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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to think that school uniforms are rubbish and sexist?

135 replies

Annahmolly · 06/03/2015 18:26

Just saw a lovely little girl in Starbucks with her mother. She was around 12 and sitting on an armchair, pulling her legs up to get comfortable. The ridiculously short, flimsy piece of material posing as a skirt rode up so high that her legs were almost uncovered. This is in March - most other people in there were in winter clothes. The silly knee-socks hardly made things much better, covering only half the leg. Surely thick, black tights would be much better, if schools absolutely must make girls wear skirts? It seems as though uniform regulations require girls to look "cute" and "feminine" at the expense of feeling warm and comfortable. The shoes are silly too - not appropriate for cold and wet weather, and neither girls nor boys ever seem to be wearing proper winter coats with their uniforms. What's with that?

Excuse my ignorance on this, but I did not grow up in Britain, so I don't know why these rules exist. I dread sending my daughter to school freezing cold just because some school regulations dictate that she has to show off her legs in a stupid little flimsy skirt. It restricts movement and is, in my opinion, sexist.

OP posts:
mummytime · 07/03/2015 14:32

My DCs school is strict on Uniform: girls can wear trousers, skirts should be knee length (they roll them up), thick black tights would be okay, knee high socks would not. At a neighbouring school pupils even wear coats! At DCs if there is snow on the ground they are usually allowed Mufti (non-uniform) to encourage sensible winter clothes, including boots.

IreneA78 · 07/03/2015 14:49

At my Dcs school they seem to wear their skirts very short, but they have to wear opaque black tights with them.Girls are not allowed to wear trousers.
In summer they can wear school summer dress (again worn v short) with flesh coloured tights or with ankle socks.They all choose the tights.
So what I am trying to say is , I think short skirts/dresses are okish if tights are worn under them.

GahBuggerit · 07/03/2015 14:59

erm yabu in this case, obvs.

but i did try to buy my ds a school cardi jacket type thing as he feels v uncomfortable in the jumper but was told only the girls are allowed to wear them, and if hes cold then he will wear the jumper because hell have to

mygrandchildrenrock · 07/03/2015 15:10

My oldest children were educated in a state school in a major city. Although it had a uniform, the length and style of skirts were up to the students. One of my DDs wore a maxi skirt with Doc Martens, one wore a mini skirt.
My youngest DC are at a state school in a rural school (we moved!) and their uniform code is ridiculously strict. Girls have to wear skirts and there is only one style/make they can wear. Boys have to wear jumpers all year and are not allowed to push their sleeves up in hot weather! Y7 girls cannot wear tights but older girls can but only opaque 600d ones.
There is little choice of schools in rural areas and my two do not want me to rock the boat by saying anything about the uniform but it drives me mad!

pointythings · 07/03/2015 16:10

YABU as it is highly likely that the girl herself chose this outfit.

YANBU to hate school uniform, I do too. Lots of countries do better than the UK without it, both educationally and in terms of managing bullying. Uniform is an outdated relic of the class system.

I'm a bit worried about a PP who said there was a different colour to identify each year group. So the school makes parents buy new stuff every year even if they haven't outgrown it???

Idontseeanysontarans · 07/03/2015 16:18

Come on OP didn't you roll up your skirt on your way to school each morning? I did, as did my sister and my Mum! Skirt as short as possible, bare legs and weirdly, very thick black hiking boot socks with thick soles shoes because I hated my feet being cold Grin
The one thing about the local high school that gets me is the one and only skirt the girls can wear. It's a nice skirt, slightly flared, good length and a good £10 more expensive than George school skirts because it has the school badge on it. They can wear trousers but again school issue with badge on. This is girls only, boys can wear any black pants.
In general though I do like school uniform, it looks smart. High school have ties in house colours and they don't move houses so it's one of 4 ties from year 7 onwards. Not too expensive but there's a lot of swap and change between students and parents anyway.

MurderonthetopCs · 07/03/2015 21:05

I absolutely hate school uniforms and see little point in them

OddBoots · 08/03/2015 07:52

If that was me talking about ties then it is just the tie that is a different colour for the year group and if it is in good condition the school swap them for free.

Bonsoir · 08/03/2015 07:58

School uniform is absolutely awful. I hate it and I am incredibly relieved to live in a country where DC do not wear uniforms.

DD's private primary school has a dress code (clothing items must be plain grey, navy or white without logos) and even that is beginning to grate after 8 years!

antumbra · 08/03/2015 08:05

I love school uniform.

Ours has been jointly decided by school staff and pupils, it is practical, warm, cheap to buy. Girls and boys can wear black jeans and sweattshirts.
Their uniform refects modern society and everyone is happy to conform.

Ragwort · 08/03/2015 08:13

Young people will always interpret the uniform 'rules' to suit their own views - my DS's school has a very sensible uniform of black trousers/sweatshirt/polo shirt. Cheap and easily available.

