School want to change uniform, I'm not happy....

[chubbleigh]

I thought I would be in the majority by saying I don't want it to change but as it turns out I might not be. Proposal is to change from polo shirts and sweatshirts to shirts, ties, v-necks and blazers - this is for a primary school by the way. I can't imagine why anyone would want something that costs more and takes more time to look after - I just don't get it. The few opinions that I have heard so far are 'it looks cute' but to me that is not a good reason. Furthermore I have heard the school have the idea of subsidising the new uniform for a set period of time. That really gets me, I don't know where the cash would come from for this but object greatly if it is from within school money.
I have a many many reasons for not wanting it to change but the main ones are time and money.
Any experiences please.

I had a blazer at Primary school but that was a very long time ago few years ago. I agree children of that age would not stay smart looking in a shirt and tie.

Personally I like shirts and jumpers. Our local school, which I am hoping DCs will go to, has polo shirts and sweaters and I don't think it looks smart at all. I can see it is probably easier to wash and dry but I would still prefer something smarter. Think a blazer is going too far though but think ties look nice.

shirt tie and blazer are silly for first school.

I expect some twat wants to have a distinctive quality appearance and to hell with the parents. Someone should start up a PTA.

I hope they aren't fuschia blazers or somethng silly like that.

Ds' uniform is shirt, tie and jumper. Polo shirts are allowed.
Amazingly, he has learnt to do up and undo buttons himself.

I give the shirts a blast in tumbler with nothing else there - only minimum or no ironing required.

I wouldn't be happy with expense of new uniform. I'd wait until it was time to get new sizes. Surely they'd let you do that or is it completely different?

One by one people are identifying the same reasons to object as me. Blazers are a kind of crispy polyester and are probably machine washable, as yet we have not been give information on price.

To those who are saying 'it looks smarter', to me that's a statement not a reason. What does looking smarter have a bearing on? I'm asking seriously, I want to know how tough this argument is.

Shirts, ties etc are so impractical for foundation phase though Mumwithadragontatoo DS1 does at least one session a day outside and one day a week in the outdoor classroom, he comes home muddy most of the time and sweatshirts, polos and jogging bottoms are much more suited to the learning through play environment.

Blazers are generally quite expensive ime. Not good.

There have been schools that have brought in smart uniforms and raised standards - there have also been schools that have dropped uniforms and raised standards.

There is no research to prove a link between a smarter uniform and better results. All the links are between better HTs and better results.....

If you bring in a smarter uniform, but don't radically overhaul other parts of your school, grades won't go up......

Unless by bringing in a smarter more expensive uniform you drive away poorer families, and then end up with better results.......

'Unless by bringing in a smarter more expensive uniform you drive away poorer families'

I didn't think that was allowed in state Primaries as it is back door selection. Certainly not in the spirit of equal access to education.

Blazers are silly, little ones cannot do shirt buttons or ties.
Ties that fit infants are too small for Y5. DD2 is mad and wears a tie from choice and it looks ridiculous it's almost too short to knot and she's not large.
Modern shirts/blouses do not need ironing unless you are a total pedant and they do look smarter, many of our older girls have given up on polo shirts.
Blouses stay white and the collars don't go a different colour to the body. Almost no one has our official ones which were awful for this and cost more each than 2 supermarket polis or shirts

Sounds like the school are trying to boost the image of themselves. Shirts are a pain, they get filthy and need ironing. Blazers should be for secondary only. I think I would be pissed off too.

generall are uniforms a bit of a racket?

Blazers now are usually machine washable, but still a bit much for primary.

I really dislike the half hearted uniform thing where children are told to wear sportswear like polo and sweatshirts as uniform when they are not actually playing a sport. Children should be in proper uniform or they should be in their own clothes. In primary, I think own clothes are preferable, although DD wears a shirt and cardigan to school with shorts as her primary uniform.

I ask this in all honesty, if "looking smarter" isn't a reason, then what is the reason all the kids seem to be in uniforms?
I am in Canada, and very few kids wear uniforms here, mostly just the seperate schools.
The was a movement about 10 years ago to have uniforms in all high schools, but that is quickly falling out of favour. Parents don't like the extra cost, the kid don't like having their clothes choices dictated to them, it doesn't change performance. I just wonder why the are so popular in other places.
Children can be well dressed, clean and neat, with uniforms.

or without

Goodynuff I think a uniform serves an important purpose of reducing the scope for peer pressure/the need to be "cool" and wear the latest trainers. Which unfortunately is increasingly common even in junior schools.

But it doesn't need to be smart to do that - it just needs to be the same for every child.

I think one of the strongest reasons for children to be in uniforms is that they all look vaguely the same, so there is no competition over the amount of money spent and school does not end up being a place where fashion says something about you as a person.

It also comes in useful on school trips for the teachers, as it makes it easier to see that all the children in the blue jumper (for example) belong to your school.

Also, uniform is usually fairly cheap and quite hard wearing, which is good for schools.

a couple of kids at DDs school wear blazers but around 90 percent have the official school coat rainproof one side, fleece the other. its one of the highest performing schools in our city and the kids look fantastic think its only really p6 and 7s who wear polo shirts and even then its the official school ones.

We had the same thing, the uniform was originally blue white polos, grey trousers, blue sweatshirt. Then they changed the sweatshirt and said blue polos only (at the time I was suspicious as to whether there was an element of "fund raising" as the sweatshirt could only be bought via school)

Next thing is they start debating with the children whether they would like blazers, ties and white shirts - im fairly easy going but I have to say if they had pursued this idea I would probably have thrown my toys out of my pram big time.

A. blazers are impractical and too expensive (specially in the current economic climate and with the rate at which children of this age grow)

B. Life is waaaaay too short to spend a second of it washing and ironing white shirts for small boys.

C. Shirts are completely impractical with the rough way even my relatively gentle children play

Here there was (is) an element of wanting to be perceived as being as posh as other local schools by some of the the parents & headteacher.

Its Daft. We changed from shirts and ties to polo's a couple of year ago as the kids found the uncomfortable.

We can wear a school logo polo which costs the same as a 4 pk from asda and school jumpers. Its up to us if we buy them. Most of the kids have the jumpers and cardies but most have just stuck to the plain blue polo/cardi.