To wish schools didn't have uniforms?

[bluebird14]

I hate them

You need to dress smart for exams in your final year anyway

I had au-Pairs from France who had to dress up for their oral tests - and the same when they were at Uni. Jeans tshirt wasn't appropriate apparently. Not sure why any student would think a mini skirt is ever appropriate to pass an exam in front of an examiner.

I don't believe it makes much difference when you start working, looking at threads of people who don't know what is appropriate in an office. In the school environment, uniforms are making everybody's life so much easier.

I'd rather my kids learn to shine and express themselves through their work and personality than through their clothing. All your clothes ever show is how much money your parents have.

YANBU I hate them. It's archaic and really have no place in schools in this day and age.

It was so much better, and cheaper, when my dc attended non uniform schools.

Now I have to buy them everyday clothes AND spend a shedload on uniform.

Ask teachers from non-uniform school: hours wasted explaining to kids then parents that cropped tops, leggings, slogan tshirt, ripped trousers, tracksuit bottoms, rainbow hair, heavy jewelry... are not suitable for school.
the cool kids wear the right clothes, the poor ones stand out a miles. The bitchy girls mock the wrong bag, wrong size, wrong style

I have worked in a non uniform school for 7 years. Dealt with 1 incident of inappropriate clothing. 1 year at a uniform school spent 5minutes a day, every day.
As I said before no bullying. But even if there was it isn't the uniform/lack of. It's the horrible bullies that are bullying people. That's what we should be working on.

Our school has a lovely ethos and atmosphere and i am all for no uniform. It's the non uniform days that ramp up the pressure because it's one Chance to show off. Isn't like that when it's every day.

There's absolutely no way the adults who are in favour of non-uniform on this thread were once children who had, at any one time, one single pair of trousers that fit, one top, a few pairs of pants, no shoes except for school shoes, a coat if they were lucky.

If they were they'd still feel the sheer dread of school discos and non-school uniform days and they'd understand that uniform for some children is annoying, for others it's the only complete outfit they own without holes in, or the only clothes that get washed.

Try looking at it from a different perspective.

I wouldn't mind school uniforms if they weren't so expensive (school blazers and logo jumpers) and annoying to replace - who decided white would be a good colour for kids to wear? If they're not covered in grass stains from playing outside then they've got yellow armpits and coloured pen stains. I would much prefer if school uniform was just a plain t shirt in the school colour (same length sleeves and neckline for boys and girls) and jeans or some comfy black bottoms that the knees don't rip on. Why do people care so much about 5 year olds looking like mini business men? It's weird, let them dress like kids.

It's the non uniform days that ramp up the pressure because it's one Chance to show off. Isn't like that when it's every day.

depends on the school, in the schools I went to, my nieces and nephews are going today in other countries, it absolutely is. It doesn't matter so much when you have the money, I do feel sorry for the kids who don't.

I already feel sorry for the isolated ones whose parents forget about non-uniform day, can't afford costumes for various events through the year. There's always one kid, and it's always the same one looking sad. I am sure some schools have many of them so they don't feel so lonely there.

Last non uniform day my dc had was full of dramas about what to wear..my ds is so fussy about clothes! I'm so grateful for uniform!

When I was a kid I hated uniforms and wished we were like America and could wear what we want.

Now I realise it would have been awful, it's hard enough now picking out something to wear every day, it would have been awful as a self conscious teen, especially if you weren't well off and couldn't afford nice clothes. It would also be really expensive for parents to buy all those clothes rather than just a uniform.

most of us did hate uniforms, until we realised that it's easier to hate the school than our parents for refusing to let us wear ridiculous fashion

I LOVE uniforms. It means you don't have to think about what to wear every day and worry if you're wearing the same thing twice in a week and if people would notice.

Best thing about working in the bank was the uniform. Sadly new job doesn't have one so I've made my own. Three identical trousers, two jackets and six identical T shirts. Job done!!

None of the schools I went to had a uniform. At the primary school in particular, bullying was rife. If you were seen to be wearing cheap clothes or clothes from the wrong shops, you got bullied. The amount of stress I had as a child was just ridiculous. I am so glad my son's schools have uniform.

@ Hernameisdeborah I had the same experience. I love school uniform for my children. There are of course still some differences, but at least not visible from a distance by everybody

YANBU. £15 for a jumper? Fuck off.

I don't mind uniforms but I think they should be much more basic so you can buy them cheaply. The cost of secondary school uniform is crazy as everything has to have the school logo.

Esp sports kit. It should be just plain black shorts and white tee-shirt for all. Then keep a stock of school logo kit for use by teams in matches. Utterly pointless for my non sporty daughter to have all this school logo kit she is required to have.

