to ask: What's the point in school uniforms?

[allrightluv]

They serve no purpose and promote conformity. Differences in income are expressed in other ways - shoes, bags, mobiles, in fact, even more so. Kids are judged by which school they go to (state/private). Thanks to the uniform you can tell by a mile off. Kids wear brands anyway - after school, at the weekends and in the holidays, so it's not any cheaper to wear a uniform to school. Consumerism is the most pronounced in the UK of all European countries.

Other countries like Sweden have no uniforms at school and few uniforms in work life, too, and rate much higher in terms of kids' happiness etc.

I'm not saying there's a causal link, but uniforms are not helping...

A lot of people say that uniforms are so easy. I don't agree. I have only one child, and it can be quite a pain to have his uniform clean and dry for school. He has two jumpers and two trousers for school and if they are both dirty I have to wash, even if I have nothing else to go with it. And on the dark wet days things just don't dry that well. If he could wear his normal clothes there'd be more available.

One thing that really annoys me is that his school insists the kids wear their jumpers because it 'looks smart' even in classes when it's hot. Ridiculous and unhealthy.

Funny that there is so much worry about and experience with poor kids standing out. That is a social problem though, and wearing a uniform only treats the symptoms, not the cause.
When I was little my clothes were either made by my mother or handed down to me and my cousin by two slightly older cousins. We were always thrilled when we got the big girls' dresses and no one ever teased us. I think most kids in my school wore second hand clothes anyway...

I don't understand all the posters who say that it is easy because it is quick to get dressed in the morning.

My dc now do not have to wear uniform and they both love it. No problems getting dressed in the morning at all.

I also think that if uniforms are there to help poorer kids then there shouldn't be so many non-uniform days (for which you have to pay on top to add insult to injury).

I always found that you have to have all the uniform stuff, quite a bit unless you want to wash/iron every day or you don't mind it it is not clean, and on top of that lots of normal clothes for after school activities/weekends/parties/non-uniform days. So double the expenditure, especially if the school also prescribes what types of winter coats need to be worn. So for us, not having uniforms anymore, is definitely cheaper.

I think the real reason behind uniforms is that both the schools and certain producers make a lot of money out of them. Many schools still offer very little choice or even no choice in supplier (in spite of the OFT rulings).

Where I went to school the uniform was very strict and standardised. There was no rolling up of skirts, shirts tucked-in, no make-up or fancy hairstyles. Hair had to be tied back off your face and the uniform had to be clean. It was good for us and a great leveller. Individulaity can be expressed in other ways - ie - excelling in the classroom, or cultural activities or on the sports field.

My au pair tells me bullying in the Netherlands is horrendous, most of it based on clothes.

at my school we had a thrift shop where you could buy good second hand uniforms. Everyone got stuff from there periodically - also if you had an accident eg you dropped purple paint all over yourself in art you could just borrow something from the thrift shop which was a bonus.

Tau Can't you buy your son an extra jumper and pair of trousers to make it easier re washing?

Donder: I agree, one on, one in the wash, one clean and hanging.

Our school sells second hand uniforms that kids have grown out of. If people move/leave school they are encouraged to donate the uniforms, a great way to build up some spares

I'm still waiting for somebody to say 'yes I am wearing a pair of trousers that cost £1.50 new'

I'm all for uniforms, so much easier to get ready in the morning. I find the uniform cheap to buy, I have a number of items so I don't run out, And I don't need to buy too many out of school clothes really - and they aren't too strict about the shoes - she's wearing brown boots at the moment, even though they supposed to wear black shoes, but with this weather, it's just too cold and wet to wear the shoes! When I was 7 (age of my little girl), I had to wear a tie, they don't make them wear ties at that age now - is it a health and safety thing or something...? Anyway, at least she doesn't have to wear one and it's not necessary to get specific jumpers with the school logo on in most cases - I think I would have issue with that, as then they charge lots of money and I remember as a child, uniform cost an awful lot more than it does nowaways...as one can just go to supermarket, or clothing store and thankfully my girl has never been very brand aware, as I myself am not......I suppose that will happen soon enough though.....

northern I have £1.50 trousers on - my pants are on fire!

Boom boom! No? Ok, lets door bang arse on way out.

Oh, and op if Sweden us so bloody marvellous why don't u live there?

NorthernLurker

Adults' clothes will always be more expensive particularly than primary school children's because 1. they use twice as much material and 2. attract VAT.

On that basis, then, I rarely spend more than £6 for any garment, although I do get most of my clothes at the end of the sale or in charity shops.

What would be the purpose of non uniform days? Children probably go OTT on those days.

