Primary school uniforms - have they always been a thing?

[HighburyLass]

Wasn't quite sure how to phrase the title so I'll explain!

When I was growing up I didn't know anyone who wore a uniform in primary school. Tho was the 1970s.
My kid's (who are now in their 20s) had uniform introduced while they were in primary, so early 2000s.

Now around here I don't know any primary schools that don't have a uniform.

So interested to know,

Did you wear a uniform and how old are you?
What about your kids? How old are they?

A uniform was introduced in our school (generic grey trousers/skirt and jumper, blue blouse/shirt) when I was in 2nd class (p2 equivalent). The school on the other side of the parish had already had a uniform a long time by then. That would have been very early 80s.

DD's primary school was non uniform (educate together school) but most schools around us have had uniforms for decades as they were more a thing in the city when I was young.

I was at primary in the 80s and yes had a uniform.

My dad was at primary school in the 50s and he had a school uniform. It was considered smart enough clothes to wear to family occasions like weddings/christenings etc!

There's cine film of him looking like Just William- with cap, shirt, tie and blazer, at a wedding.

I started school in 1955, small Sussex village, very strict about school uniform. My oldest DD went to a big secondary school in the middle 80s, which had a policy of self discipline,no uniform.... she used to "borrow" my clothes, wardrobe on the landing. Dgks dad went to a posh fee paying school, 90s no uniform.

Even after all these posters saying they didn't have uniform I still find it hard to accept! It just doesn't fit with my experience across such big areas of the country.

In 1987 we moved and my brother went to a standalone infants which had no uniform. My mum was completely baffled by the idea and I assumed it was a total aberration.

I'm not saying I don't believe it was far more common than I realised but it still seems so weird to me.

I'm an 80s child. I Went to a faith school and there was a strong emphasis on uniform and wore a blazer and tie from age four.

I started primary in 1974, no uniform. Moved to a different school aged 7/8 no uniform.

I went to school in central London in the 70s and 80s. We didn't have uniform in primary school, but some local schools did. We had uniform in my first year of secondary school, but we got a new headteacher after a year, who "phased it out" ie: most people except a few ( me) never wore it again.

At school in the 60s we had a school tie for the boys (yes, at primary) but it was not compulsory and the school preferred it if any jumpers/cardigans were dark or royal blue as the school colours were royal blue and yellow but that was about as uniform as it got.

They introduced uniform sometime in the late 70s, I think.

I was born in 1979, went to state primaries in London, and never had to wear a uniform. It was quite a shock when I had to wear uniform at secondary. I think there was a period in the 70s and 80s when uniform at primary wasn't so much of a "thing" as it is now.

My dad went to the same primary school as me (in the 1950s), and he had to wear uniform then. The trauma of having to wear shorts all year round means that he has hardly ever worn shorts in his adult life at all. When I saw one of his school photographs, I found it really odd seeing little boys wearing knee length socks and ties, and he told me they often did this in their everyday wear as well.

My London state primary in the 90s had no uniform. I just checked their website and they are still a no-uniform school except that apparently they now require a certain colour of shorts for PE and a logo-ed PE T-shirt.

That needs a qualifier as clearly many schools in the early 70s did have uniform. Are you talking about a specific area?

I started primary school in 1987 and we had a uniform.

Infant school (early 70's) tunic, white blouse and tie in winter and fabric available for school summer dress in summer

Middle school (still early 70's). Tunic, tie, white blouse and waist sash(!) for winter. Fabric available for summer dresses. I seem to remember that I had a beret too.

I have no idea what people did if they couldn't sew.

This was state and then CofE school in a not particularly posh bit of Sussex.

I don't think we had any fancy PE kit (just pants and vests).

I went to 5 different primary schools between 87-93 (3 in London, 1 in Essex, 1 Yorkshire), only one of those (Essex) had a uniform.

Oh yes, pants and vests for PE. Lovely.

I started school in 1959 and never wore a uniform until secondary school. As a teacher, from the 80s onwards, there was a uniform worn at a CofE school where I had teaching practice but not at any state schools in London or Derbyshire that I encountered. It changed in the early 90s I think, my daughter left prinary in 1991 and never wore uniform. There was a vote among parents at my school and they chose to have a uniform. Now I think most primaries have one.

Zonder

Oh yes, pants and vests for PE. Lovely.

Navy regulation ones at my 60s primary. Itchy as hell and elastic went every single time 😁

My primary school years were in the 70s and we had a school uniform.I wore a school tie with a blouse and a skirt or pinafore.In the summer I wore a blazer or just a cardigan over my uniform and in the winter wore a coat without a blazer underneath.
At secondary school everyone wore school uniform of skirt/trousers,blouse/shirt ,tie and blazer.
My DCs. had a school sweatshirt and polo shirt at primary school in the 90s/ 00s and could wear skirt / trousers or joggers.
At secondary school,DC had to wear a strict school uniform with tie and blazer.DCs left school in 2008 and 2012.

primary school in the 1960s - navy or grey skirts or pinafores for girls, grey shorts for the boys. Both white shirts & ties - can still tie a reason tie knot! In the summer we had gingham blue & white checked dresses. Ooo and a blue beret with school badge.

Secondary - skirts & jacket, with blue/ white or pink/ white shirts. All made in lovely sweaty nylon - not a natural fibre in sight. Had to wear socks - tights not allowed. Strict on skirt length - had to be knee length.

can't recall any local schools without uniforms

Scotland - tiny rural primary. Started 1980. No uniform. I don’t think any of the other small schools in the region had them either. The school in the the nearest ‘big’ town did though

1962, uniform from primary until sixth form.

And thinking about my Mum’s old school photos from early 50s, also tiny rural Scots primary- no uniform. Lots of wee home knitted cardigans and bobbly tights.

I went to primary school in the 70s, we wore uniform and didn't know any school that didn't. It was much more formal than today too. We had hats, blazers and ties from reception. This was a state school!

I think the 50s lack of uniform might well have been a hangover from the war years.
My mum would have started school around 1950 and remembers rationing. Clothes were rationed.
So schools would have needed to relax rules about uniforms and clothing.

I was born in 1950, and I had ration books, shame, I imagine they were thrown away by my late fathers widow when she moved.