To ask what UK parents really think of school uniform

[longtimelurker101]

Relating to the thread on school uniform and hair dying. What do parents really think? Do you support the idea or would you prefer that schools across the U.K went non-uniform and had no rules regarding appearance?

It's easier for me, kids can have total freedom when it comes to civilian cothes and I can get the uniform ready for the week. I wouldn't pick or discount a school on the presence or absence of uniform, it ultimately makes no difference other than the wash schedule.

Kids don't care much, either, it's a low priority issue all round. I disagree you can tell rich from poor, many fairly rich kids are in asda in our school, precisely because nobody cares that much about uniform.

There are occasional fights between schools near me, mainly scuffles between one or two with most students looking on a bit shocked and excited. Also, when on the bus near a secondary school, I've noticed a few students already on a bus (and presumably from a different school) rolling up their blazers, obviously trying to hide them.

So I don't think it's simply some 70s hangover though wouldn't be surprised if things are a lot better than they were since most crime has gone down significantly since the 70s.. I'm London, so city but isn't particularly run down, not that ignoring a huge swathe of schooling would be particularly reasonable in this context.

long on this thread yes but I don't think the average person really considers it. I also wonder whether you're counting the "yes but less strict" group in the yes camp? Because that should be a group on its own

I'd be interested to ask the pupils of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds though

I used to really dislike school uniform. I thought it was stuffy and uncomfortable and unnecessary. I resented paying for it, thought it crushed individuality etc.

Actually now my ds is well into school life, I've grown to quite like it. It saves worrying about what he will wear each day. He feels proud to be part of his school. I like the safety aspect as it identifies children as being part of the school. I imagine it's less distracting for the children.

What I still really dislike are silly rules like everything logo, fair enough the jumper but unnecessary for anything else imo. I really dislike blazers and think that they are expensive, uncomfortable and pointless. Girls not being allowed to wear trousers, stupid.

But if it's reasonably priced and comfortable I'm fine with it.

The schools linking out of school behaviour, because the pupils can be recognised by their Uniforms, has been a good thing in Liverpool.

It's cut down on Anti Social behaviour, especially on buses.

I preferred there being a Uniform.

The issue I had was stupid rules around footwear. I had clumsy DDs with thin odd sized feet and it was difficult to get well fitting footwear that fitted the rules. Thankfully by the time my middle DD was in Senior School Kickers were allowed, but they wasn't on my youngest SN DDs school, it used to cost me a fortune.

I'm definitely pro-uniform. My parents were never great at clothing us, and I went to a school where uniform was optional. I'd be taken to school in holey joggers, too-small jumpers and ratty plimsoles. My school pictures are all absolutely horrendous. It obviously separated me from my peers and I was singled out and bullied quite badly.

They dressed me that way because they were lazy, and they didn't care. But what if a parent has no choice? A cheap, easy-to-maintain uniform must be a godsend to parents who can't afford to have the clothes they do manage to buy their children worn out by daily school wear.

I don't think you can say the "yes##, but less strict" group is a group on its own, its pro uniform, schools vary in rules.

I think as well the comparisons between the UK and US public school system are slightly unfair especially when socio-economic backgrounds are taken into account. In the US, outside of the most major cities, the school system is much more defined by what area you live in, school districts are likely to have many more people of the same level of affluence meaning that clothing may be less of an issue because most people are of a similar background, the UK is likely to have a wider mix because of the population density, and it could thgen be more of an issue here than in the U.S.

Uniform is fine if it's reasonably priced and easy wash and wear.

I think we've been lucky with out uniform at schools actually. Boys was best- white shirt, black/grey trousers navy blazer from any supplier with a badge sewn on. Even the girls " from the school shop, skirt/shirt/blazer/jumper seemed a but ££ at the first review but when 3 shirts at £12 each last 3yrs and a blazer at £35 18 months you can't moan really.

