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?

Then there's the fact that any attempt to enforce uniform effectively punishes children for their parents' failings. No, def don't like uniform.

But the issue isnt with uniform there is it? Its with the schools refusing to understand that a 13 year old is not in charge of family finances.

There was an issue locally where a school did (eventually) back down when a boy was put into isolation because he had the wrong shoes. She was waiting a couple of weeks until pay day to afford a new pair but school said that her son would have to be in isolation until then as the black shoe-style trainers were not acceptable. In the end she went to the local paper, anonymously no sad-face pictures, because she said that her son was being punished on the basis of them being on a low income. The school were not having it saying that uniform rules where there for a reason, that parents knew about it when their kids joined the school and should therefore be prepared for it. Their results are shite and they have a terrible reputation for bullying, shame they dont put as much effort into educating and safeguarding as they do into uniform supervision.

Having uniform is not the issue.

I was very thankful for a uniform when I was at school, my mother would never have bought me the 'right' sort of clothes to fit in. When it is a non uniform day they all end up in more or less the same.

There are studies saying different things, the Sutton Trust did one and it turned out that uniform does not effect attainment and others have been done that find that uniform has a positive impact in attendence, particularly girls attendence. Then there are the many studies that show that good attendence links with good attainment, so there may be a correlation.

My schools both had uniforms and this took a lot of pressure off of me because my family would never have been able to keep up with the richer kid's wardrobes! I don't remember as a kid looking at anyone else's skirt or trousers and thinking they looked more expensive or cheaper than mine.

I disagree with having to wear blazers in all weathers though, our local private school demands this for the upper school and the poor kids look freezing! The junior school have the option of a logo'd warm jacket but they must assume children over 11 don't need to be warm.

I haven't read the other thread about hair dying, but I'd quite happily go continental European and ditch the uniform. If nothing else, my ironing pile would be drastically reduced. Admittedly, my son pretty much has a home uniform (he only likes orange clothes) so we have no arguments about what to wear. I also think it's ironic that he has to wear a tie in Reception when his dad has not worn one for about 20 years, even when he worked in the City.

The high school near me has what should be a smart uniform (blazer, tie, etc) but the kids always look so scruffy, with their shirts hanging out, their ties loose - I think they'd look better in jeans and hoodies.

I just don't understand why other countries can happily exist without uniform, whereas most people in the UK can't imagine school without it. If, for example, Dutch or French parents and teachers have memories of being bullied about their clothes at school, they appear not to have lobbied on a wide scale for the introduction of uniform. It can't just all be about having less variation in income.

I dislike uniform. We had one year of non-uniform at DD's primary and it was great. Uniform is an extra hassle - having to have a particular thing clean is just not as easy as wearing what happens to be clean and I have found there to be issues with appropriate warmth. It is much better to have the range of options that normal clothes supply rather than going straight from sweatshirt and trousers/tights/whatever to thin cotton dresses. I also found it to be cheaper.

I went to a non-uniform secondary like Bounced (in fact quite possibly the same one judging by what she said) and it just wasn't an issue. It was very rare to see people taking the piss and the focus was very much on dressing appropriately/safely for whatever activity we were doing.

Plus I don't think uniform really does iron out social differences. I want my daughter to accept people based on who they are, not what they are wearing. Uniform teaches children that what they wear actually does matter (and it really doesn't, at school age).

I'm glad ds has a uniform because it means only his school clothes get covered in paint, glue and other gunk which often doesn't wash out.

Think the points regarding other countries are valid, but as shown on this thread the majority of parents prefer uniform.

Also I think uniform and the presentation of students are intrinsically linked with the quality of the school in the minds of the general public. This then links on to how many people would consider sending their children to that school, which has an impact on funding etc etc. Hence why schools have codes about appearance.

Absolutely love and adore school uniform.

No pressure to figure out what to wear. No problem wearing stained/marked clothes as they're still uniform. Bigger kids hand it down to mine so lots of it is free. Wearing the same clothes every day enables you to have fewer clothes overall ime.

Uniform is cheap, esp in the supermarkets. A "uniform" sweatshirt in m&s (eg plain red) will be cheaper than an ordinary m&s sweatshirt for example.

Esp for teens, there are big savings. A white multipack shirt vs a super dry top?! Or several.

I also solved the logo expense/problem. Buy one logo sweatshirt. When outgrown, cut off logo and sew onto bigger supermarket sweatshirt. Continue.

Clothes are an absolutely integral part of self-expression and identity.

hate uniform.

dd1 has eczema akd stuffy classrooms and multi layer uniform doesn't do her any good at all.

tights are itchy and uncomfortable

cuffs on jumpers and cardigans are annoying

ties- enough said

and all trousers seem to made for certain shapes which don't fit her.

shed be so much happier being able to wear leggins and vest tops.

and who the fuck thinks shirts and ties are a good idea on 4 akd 5 yr olds. really?

ffs just let them wear clothes they are comfortable.

definately NO om uniform fir me. I object to 40 quid shoes that are shit and don't cover the top of the foot top.

DS1 now has a part time job and has to wear the company polo shirt. Just like he used to have to wear school uniform. It's no big deal.

I like uniform as a parent, it makes it easier for me.
I appreciated it, looking back, as a teen as again it made it easier on me.
I think uniforms are a positive thing all in all but within that I do think a level of individuality should be allowed.
Around here there is one school with a very strict blazer etc uniform, the pupils generally don't look as smart as the other school with a uniform that has a polo shirt, sweatshirt combo as the pupils are happy to wear that one, it looks smart and they look like teens and are happy to wear it. And they allow them a certain amount of expression too.
Tbh I wouldn't like my DC to be in an institution where someone else was apparently in control of how they wore their hair, and their and my opinions were deemed irrelevant. But a general uniform I'm OK with.
It's all about balance really.