Dunno, BubaMarra - I think it's usually a lack of imagination when the school wants to do some fundraising. I used to dread mufty days and would often be off sick.

Excellent point startail

I worked in a school which gave up on 'wear what you want' days because the kids started to interpret it as 'do what you want'.

Ok I grew up in a country where uniforms are NOT the norm. I would have not liked a uniform ( esp after primary school age) BUT as a Mum I love them. They do make a difference in how much money you spend on your children's clothes and they do make it more difficult to mark children out as "different" based on income levels. We are contemplating a move out of the UK and I can tell you dressing my kids for school will be a lot more expensive and difficult when there is the pressure to have the "right" trainers and jeans etc. etc

I know it's not exactly like school uniforms, but I always taught my university uniform was a form of displaying elitism. Not only did we have to wear it for graduation ceremony (that's quite usual), but on many other 'normal' occasions like sitting exams etc. It was a way (one of many) to set their students apart from others.
So in a way uniforms not only level the playing field within the school, but they reinforce the divide between the schools at the same time.

During the week where there was heavy snow DDs school allowed non-uniform. Not sure why exactly...

By the third day (of four) even DD felt it was a pain in the arse, and was grateful to go back to her uniform!

Her cousin who lives in the US has no school uniform and envies DD for the fact that she has one because kids in her class are always criticising the "wrong" gear, colour choices etc - "Every day is like a damn fashion parade".

I just think it's better all round to have a simple uniform - in DD's case white polo shirt, navy sweatshirt, black trousers and shoes. No ironing, easy peasy.

I'm 31. Since starting school at 4, I've worn a uniform every working / school day apart from two periods. The first was throughout sixth form, the second was when I did a brief stint away from my (clinical, and therefore uniformed) job to work on a project. Wearing my own clothes to work seems alien, and I really didn't enjoy it at all.

For me, the best thing about having a uniform is the barrier it creates between work/school and life. I only wear my uniform when actually at work (because of the infection risk) but removing my uniform really helps me switch off mentally. I have well defined 'work' and 'not work' modes, and it starts and ends with my uniform.

My children aren't old enough for school yet but when they are I'm going to encourage them to change immediately after school (or after homework) to help them leave that part of the day behind them.

I disagree OP. It promotes a sense of belonging and pride in the school and does not single out rich or poor children. I hated non-uniform day at school when I was young. I didn't have the latest clothes and would be made fun of as a result

agree that there are pros and cons for both.

pros: - quick to get dressed in the mornings (though my DD has no uniform and is as fast as I was with one)

• poorer kids don't have to stress about their clothes (though nowadays cheap, nice clothes are far more readily available than when I was a kid)
• less competition with clothes

cons: - expensive to buy some uniforms and endless lists of requirements etc

• removes some sense of personality from children / how they also express themselves through their own individual style

A friend of mine went to the International School in London and they had a pretty cool clothing idea: everything had to be single block colour, either blue, grey (any shades of), black or white. No jeans were allowed and no bare midriffs or minis. No trainers. Other than that, the kids looked neat, smart and could also be more inventive with what they chose to wear, including being able to wear their own clothes and not having to spend additional money on uniforms that can only be worn at school. It worked for them.

I hated my school uniform and have made sure that I have done jobs which don't require uniform. Futhermore, in all the years since, I have never worn bottle green, although it would probably suit my colouring.

For me life became easier when the children were in sixth form and they could wear what they wanted - which was jeans and tops, so was still a uniform of sorts. I don't remember any fashion parade either.

When my son was younger and muddier I did get him three uniforms, but that was a LOT of money in my opinion - much more than I'd usually spend on clothing. Plus he still needed non-uniform clothing for outside school, and having to purchase so many clothes it nearly tripled my clothing expenses! We dress cheap, because no one in our family has any fashion sense...
With only one child, I can't give the outgrown uniforms to the next one, so it remains wasteful.

Also, the problem remains that if the uniforms need washing and I don't have anything else dark to go with it, I have to run the washing machine only for the uniforms.

None of it is a big deal, mind you. I only mentioned it because so many people say that uniforms are more practical - and I don't agree. It's a nuisance to have to have a specific set of clothing ready instead of just pulling something random out of the wardrobe.

I admit that I do not wear a pair of trousers that cost £1.50 new. But I am wearing a pair that cost me £2.00 second-hand. Why does it need to be new?

i quite like uniforms for ease, interms of no deciding what to wear that day

but i agree i think it would be cheaper to just have normal clothes, rather thans normal clothes and school uniforms

as in the holidays esp the summer, i'm like, shit we havent hardly got any clothes

It needs to be new because to be purchased new at that price they are almost certainly have been produced by sweated labour. £2.00 second hand? They could have been any price when new.