Uniform across all schools should be black trousers shorts or skirts plus white shirts. Plus a school logo jumper to identify the school.

When I was a kid I hated uniforms and wished we were like America and could wear what we want.

My American kids are delighted that we're not like the UK and that they can wear what they want.

It would also be really expensive for parents to buy all those clothes rather than just a uniform.

It's really not.

I like uniforms and think they help to create a more even playing field for pupils. If teachers are wasting time sorting uniform it’s the kids and their parents fault for not following guidelines /rules regarding uniform .

Ask teachers from non-uniform school: hours wasted explaining to kids then parents that cropped tops, leggings, slogan tshirt, ripped trousers, tracksuit bottoms, rainbow hair, heavy jewelry... are not suitable for school

Why are these things not suitable for school?

Rainbow hair, slogan T-shirts, leggings, ripped trousers, tracksuit bottoms - all totally acceptable at my kids' schools. These are very highly rated schools that get great results and have very few behavioural problems.

Having green hair doesn't stop kids from being smart or learning well. Leggings are comfortable. So are tracksuit bottoms. Ripped trousers - so what? Why do you need to look smart to learn?

You need to dress smart for exams in your final year anyway, so that's another expense.

You do? Why? Does being dressed smartly somehow make you write better?

I am in favour makes my life so easy.

I am in Scotland and the schools seem to take a sensible approach. Set the school colours so can be bought from supermarket but logoed options available. I do find it shocking that state schools can dictate one overpriced supplier, the government needs to set some rules not guidelines.

My son likes his uniform, especially all the pockets on his blazer. The only change that would be good would be to allow the badged summer polo year round instead of shirt and tie. Shirt cuffs get so grubby and I don't like ironing either. A polo shirt with trousers or shorts is both practical and looks smart.

YANBU

My school (UK) didn't have a uniform. It was fine. There was a dress code that essentially focused on no football tops and nothing with swear words on. I mainly wore jeans or trousers, boots and band t shirts and my parents reckoned they spent half of what they would have on clothes compared to when we were at (with-uniform) primary. Weekend / after school clothes being the same as school clothes.

We were asked to wear "smart" clothes for particular events and when we were out and about, for example on work experience. This meant a pair of suit type trousers and an actual adult-sized appropriate blouse - i.e. exactly what I wear to work (professional, public facing job) nowadays.

There were also no sexist rules about what girls and boys should wear - just a generic code for all. Most girls chose not to wear skirts.
This was in the early-mid 00s.

A local high school where I live now is also uniform-less. They mainly seem to wear the exact same kind of clothes that I do. It may be coincidence but the behaviour in public of those kids is significantly better than the behaviour of those from the other local high, who wear a hideous concoction and are usually flinging their blazers off and screaming as they leave school. It's like St Trinian's.

I hated school uniform. It was expensive and we never had enough of any of it to get us through the week. And because we had no money we had the one pair of frumpy compulsory school shoes which we had to wear all the time. We stuck out and were targets of bullying by kids from other schools. One of the reasons I left at sixth form was because of the awful uniform. No uniform days were a nightmare .

My kids have no uniform. There is no bullying about clothes (plenty of bullying though), no problems with what to wear. My boys play football in the break and usually come home filthy. CaNT do that in an uncomfortable school uniform and school shoes.

Why are these things not suitable for school?
because they are completely inappropriate for a start.

dress smart for exams in your final year anyway
exams are not just about being better, but about how you present yourself,and showing a bit of respect to your examiner by dressing properly is not a bad thing.

Some people see nothing wrong in going shopping in their pyjamas or a onesie, and wear tracksuit bottom as "casual wear". You do what you want in the privacy of your own home, it's great if schools teach the kids that's it's not acceptable wear in the real world.

because they are completely inappropriate for a start

But that's just a purely arbitrary observation. For example, ripped jeans are currently in fashion. People wear them everywhere. Why not at school? Same with leggings.

I've never understood the 'no bullying' argument. I went to school with zero uniforms or dress code and there was no bullying based on clothes. If someone were so inclined they could still bully based on new vs hand down ill-fitting uniform, nice shoes/trainers vs cheapo ones, etc. So does not remove that element at all.

They look so utterly uncomfortable. Also found that there was so much less pressure to wear any kind of make up, do your hair, etc where I went to school (still true today) because it wasn't the only way to 'express yourself'. I think I wore make up to school for about a week throughout high school and just lived in jeans and t-shirts as did my male and female classmates. There was no fuss in the morning and as I have never had any kind of branded stuff, it was not more expensive than uniform.

re: getting used to wearing a uniform and 'appropriate' clothes - I manage to dress formally just fine when needed.