb/15/school-uniforms-may-be-barrier-to-physical-activity-among-younger-girls

I have wondered why schools don't just have a unisex uniform and this seems a good reason to do it. Also to make the uniform less restrictive.

It's nuts that it too a study to state the blindingly obvious.

All school pupils (infant to secondary) should be able to wear trousers / shorts / skirts / skorts all year round, polo shirts and trainers. They do not need to dress like they are in the office in the 80's. Would help children with sensory issues too.

*took.
Rushing as I'm off to the gym...

But the UK loves to have school children looking like mini adults 😝 it’s smart innit.

Secondary uniforms are the most hilarious. Most look like mini 80s business people. Even businesspeople don’t dress that way anymore.

Most schools allow girls to wear trousers/shorts/practical shoes though? It’s parents that buy dresses, skirts, slippers instead of proper shoes.

Our school has a skirt and a trouser uniform, kids pick which one they want. in summer, most wear shorts. Summer dresses are a pain for sporty kids.

The need for uniform to be 'smart' is the least helpful aspect of it being practical and comfortable.
During COVID the kids at DD's high school could keep pe kit on all day. It was so much more comfortable. They had logo hoodies and zip up jackets, which looked fine. Perfectly smart enough and warmer and more comfortable than thin cotton shirts and scratchy nylon trousers.

Uniforms are supposed to prepare kids for the working world where they might have to dress smart/business casual. That, to me, says that we expect kids to end up in jobs in front of a screen or trapped in a stuffy office. And in years to come there is more availability to work from home, so uniforms don't serve the same purpose as they did 10 or 20 years ago, just another expense for parents that doesn't actually do anything positive for kids. The only justification for them that I can see is to prevent competition and bullying, which has more to do with how kids are raised and educated than anything.

Absolutely.

It's such an absurd idea that a 5yo in shirt tie and blazer is somehow necessary for their education and prepares them for the world of work.

Not once have I ever needed to dress that way for work. In fact - I don't once think I've ever seen a job where a woman has to dress like this ever!

I do think track suit uniforms would be sensible for all children at all levels of school.

However I don't think this in itself would significantly increase female participation in sport, especially at secondary school.

Yes, especially since it's talking about primary school age. How many state schools don't allow girls to wear trousers and shorts?

In primary and below definitely would prefer a tracksuit type uniform. They do need to dress for the corporate world. I do think that secondary school children should wear a more smart casual uniform and maybe just 6th form for smart business wear.

Discussed this story with my dd,19, who wore trousers most of her school life she now says she hated it because the ones accepted by schools never fit her properly (curvy girl, not fat, more hour-glass). I finally caved in and let her wear the skirt and ,as expected , it ended up being pelmet length, which to me seems totally restrictive as to how you sit and move. She still says she preferred it.

Why do they need to dress for the corporate world (which has largely opted out of suits and ties anyway)? Those who do enter the corporate world will likely be going to university anyway, with no uniform obviously.

And you do realise that countries with much larger corporate sectors than the U.K., such as the US and Germany, have no school uniforms at all? They manage to dress appropriately.

No uniforms or dress codes in any of our sixth forms here, which are some of the highest performing in the country. It would be bizarre to see the students in “smart business wear”, like junior estate agents or something.

Hardly anyone wears "corporate wear" these days. The rare few that do stick out like a sore thumb.

I wish my daughters school would just swap to trousers only.

They have a choice but most wear skirts, and they're red tartan pleated and many girls roll them up very short. Waiting at home time you can see the men walking past perving openly at the children.

Even my DDs HOY said she hates the uniform.

@puncheur Just reread my post and missed the word 'not'. The sentence should have been.

'They do not need to dress for the corporate world.'

@OnlyTheBravest

Why is 'the corporate world' (whatever that is?) the default? And who decides which aspect of the corporate world? And if that's the rationale, why do most secondary academies insist on children dressing like a 1950s grammar school pupil? I remember a student of mine on a teacher training degree. when The subject came up and one of the other students said uniform should be smart like in important jobs. She said, 'my dad's a welder - his job is as important as anyone else's. Classism at is finest.

As for those who say it stops bullying. It clearly doesn't. Bullying is more prevalent in our schools than in those of other countries - have you seen the news?
The rest of Europe and most of the world manage to let children dress suitably for receiving a rounded education without bullying or expense - are the British uniquely likely to be bullies?

The argument that uniform stops bullying surely needs to have died a death by now.

Agree with Hobbi's post.

The rule at our school was that shoes 'must not resemble a trainer'. That irritated the hell out of me, as it basically cracked down on anything you could reasonably run around in soft soles, in particular and children should get a chance to run around.

Oops, forgot the deletey effect!

My daughter is in reception and the school uniform policy is that trousers, shirts, skirts or dresses can be worn by anyone as long as they are the correct colours. However in practice, most of the 4-5 year old girls wear dresses because they like dresses- it’s what DD chooses to wear outside of school as well the majority of the time. She would outright refuse to wear uniform type trousers if I bought them. She wears leggings for PE days but I think they are not allowed as ‘main’ uniform.

It doesn’t currently seem to stop her running about, judging by the number of times she comes home with a scraped knee and/ or covered in mud, but I can see how it might cause an issue when she’s older. I don’t know what the answer is- I just know I won’t be winning any trousers vs dress battles right now!

A couple of schools we looked at for DC had tracksuits during the day. They had a formal uniform to be used for occasions so that they could look smart.

That seems sensible and practical to me.

Those were private schools though. We had different uniforms when I attended private school. Lots of kit.

This is my argument! Why should they have to wear a blazer fgs?!

Absolutely

I think girls often choose skirts/dresses because they are socialised into it and all the other girls are wearing them.

Change uniform to just trousers/shorts and trainers and that problem is solved.