To wish schools didn't have uniforms?

[bluebird14]

I hate them

Uniforms are the best invention ever, so much so that my mother insisted that I wear a uniform to my first primary school and they do to this day. Less washing trying to find something to wear everyday and it makes the children less inclined to out wear each other on style esp if some cant afford the latest trend! Best thing ever!

YANBU I also hate them... they arent a thing that equates to fairness or any of that bollocks because it depends who they actually suit and who is comfortable in them.... some kids are completely humiliated by them.. especially if you are in any way different from your peers in terms of shape.. your uniform will just exaggerate that difference...

I think schools should just have a jumper or badge or something with the school logo on and then just let kids wear whatever they are most comfortable in within some guidlines... for example 'no designer labels' 'no slogans' 'flat shoes' etc
I do not see why a uniform needs to be anything more than that...
Some of them are just utterly ridiculous

and I hate this thing about forcing people to wear trousers or skirts under the guise of practicality or modesty... it entirely depends on your unique body shape whether those items are actually modest or practical...
Idve hated to be forced in trousers during puberty as it would just have highlighted my curves even more especially my bum... idve been mortified!

I was a member of the PTA who voted for primary school uniforms
How I wish I hadn’t
My children’s summer clothes were practically like new in the autumn and they’d outgrown them the following year
Huge mistake

Had this discussion with dh yesterday
I said some girls start their periods in primary school and maybe don’t want to wear tampons
I said wearing a pad might be really visible in trousers
I don’t know what kind of san pro is available for pre teenage girls

I buy school summer dresses one size bigger so they last a bit longer. It's still warm in September so dd's school allows summer dresses to be worn until October half term. Buying one size bigger means she can wear it in Autumn and next summer.

Dowser my girl is very small, she wears regular sized towels with wings (the always type) under school trousers (the lycra type from Asda) and a longish polo shirt. Have never seen any hint or outline of a pad (and I check for her because she has special needs).
I also got her some long boyfriend style cardigans (Asda) which cover her bum, but she's chosen not to wear them.

MadMary my mum would not have put up with fussing from me and my sister. Lack of uniform re your SIL is not the problem here. Lack of cojones is. My teenage DDs know they can't have everything they want . They learned a very long time ago that throwing a strop gets them nowhere. Basic parenting.

Kids do not need to be wearing non uniform clothes to be able to identify whose parents do and do not spend on 'cool' stuff. If everyone is wearing idenitkit (ugly, impractical, uncomfortable) uniforms, the focus moves on to shoes, bags, coats. If all those are uniform (which rarely works due to the cost) it moves on to the trainers you have for PE, the pencil case you have, the brand of pens, how you wear your hair, etc etc etc. It is frankly deluded to believe that uniform policies prevent bullying- they just move the focus of the bullying.

the pressure to fit in with Abercrombie, Vans, Hollister, and whatever other labels there are would be absolutely horrendous
Never noticed this, tbh. There was a certain amount of label snobbery in the late 90's when my eldest was growing up, but it was for Adidas and Nike. Most people just went to sports direct and bought them at reduced prices, equivalent to school uniform prices. Anything more expensive was usually bought as a christmas or birthday present, or from money they saved themselves.
Obviously a lot will depend on your area and social group, but I never found it difficult to manage my kid's expectations re clothing and labels, and I was pretty poor at times.

I am sure changing from school uniform to a dress code would just move the debate and the same arguments but times 10 would keep coming up: haircut, appropriate length, cropped or too tight clothes. The very same parents would moan that their little darlings should be free to express their individuality by looking like a barbie doll at a beauty counter or an homeless vagrant.

I am so grateful we have school uniforms so far, it's cheaper and so much easier for parents.

I am sure changing from school uniform to a dress code would just move the debate and the same arguments but times 10 would keep coming up: haircut, appropriate length, cropped or too tight clothes.

This certainly was not my experience with children in non uniform schools. What it does definitely remove is ridiculousness like putting a child in detention because an otherwise black leather shoe has a bit of red on the sole or children having to ask permission to remove a heavy blazer in hot weather.

I don’t mind uniforms in general.

I do however take an issue with uniforms which are clearly designed to fit an adult’s version of what ‘smart’ means ( or used to mean). Why do we send our primary aged kids to school in white iron-needed shirts, blazers and ties when many workplaces don’t even expect that standard anymore! Or worse - uniforms stylised on what passed for smart children’s clothing in the 1920s - straw boater hats in the summer or shorts in the winter for boys? How’s that conducive to anything? ( and before you tell me your school does not require those - there are plenty of state schools that do.)

Uniforms should be child centred, facilitating movement and encouraging explorative learning. Something that’s weather adaptable, non gender prescriptive and easy to wash and dry.

It all a bit victorian to me

Yanbu

I hate uniforms. They are the worst thing ever for kids who have skin conditions. They look terrible on everyone because the cut and proportions are designed by people who have probably never even met a child.

The answer to kids apparently worrying so much about what they wear is not to start worrying so much about what they wear... uniforms cause nore problems than they solve.

Maybe once they were a good leveller but when a blazer is anywhere from 30 pounds upwards and a bloody skirt cost best part of 20 quid and even the pe t shirt is a over a tenner you cant seriously expect us to believe it's a leveller.