Girls are strongly encouraged to wear trousers - some of them chose to wear ridiculously short skirts or tight, skinny trousers despite the constant reminders.

Personally I would love to see smart shirts and ties Grin.

antumbra · 08/03/2015 08:20

ragwort- that is interesting. Our school has wide options of uniforms, including blazers, shirts and ties. Although sweatshirts, polo shirts are uniform my son prefers the shirt and tie option.
Skinny jeans and leggings are acceptable for boys and girls.

Staff don't have to waste time diciplining over uniform as everyone is happy to conform.

Bonsoir · 08/03/2015 08:22

Ties are incredibly anachronistic - a bit like suspender belts. Which we don't make children wear to school...

antumbra · 08/03/2015 08:26

I think ties are a bit of fun for school kids. Whils our school does not insist on ties the overwhelming majority actually choose to wear them, especially at senior level, where from the age of 16 upwards pupils can wear a "senior tie" which has the house crest. Almost all seniors are proud to wear the tie.

Bonsoir · 08/03/2015 08:29

I would rather pupils' pride in their schools was directed at the opportunities provided and achievements than at a tie.

antumbra · 08/03/2015 08:30

Surely their is room for both? Are the two mutually exclusive?

peggyundercrackers · 08/03/2015 08:32

I like the uniforms - I think it makes everyone look smart.

yep I agree uniforms are sexist - girls get more than 1 option of what they can wear but boys don't get any options. about time it changed!

sandgrown · 08/03/2015 08:41

Well said Jamrolly totally agree. My DS is a nightmare when choosing what to wear to go out and only wants to wear "labels". I cannot imagine the stress every morning and the expense. I actually wear a self-imposed "uniform" for work because I like to save my nicest clothes for going out.

madmother1 · 08/03/2015 08:55

My teenage DD insisted on wearing cheap, crappy ballet pumps last year, even though she walks 2 miles to school. With in a week her feet were raw with blisters. The school nurse commented that she'd not listened to her Mum. This year, my DD has got sturdy boots which the school will allow. She also wears a coat. I just love teenagers...

GnomeDePlume · 08/03/2015 08:55

School uniform is rubbish so YANBU.

There is no evidence that school uniform improves anything in school. The only so called evidence is anecdotal based on the occasional mufti day.

Read this article:

Smaller classes, uniforms, and primary homework among the least effective ways of boosting school performance

cartoonsaveme · 08/03/2015 09:02

A loose uniform policy that allows everyone to wear the same unbranded school colours is ace. No faffing about over what to wear at 7am but no wasted hours on silly uniform checks. No trauma if DC wear trainers or boots with uniform. School focuses on learning. Our school is amazing. The private sectors seems to be stuck in the 1950s with silly girls uniforms and no trousers

MrsItsNoworNotatAll · 08/03/2015 09:11

I would love to have worn trousers when I was as school. Skirts are impractical as a uniform. Bend over and if it's too short the crack of your arse is on show or too long and you have to hitch it up. The fashion when I was at school was to wear them very long, at least down to the calves and they were quite tight fitting too so running for the bus and running to hide from teacher's so as not to get caught smoking was tricky.

Trousers would've been much better.

ManOfSpiel · 08/03/2015 09:12

My daughters school has a strict knee length skirt policy (no shorter) with no slits. They can wear trousers too so have more choice than boys who are only allowed trousers.

Make up is also banned but this doesn't stop the majority of girls rolling up their skirts and slapping on the make up. We've had no end of discussions with our daughter and she has only just stopped the make up. She doesn't need it anyway but still rolls up her skirt.

ManOfSpiel · 08/03/2015 09:24

Gnome

Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of teachers identified reducing class sizes as one of their top three priorities when surveyed by the Sutton Trust as to how they intend to spend the Pupil Premium. And nearly half (44 per cent) said that hiring more teaching assistants was one of their top three priorities.

Interesting article but I find it strange that a professor would disregard the opinions of the majority of actual teachers.

It's probably true that uniform has no education benefit but that's not the sole rationale for having them.

clam · 08/03/2015 09:33

"Excuse my ignorance on this"

Well, yes, that is what it is. Most schools offer an option of wearing socks or tights, so if the girl you saw was wearing socks, that was likely to have been her own choice. Ditto the skirt, as many schools allow trousers for girls too.

"It seems as though uniform regulations require girls to look "cute" and "feminine" at the expense of feeling warm and comfortable." Cute and feminine?? Shock School uniform in this country. That's hilarious.

And re: lack of coats, I have been teaching for 28 years and have two mid/late teenagers myself. The refusal to wear a coat in the depths of winter is nothing whatsoever to do with schools/parents in my experience. I stand by my classroom door at each morning break, insisting each child go back and put on their coat and by the time they've been on the playground 2 minutes, it's in a pile at the edge while they charge around in shirt-sleeves.
With my own kids, I confess I've given up. If they want to get cold, that's their own lookout.