to be proud of working at one of the few schools

[Toastiewoastie]

that doesn't have a uniform;

here

I always hated school uniform and nothing has changed my opinion.

I like school uniform in general and think it is a good idea.

"Why doesn't it put them on an equal footing when they have to wear the same clothes?"

Did you go to a uniform school? I did (and, later, a non-uniform one too).

You're not on an equal footing at all. It's always obvious who the cool kids / kids with rich parents are etc. You adapt your uniform with accessories / they way you wear it (pushing the rules as much as possible) and if it's a private school, it's always obvious who the kids not from rich homes are (e.g. me).

I don't like school uniform.

Glad your school doesn't have it, OP. Wish the dc's didn't.

Because they socialise with each other after school ...some wear brand new uniform all the time and some wear hand me downs its easy to tell which is which

Do you seriously think that a uniform stops a child from expressing themselves? And if so, in what way?

I have worked in secondary schools for 10 years and a prison for 3 years. Each had uniform. I can honestly say that a uniform did NOT stop any child expressing themselves in the sightest. Sorry but I lol at the very idea that it could!

Blimy at times when I was teaching I sometimes wished it did stifle some of their expressions of self!!!!

I am an advocate for uniform for many reasons as I have mentioned many times on mn over the yeas, both from a parents POV and from a teaching staff's POV.

I hate uniform, especially for primary. It is an ocean of polyamide. I remember: it was never warm enough, it was ill-fitting and it had some strange ideas about gender. Making girls wear ties when this is not a female item of dress, and yet insisting on skirts. I just don't understand the British attitude to uniform, it doesn't exist in the rest of Europe and they seem to do just fine. The arguments about 'making everyone the same' and 'hiding social differences' don't really hold water. Uniform cannot achieve these things, think about it, think back to your school days.

I think the results in that school have a lot more to do with the fact that it is a small school and rurally located- ie all local parents have no choice but send their children there, regardless of intelligence, aptitude for learning, and familial income.

Having no uniform doesn't allow children to 'express themselves'- in primary they display their parents' tastes and at secondary the gap between rich and poor is highlighted starkly.

Henley sweatshirts start at £50 on their website- you could buy 2 or 3 whole uniforms for that... not exactly an equal footing is it?

Most kids hate school uniform, but it teaches them one of the first lessons in life that there are times when appropriate dress and rules apply.

I can only imagine that a school with no uniform policy invites bullying and teasing for those who are not wearing the "latest" fashions..

Also pupils misbehaving out of school or truanting are much easier to identify.

Absolutely ridiculous IMO not to have a uniform at a school.

The children in that photo are all wearing branded clothes - all names that cost a lot more than uniform does.

A Henley hoodie is £50-60. You can buy a whole uniform for half that.

I think uniform is often a bit of a red herring: some HTs think that if they can really nail a strict uniform policy then the school will magically improve. It doesn't seem to work.

Personally I prefer some sort of uniform but it doesn't have to be OTT specific - my neighbour had to spend #200 kitting her daughter out for a (church) state school a couple of years ago, it could only be bought from certain shops and the check had to be a particular size .

threefeethighandrising.

Yes I went to a primary and secondary school where we had to wear uniforms. Both state in a very deprived area. I often saw some of the children I went to school with wearing bits of their uniform at weekends because their parents were so poor.

We hitched up our skirts, made our ties thin, splattered our blazers with badges and pushed down our socks to make them look like legwarmers. I don't remember it costing anything do that.

I still much prefer uniforms and maintain that they help take the pressure off less well off parents especially because the supermarkets do a sterling job on prices.

I would rather have spent my money on something my ds wanted to wear ..rather than a uniform ...it was one or the other I couldn't afford both

'with children who were wearing'

We could make no alterations at all to our uniforms. We had regulation tights, shoes and logoed schoolbags and hats. NO jewellery, no nail varnish. No stupid handbags.

Thank you manicbmc, skimmed the article a bit there.

I'm agnostic about uniform, but am not convinced about the children, clothes and self-expression argument.

Another arguement is that having a uniform actualy gives children something to rebel against. They can hitch their skirt up, tie a tie the wrong way, etc. Better to rebel against something like that than rebel and cause proper issues.

Obviously schools with uniforms still have some other issues - but it can help.

I also agree with that Hulababy.

Love school uniforms-they look smart and cut out the 'what to wear' wrangles in the morning.Our school is rural and fairly affluent,but everybody hands down uniform to friends,siblings ect,90% of it is at least secondhand,if not 3rd or 4th hand.Plus school is not picky as long as colours are the same,so you can pick up polo shirts in the supermarket for a couple of £.

I've never been keen on my 3 children wearing uniform,mostly because of the extra washing and organising involved.I seem to get twice as much washing during term time.If they could just throw their leggings and t shirt on in the morning,for me it would be easier.I find weekends are spent trying to sort out uniform,when we could be having fun.

Am totally unconvinced that children need to self express through clothes, they have after school and weekends to do that if they really need to do that. They are usually just swopping one uniform for another ie goths all wearing black, the kids in the OPs link are all wearing the same sort of fashion, there are very few people who are totally different from their own group.
I couln't think of a worse picture to say how wonderful a uniformless school is
DC's school is a lovely supportive school and are very strict on uniform. It was one of the first things the HM did when he turned it from a sink school to the lovely school it is now.
I think uniforms allow children to show their personality more than non uniform, they have no clothes to hide behind.

Yes, all kids want to fit in and will therefore revert to a form of uniform even when it isn't prescribed by the school.

My preference isnt about self expression.I genuinely find it easier with plain clothes.Uniforms are a pfaff.

I like the idea of not having "uniform" (ie expensive logoed stuff) but having a dress code, like at work. So, proper trousers, shorts or skirts(no denim, lycra, tracksuits), a real shirt or blouse in a light colour, option of a tie, and a suit jacket, blazer or pullover. Younger kids (ie under 7) could have plain dark tracksuit bottoms, plain light polo shirt and a cardigan or jumper.

Proper shoes, no logos or slogans on bags or coats. No high heels, no daft hairdos, long hair tied back, no jewellery. Tights to be opaque, socks below the knee and black/white. Sixth form to be allowed sober makeup and maybe stud earrings.

Would be nice to have no rules, but I remember school- IME it was the kids from poorer backgrounds who made a big deal about logos etc - the kids from the new estate had nice m+s smart coats, it was the poorer kids covered in stripes and logos.

As a teacher, I love teaching in no-uniform schools as I got sick and tired of having to tell kids off for having the wrong socks when they were learning, attentive and happy (often in the face of adversity). A complete waste of teaching time, IMO.

However, I do see one benefit to uniform in that it allows students to rebel in a safe way- by wearing a hat or trainers, you establish yourself as a maverick rulebreaker without having to bring in a knife (hypothetical example). It lowers the stakes.

So, on reflection, I'm undecided.