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?

1985 I had a uniform. My older sisters at another school did not. I live in Denmark so no school uniform for my DC.

I wore uniform, including a school tie to primary school i the 1960s.

It was optional at my primary school in 1970s and really just about school colours rather than precisely pieces. I do remember going to choir festival and feeling like we were the kids from the deprived part of town, as we were the only ones without uniform.

I was at 2 primary schools in the 70s and early 80s and neither had a uniform. Getting uniform for secondary school was seen as quite exciting!

I was I primary school in the ‘70s, and no primary school I knew of had a uniform.

Primary school 93-2000 and had uniform. For the first few years it was anything in the school colour, then they brought in logged jumpers around 96.

My school in late 70s had wool blazer, shirt, tie, buckle shoes etc from aged 4. State school in the Midlands. All the schools that i knew did.

Same! No wonder so many people ended up hating PE!

We didn’t have a uniform in the 80s at senior school.
Even though it was a very working class area school was full of arty types with all manner of styles on display. I went to school with a lot of famous actors.
There wasn’t any pressure to wear certain brands, you could wear the same clothes on a regular basis.
My dcs went to school in the 2000s and wore a uniform throughout their school days.
Dd hated non uniform days. She says it was very competitive with who wore the best, most fashionable clothes.

I had uniform when I started primary in the 1960s but we moved in the 70s and though there was a uniform, it wasn't strictly imposed so, as I didn't have long till I left, I wore my own clothes with a school cardigan. Secondary school then had uniform.

As a teacher in the 1980s to early 90s, I taught in 2 schools without uniform (left wing LA) and found it strange when I moved to another LA and they had uniform.

Near us is a well respected state secondary that has never had a uniform. All the other schools do though.

Personally I prefer no uniform, though it had its downsides.

So yes, there are schools without uniform.

I went to state primary from 1972 - 1978, no uniform.

I was born in 1954, always had a uniform right from age 5

I was at school in the seventies. Our primary school had an optional uniform which neither my sister nor I possessed and nobody in my class wore, except possibly for school photos. For some reason our brother had a uniform. Probably because he was a boy and it involved a tie😆 But he didn't wear it.

I started Highschool in the mid 80's and hadn't worn a uniform until then. I'm not sure if any primaries in this town had uniforms, apart from the independents one. They also had homework and brought a book home to read. No uniform or homework for us common folk at primary school!

I started primary school in 1979 and wore a uniform in primary school. I didn't, however, wear a uniform in high school after first year. Whilst there was a uniform no one bothered with it. First years and prefects - that was it.

My youngest has just finished primary and wore a uniform.

EDIT - didnt mean to quote you in full.

I went to middle school in the mid 90’s, there were about 8 feeder first schools, only one didn’t have a uniform.

Just remembered, all secondary and grammar schools where I lived had uniforms (east Belfast) but when I met DP he said nobody at his grammar school in west Belfast wore one. I had never heard of this! This would have been late seventies into the eighties.

Attended primary in the 60's. There were two schools in our village. Both had uniforms. Older brothers were in secondary again, and both of those different schools had uniforms. Previously they attended a small country school, so late 50's. They had a uniform.
Both daughters attended lasted 90's to 2000's and all 68 primaries had and continue to have uniforms.

60s and 70s - uniform

I wore a full uniform in primary school and I was born in 1977. However, there were children in my school who didn't wear a uniform and I think my mum started letting me attend in "normal" clothes after the first couple of years,

Yes, early 70s. Navy blue, with a yellow and navy tie.

I started primary school around 1985 and did have an uniform. All the schools in my area had one.
Parents would have been in primary school early 60s and didn't, so I guess they became a thing between those times!

I started school in 1969.. state primary . South East England (west Kent to be precise) . We were required to wear pinafore and blouse, white socks and Mary-Jane buckle up shoes .. PLUS blazer in summer with iron on /see on school badge , dark blue rain coat and BERET ! Fucking BERET .. should we turn up without it we would be sent home for coming to school half dressed . ! (Caps and shorts for boys all the way through the year regardless of the weather. !! )

My dad was dying from diabetes from age 36 (not the medication now available) so we were far from rich .. as my mum was on something called supplementary benefit (forerunner of income support) ... and yet uniform was never a struggle.

The reason it wasn't a struggle was simple . Uniform was mass made . Grey pinafore, grey shorts , older kids : different colours but plain.. and then you bought the badge . and ironed it or sewed it on...

How much cheaper would that be ?

In my ex-husbands country it's the same . ALL primary has the same uniform . Mass manufacturing makes it super cheap . Then you buy the iron on badge for your school. Primary is Blue and white shirt . Secondary is Sandy brown and white shirt. Why is that so hard ..

Oh gosh let me think - perhaps the kick back from school retailers ..

I'm not talking about anything other than state . Private is a business and they have the right to charge whatever ridiculous prices they choose . I am talking solely about state school.

I started school in 1983. Primary, middle and high schools where I lived. Only the middle school had uniform. I only wore uniform for 4 years and that wasn’t particularly strict.
My kids (state school) have had uniform from school nursery - that was a bit of a shock for me!

Yes in 70s and it was quite strict. Some available only from specific outfitters.