Non uniform days for the girls- a mess of tricky rules and "wants" much more so than weekend wear .... The rules are reasonable but gosh to they push them- no strappy tops/bare middles etc and shorts banned (even with tights) due to push to wear ones that don't even cover your buttocks properly!

6th form " business wear" here . rules are petty but actually sensibly applied. Stay under the radar and DD2 gets " away" with what fits her ( an age 12 skater skirt and suit jacket- the suit skirt was just huge round the waist and tight on the hips!) rather than the suit she's supposed to wear- it looks the same! I guess if she was a rule breaker they'd have her for uniform too though.

long it is a separate group because a lot of the arguments you put forward for the ban on makeup etc was parents support it so parents saying yes but less strict isn't really supporting it. You need to find out what parts they would want relaxing imo

What about comparing schools without uniform in the UK? They exist but they're not common

Have no issue with uniform. Primary was strictly enforced regulation polo with logo, sweatshirt with logo and grey bottoms. Regardless of the law the regulation uniform was strictly enforced and adhered to including regulation tracksuit for PE and certainly no variations on thrm so strictly white socks or grey tights and proper school shoes, no trainers. Senior similarly enforced. Not a problem

I am mighty surprised no-one can tell the difference between a gaggle of British teenagers, French, German and US!

Of course they don't all dress the same. In the US, campus fashion is exceptionally casual, often our American students are really surprised that the girls at uni turn up with very fashionable clothes and a full face of make-up most days (on our campus anyway).

I can usually spot the French teens on school exchanges very easily, and they often do appear in very uniform like clothing of jeans/tops/denim shorts. When I was on exchange many years ago, the difference in clothing was quite obvious.

I'm not saying no-one in Europe wears short skirts! I'm saying between the ages of 11-16 or even 18 there's a huge variation in what teens seem to find comfortable and normal to wear- and the UK teens can often be distinguished by their quite fashion-oriented but not always very flattering clothes and large amount of make-up, and I just wondered if this is more of an issue than if you just wear the same clothes every day.

i'm not a fan TBH
I don't like the extra cost - I find given the length of the holidays my DC still need as many clothes as they would do otherwise.

i appreciate the idea that it reduces bullying, but when I was at school with a strict uniform policy, people were still bullied for having the "wrong" shoes/bag/hair/jacket. I've been on a few exchanges to France and Germany where the students don't wear uniform, and can't say there was a big problem with fashion police type bullying.

i don't think my DC look particularly smart in theirs, but appreciate this might vary from school to school

Mine are still at primary, but I hate the idea of exclusion from lessons for uniform policy infractions. A colleague took a call from her daughter in the office a few weeks back. Her daughter was in tears after having been sent home for wearing trainers to school, despite the mother having sent her in with a note of apology, explaining that she'd left her school shoes at karate the night before, and only had trainers available that day.

I think it's pretty pointless, and I particularly dislike the way schools obsess about it and waste so much time over petty rules. The only argument in its favour is that it might stop children competing with each other, but I'm not sure that that's necessarily the case - and by all accounts that doesn't happen in countries where they don't have uniform at all.

If schools must have uniforms, they should be limited to very wide and generic rules that ban the use of expensive blazers, logos and ties. At most it should be along the lines that children should wear plain dark coloured trousers or skirts, and plain coloured shirts and jumpers. Hair should be ignored.

I really like school uniform as long as it is cheap, comfortable and not too vigorously policed. It is a great social leveller - the difference bw cheap and not cheap uniform is much less than the difference between Tesco/ASDA's own range and Superdry/Addidas when it comes to casual clothes.

I prefer uniform as it saves deciding what to wear each day. It's easy to go out and buy multiple items of the same thing. I buy from Asda/Tesco/Sainsburys depending on sizing. DD is at Class 3 primary school. It also saves money on clothes, as they only really need clothes for weekend wear. DD does change out of her uniform when she gets home, but she same clothes will do a couple of days if only worn for a couple of hours and not dirty.