No one would actually give a crap what anyone wore once the novelty wore off.

And oh bow amazing not having to spend 50 quid on school shoes which are the least practical shoe ever cos god forbid you had something confortable like trainers or functional like walking boots or dms...

Pointless unnecessary and lining the pockets of all these suppliers to the horrific cost of parents.

Seneca - yes the whole blazer thing drives me mad, as do other rules which make children uncomfortable eg girls must wear thick tights even in winter, no shorts etc. As adults we wear clothing suitable for the weather and remove a jumper or jacket if we are hot, so why restrict children's ability to judge their own heat. If you are too hot or cold how can you possibly learn effectively?

Aniawl - also agree with you, most workplaces are much more casual than most schools now. Also I notice that schools and courtrooms are about the only places where people routinely use Mr / Mrs / Miss to talk to colleagues. In almost every other workplace everyone uses first name terms.

It should be possible to teach respect and abiding by sensible rules in a way that reflects the way adults live their lives rather than by a load of arbitrary nonsense.

The whole concept of school uniforms harks back to an authoritarian past when children’s thoughts and feelings were deemed unimportant and they just needed to be controlled by adults.

I totally agree. I come from a non-uniform country and find the obsession with it absolutely stupid.

1. very expensive. I do not pay £160+ for one set of clothing or even for a weeks worth of clothing if DD wouldn't have to wear uniform (secondary here).

1. It does not take the pressure of having the latest fashion away, it just moves it to mobiles, bags, purses, watches etc. And let's face it the children do meet each other wearing non-uniform clothing as well. We already had bullying due to smartphones in Y6.

1. Uncomfortable. Why do 11 year olds have to wear a skirt, shirt, blazer and jumper 7 hours a day? I work in finance, not even my male colleagues in this weather wear jackets and ties. Our secondary school said blazers can be left at home at the moment, at least something but not all are that nice, the boy school next door still insist on blazer and tie.

1. The school spend far too much time checking uniform and punishing children for ridiculous failures.

It's a shame some parents can't teach their children to express their individuality and personality through other things than clothing.

I hate uniform. Both as a child and now a parent. And why do people still say it prevents bullying? No it doesn't! I wore uniform and still got bullied over my cheap pencil case or hair cut or what ever the bullies wanted to pick on.
My mum couldn't afford new uniform every year so I often had ankle swingers until my sister out grew hers and I got a pair that fit in length but looked worn. I see this in school kids now too.

I'm not completely against it. I think black, gray, navy etc bottoms, plain white top and comfy shoes should be acceptable.

My eldest son finished now but when both dss at school per blazer was £30 and they have to buy pe kits with the logo. It's so expensive. Ds 2 had his kit stolen in year 7 the whole bags worth of 2 shorts t-shirt and 2 pair of socks cos school has different colour sock for rugby and other sport! Had to rebuy. Now to make it even harder- few years ago they change the supplier to online only so there was no trying it on before buying. Both my dss are not normal sizes so it's a nightmare measuring, receiving, not fitting......

What pissed me off today was taking my son into school as he'd bunked off due to bullies. Whilst in the room talking to the teacher she pointed out that he was in trainers and insist she will find a pair of shoes to borrow for him. His face of disgust! whilst Ds is roasting in his blazer and button up to neck shirt and tie. The dam teacher was fresh in her summer dress and sandals!!!! I'd like to see her face if I said you were a donated pair of shoes!

People talk as if uniform were supposed to prevent bullying of the poor by the rich, which it doesn’t. It also doesn’t prevent bullying of the rich by the poor.

Move to Shetland. No school uniforms there.

ikeepaforkinmypurse - how old are your children?

DD is nearly 11 and got a phone last Summer to be able to reach us when walking alone to/from school and also on the days she is at the riding stable/days out.

She was the only one in her yeargroup with an old fashion style phone. There were several who had no phone.

From Christmas onwards she was singled out, told she is silly and her parents are stupid for not giving her a smart phone. We tried everything to make sure that she could go into school with her head high and self esteem intact. It didn't work when in the end one of her best friends also got a smart phone.

In the end she got a sim card for DH's old iphone for Easter. She confessed that she didn't put her phone away (children with phones have to hand the in in the morning) but kept it in her bag, power off.

She is now the only one in her friendship group not allowed on What'sApp or Snapchat. Again, she is singled out. Her future secondary school tries their hardest to tell children that the age recommendation is not 11 but older. Nothing helps.

It is not about parents not being able to teach their children not to identify themselves with fashion/phones/accessories. It is unfortunately the parents who don't teach their children not to single the ones out who do not have desired items.

DH and I have to abandon our principles and allow DD to do things we actually disagree with. Just to avoid her being a pariah.

reluctantbrit
they are 15, 14, 6 and 4.

I’m so glad we have uniforms, less reasons for bullying and it's easier for parents

Myotherusername completely agree with you. It makes me feel really sad when I think about the nice clothes I could get my dcs if I didn't have to spend so much money every year on clothes the school tell them to wear. It's basically buying two lots of clothes every time they grow. So impractical.