School uniform - I agree with uniform and I realise I chose a school with a uniform policy, BUT ....

[BigSandyBalls2015]

.... sometimes I feel they are making a mountain out of a mole hill, and wasting too much time and energy on it:

DD(14), wore a collared white school shirt yesterday, top button done up, with a skirt, and we had a letter home.

She should have worn her open neck white shirt, as she had a skirt on. Had she worn trousers then the buttoned up collared shirt would have been fine, with a tie. Not allowed to mix the two.

Detention will be given if it happens again.

Only another 16 months to go ...................

My sister's school made her stand outside the office for break with her face to the wall because she forgot her tie. They had a choice of shirts - one with a tie, and one with a folded down collar. She had chosen the sort that needs a tie. Daft girl . It was a new comprehensive with something to prove. At my school, you would have run the gauntlet of teachers mentioning it but would only get detention if you were caught smoking in the toilets (1 detention for each wrong item of school clothing + 1 for getting caught) but you cold borrow one from the office.

My DC's school banned skirts. They ditched the shirt and tie for polo shirt and sweatshirt and they all looked a helluva lot tidier. Unfortunately, the primary has introduced shirts and clip-on ties to 'get them ready for secondary school' - along with logo'd Tosco jumpers that wash badly and look a mess :( It is a mad world where school uniform is concerned.

Inertia We have a primary where only the open kind of shoes are acceptable - no short lace-up boots, in spite of having to wear 'indoor shoes' indoors.

My DCs school is very specific about uniform so there is no misinterpretation.
Logoed skirt, black tights black flat leather shoes, white blouse buttoned up, school tie, school jumper, school blazer.Summer trem only option of school summer dress, with nude tights or white knee socks plus school blazer.

So you can you wear a tie with a skirt or trousers?
(As long as you are wearing the collared shirt?)

Actually my old school was like this.

Didn't actually see a problem with it.

You either wore the collared shirt properly or not at all.

I do wonder sometimes if in Scottish schools boys' uniform (if required) might be a kilt? Genuine question.

Down here in Essex a fair number of the secondary schools have kilts as part of the school uniform for girls, but trousers for boys.

Just a point of interest I have sometimes pondered. DD3 was wondering about it recently too, and her school skirt is a kilt.

Bonkers.

I once got a detention (which I didn't end up doing) because my socks were not the same shade of blue. They were totally different shades in fact, but as a result of getting up in the dark rather than teenage rebellion.

My dad was a contracts solicitor, and argued that the school uniform list just specified blue socks. As I was wearing blue socks, he would not sign the detention slip. The debate between school/da went on for weeks. I don't think my sister or I were every disciplined at school again. The teachers probably couldn't be bothered with the fall out.

Topseyt My dad went to Fettes College in Edinburgh about 100 years ago and wore a kilt as his daily uniform, with a shirt and jumper, but smartened up for formal dress. Looks like the boys are now allowed to wear trousers for everyday though.

Bikerun, I had to do as your Dad did with regard to my DD1 and the outgrown school skirt.

I told them that she would not be attending an after school detention for anything so petty, and that I would be expecting her home on her usual bus. They didn't argue beyond that point though, so no further debate and they magically found her a suitable skirt.

My 8yo dd would never wear a skirt she hates them. I'll have to bear that in mind when choosing a secondary then!

Interesting list about the Fettes College uniform Bikerun.

Diddl - no, you can't wear a tie at all with a skirt.

The policy is:

Skirt/kilt, with open neck (revere) shirt, no tie. OR
Black trousers with collared button up shirt, with tie.

No mixing about. you can't wear a tie with a skirt, and you can't not wear a tie with trousers .

I think everyone should wear kilts and Arran sweaters for school. It would be great for promoting British craftsmanship, they look incredibly cool and they are gender neutral. I actually suggested this for a school locally when they were fussing about their uniform policy and they thought I had gone nuts.

Bring on the kilts, I say.

The targets are set to individuals, so there is a chance of all levels of students achieving their 'targets' and being awarded 'the golden tie'.

In theory!!

Blimey, schools nowadays are bonkers! Back in the dark ages, I attended a private school with a very individual school uniform that included boaters in summer and, when I started at 5, the highly practical rule of white gloves in summer (not sure when they were dropped but I wasn't wearing them by senior school). We were also required to wear ties with skirts.

Anyway, in seniors, we dealt with the bits of uniform we didn't like as a year group. In 4th year, we all decided we didn't like the stupid summer dress which made us look about 8yo and so we simply all wore winter uniform back after Easter. Nothing was said (or if it was they gave in without serious consequences). We were then emboldened and all adopted black shoes instead of the uniform brown (which were impossible to get hold of anyway and generally in horrible styles) and, in this case, black shoes were quietly added to the uniform list.

Maybe this would work nowadays too - how many full year detentions is a school prepared to put in place over a tie-with-skirt/revere-collar-with-trousers rebellion, say, before they give up and drop the issue quietly?

My DDs' school is exactly the same. Utterly ludicrous nit picking shit like this all the time. Utterly ridiculous

Thinking about it, you are required by law to send your children to school (glossing over the 'education otherwise' thing which is quite difficult for a lot of parents to organise and not a debate for here), but can state schools therefore insist you have to wear certain clothes, in a situation where no schools you can get a place in are uniform-free?

What I meant to say was, what legal standing is there to force people to buy often crappy clothes at great expense so their children look like clones? Uniforms are so prevalent now that you can't exactly pick a secondary school that doesn't have one, and there is zero evidence it has an educational function.

DDs' school has a vv lax uniform policy except for a "no hoody" rule. Funny thing is the 6th years have just got their final year leavers' hoody sorted out and are wearing them with pride everywhere except in school.

I am in Scotland with no sign of kilts, which are menswear and not gender neutral as suggested above.

I vote for joggers and hoodies for everyone all the time for comfort and practicality.

School uniform is mostly an insult to human dignity.

Thank god its not like that in Scotland!
I'd tell the school to f*ck off!!!
My dd wears her uniform but mixes and matches it. She wears skirts, trousers, polo shirt, rarely a shirt, summer dress, blue cardigan [ cause she suits it] rather than grey and it matches the colour on the tie. I really don't give a fig but then, school uniform in Scotland is not compulsory.

That is quite mix & match, isn't it?

Like I say, I can't see the problem with a tie with the collared shirt.

But to have to wear a particular shirt with trousers!

Are they trying to "encourage" the girls to keep to skirts, do you think?

Well I was at 2ndry school so long ago that we actually had a Winter uniform & a Summer uniform.

The Winter being skirt, shirt & tie & jumper or cardigan.

The Summer being a dress.

Eventually they brought in a short sleeved blouse (with revers, natch) that could be worn with the skirt for Summer.

We were told when to wear which uniform.

I think it then became acceptable to wear the short sleeve blouse year round.

Why do people always say that about uniform in scotland ? All the schools I know here have a uniform and a uniform policy. Ds school (primary) has white shirt, grey trousers/cardigan/jumper with the tie. Dd school (secondary) is white shirt, black or grey skirt/trouser/cardigan/jumper, blazer and tie. Not allowed hoodies and outdoor clothing not allowed on indoors (although not enough lockers for everyone)

Dreamgirls if the pupils who are identifying as gender neutral are allowed to wear trousers then surely the school council can argue that school are clearly agreeing trousers are gender neutral so girls should be able to wear them as part of the uniform.