The secondary school have a very smart uniform, however a blazer costs £28 and is only available from one supplier. You should be able to buy a black blazer and stick the school logo patch onto it.

I think it is a good leveller though, as long as parents stick to it. When I was at school I was bullied for wearing Clarks shoes in the first year of secondary, as the other girls were all wearing fashion shoes, which weren't allowed. If the parents hadn't bought them, we would have all been wearing the same type of shoe and I wouldn't have been bullied.

On non-uniform days I was also picked on because my clothes didn't come from Top Shop or C&A or Etam or Chelsea Girl (can you tell it was the 80's ). They came from the local cheapie fashion shop as that is all my parents could afford.

Uniform stopped most of the bullying (apart from the shoes!).

I am extremely pro uniform.

There is so much class prejudiced based fucking bullshit in the UK it is one small way that kids can feel they are nobody's inferior.

When I was in school in the 80s Top Shop and C&A sold school uniform, though it was styled to look trendier than the uniform in Debenhams etc. (don't recall supermarkets selling clothing back then).

Up to age 7 I think uniform is unnecessary, and possibly a bad thing as they get grubby/grow so quickly etc.

After age 7 I think it's a good idea for the "leveller" and "no hassle" reasons. Agree it should be comfy, cheap and washable. No unnecessary bits like ties, blazers, hats or bloody school knickers!

JimmyGreavesMoustache it makes me always a bit annoyed when I hear of children being treated like that in school. If a child came to me in morning registration/form time and explained about the shoes with a note, it's a matter of a few minutes to send the child to the relevant Head of Year (or similar depending on how the school is organised) and get it authorised for the day or however long was necessary. At the school where I taught, children would be given a slip of paper with the reason and duration on, so that they could show it to any teacher that queried the incorrect uniform. Children were never sent home on the day if their uniform was incorrect. It's not hard to get right.

Simple uniform (think plain white polo shirt, gray or black pants/skirt and X coloured jumper) is fine and easy for me. Stupid expensive uniform with complicated and demeaning rules can fuck right off.

I like the idea of uniforms but hate having to constantly monitor when my dcs have lost their uniforms as it is a hassle, both time and cost-wise, to replace. It is a private school with branded uniform. That said, both my dcs' private schools have second hand uniform sales but it is a bit hit and miss.

I went to school in a different country. All children had uniforms, only stopping at university. However, it was a tropical country with only light uniforms and not the summer, winter, sports kit x 3, different shoes that you have in the UK which makes it hideously cumbersome and expensive.

I think a simple, affordable uniform is a good idea.

However at my children's secondary school the amount of management time spent on minor infringements is just absurd, and there is also no consistency and logic half the time. They have crackdowns from time to time and then everything slips again. So the kids (and parents) just roll their eyes and ignore it. My friend was hauled in to see the HT about her daughter's constant disregard for rules about skirt lengths and shoes, only to to find that the headgirl, who was milling around the HT's office doing her headgirl duties, was guilty of the same things. HT not happy to have this pointed out by my friend

There was then a ridiculous saga when the school decided that black trainers were OK but they must not be canvas. So this meant Converse were banned. So when students turned up in black leather Converse the staff were completely thrown. This led to a hilarious string of emails to parents.

When I was at state school, black shoes, dark socks, black/grey trousers, white/blue shirts which you could buy anywhere and then School Jumper and Tie.I dont see why you need all this motif blazer etc.

My dd uniform is black and white, they look great.
The only logo items are a school jumper or cardigan and the P.E sweatshirt and neither are any more expensive than a normal sweater/ sweatshirt.
I think about a tenner each.
They have a blazer/jacket that they can buy from anywhere and doesn't have to be a particular type.
The whole uniform including shoes came in at less than £100 and some items will last a couple of years.

I like it, but I think they have gone massively OTT with hair dying, piercings, blazers must be worn etc.

I prefer a uniform at work, maybe it's just me but I would hate having to pick what to wear everyday.