“Baconyum they don't have to have just one school selling it to end the problems with people looking different. DD and DS's school send out a letter in the summer term with the pictures and product codes of skirts/trousers, shirts/blouses that are acceptable styles. They include ones from M&S, ASDA etc and all are very similar in style. It works well and caters for different preferences and budgets.”

That's my point. Different preferences and budgets negates the ‘levelling’ argument. I'd be interested to know if the ‘acceptable styles’ is stuck to for a start.

Another pp said they can't tell the difference eg in school photos, parents and teachers might not be able to tell but the kids definitely can. Also as other pps have said there's still coats/shoes/bags where the levelling argument goes out the window too.

“As pp have said, it's still easy to tell who has the cheapie stuff vs. the JL stuff, so the levelling argument (i.e., "it stops fashion pressure on the less affluent kids") doesn't wash.” Exactly.

I also agree with the comments re it being a waste of teaching time for teachers to have to eg check black socks don't have a grey stripe! Ridiculous! And as I said in my previous post ime schools that focus too much on uniform do so to the detriment of education.

“To me at this point it is an additional expense - I'll have to buy them lots of new clothes, and new shoes. I don't really get how it is cheaper - surely your children still need normal clothes for the weekends and holidays?”

This too. Doesn't save me money as dd still needs weekends and holiday clothes and they're outgrown before she hardly has a chance to wear them.

I also don't understand schools having a problem with trainers, they're practical, comfortable, warm and better for children's developing feet than eg ballet pumps which are seen as more suitable as school shoes?!

“Or maybe it would just take a while for people to "calm the fuck down" and stop worrying if they don't have the correct make of jeans or t-shirt.”

I suspect this is what would happen if we abolished uniform in this country. There'd be excitement and stress about wearing ‘the right clothes’ for the first term or so and then it'd calm down and they'd likely all wear jeans/joggies and hoodies and trainers.

“They don't wear expensive clothes, few people do brands and just seem to wear jeans, t-shirts and hoodies. No problem, one less expense and kids can wear what they feel comfortable in.”

“And this notion of preparing them for the world of work is ludicrous. How do you think people in non-uniform countries figure out how to dress for work?” this is also true. Dd's year recently did work experience, some of the placements required more casual/practical attire - this threw some of them for a bit as school had drummed into them about being smart but it doesn't apply to all workplaces anyway. Kids aren't stupid they'd figure it out with GUIDANCE from school/parents plus they see adults get ready for work/at work eg in shops so if they did then have to wear a uniform it would hardly come as a shock to them.

“I don't like uniforms. As adults, we have to conform so lets give our kids some freedom when young to make decisions about clothes, style and hair.” agree with this too. At this age (teens I'm thinking of) they're still finding themselves they should be able to explore what they're about, what personality they want to present to the world. If they're not allowed to dye their hair that limits them.

I left a school that was very strict on uniform a couple of years ago - never minded having to wear it on principle, but it did upset me that there wasn't any choice allowed. All girls had to wear a skirt, which I absolutely hated. We did start a few campaigns to be allowed to wear trousers but they got shut down pretty quickly.

Looking forward and counting the days until I am uniform free. Dd leaving school and ds attending one that doesn't have one.

I have found uniforms stressfull trying to find the uniform every evening on certain days of the week between the 2 of them I had to come up with anything up to 10 sets of uniforms to cover pe, dance, school and after school activities. Much prefer they went in jeans and a t shirt and not have to find where dd who is ADD has thrown her stuff.

I like uniforms. It saves having to find different things for the DC to wear each day, and the inevitable judgement by other children about whether they're wearing the right thing. However, normal comprehensive and primary schools should be flexible about logos and where things have to be purchased, and not allow any particular shop the monopoly over it.

Gileswithachainsaw

I object to 40 quid shoes that are shit and don't cover the top of the foot top.

dd2 did too!!!

but neither of their feet are suited to many styles/shoes so it's a pain

minionwithdms

but it did upset me that there wasn't any choice allowed. All girls had to wear a skirt, which I absolutely hated. We did start a few campaigns to be allowed to wear trousers but they got shut down pretty quickly.

Hate uniform. Pointless bollocks and poor teachers having to enforce bollocks like top button done up or worry about the length of a teenage girls skirt. Weird preoccupation for adults.

Expensive too with 4 kids in school.

Love it now youngest dd 16 and non uniform 6th form.

Had absolutely nothing to do with behaviour, expectation or attainment.

Always surprised people think it does.

Muddling, I thought there had been a European Court of Human Rights rulling on that back in the 1990s?

"Which would be understandable if the teachers wore skirts themselves, but the female teachers I've seen seem to all be wearing trousers. Hypocrisy at its finest." That is a poor argument, standard Tu Quo Que flaw. Teachers are adults and not subject to the same rules as children. There are lots of things that teachers are allowed to do which the students are not.

It is highly relevant that the teachers are allowed to wear trousers. What could possibly be the rationale for making school girls wear skirts?

Pupils in a primary school not being allowed to wear trousers (uniform or not) on the basis of their sex is clearly wrong. What the teachers wear is neither here nor there, and using that as an argument for changing what the pupils wear is futile. Better to argue the case based on equality between boys and girls.