Secondary school uniform

[Bumbelinadance]

AIBU to say I just kind of feel the focus should be on educating children not their appearance . Ds just started secondary school Who decided a fully buttoned up to the top button shirt and tie was required
...? He hates how that feels all day. Restricting !
He is in a regular state school , yet his uniform was so expensive my parents Kindly stepped in

Surely it up up to the children to decide what path they go down as adults surely ?They can suit it and boot it if they choose to go into a profession where a certain dress code is required .
Comfortable trousers or joggers / skirts if preferred at a reasonable price and a school logo jumper might shift the focus from appearance to learning

I am all for a ban on designer logos and trainers to avoid a haves / have nots scenario
But I really dont get the English uniform obsession

Also I feel hugely amazed by our teachers and support them fully , feel the profession like most of our key workers ( ambulance drivers, nurses , police etc) is underpaid and under appreciated
But I don’t think their job should be to enforce a terribly old fashioned view that an 11 year old should wear a blazer. I also feel very strongly my child should be allowed to express himself as he wishes with his hairstyle and dress PROVIDED HE REMAINS POLITE AND RESPECTFUL TO HIS TEACHERS / ADULTS and meets the schools expectations with academic effort and behaviour
If he wants tramlines in his hair how does that affect whether he gets an a or a d grade ..?

They are there to learn
Achieve their potential
Be told they can be an astronaught if they work hard enough
Not told their appearance defines them

It isn’t really accepted in the workplace so why is it happening in our schools ...?

Myfrei Ds in the USA send their kids to school in clothes they are comfortable in ,so they can focus on learning

"People move into a very expensive area to be in catchment for it"

Most people are talking about the average state school, not one for the very wealthy privileged families who can afford the latest designer clothes, bags, therapy, support, activities etc.

I doubt you get very few of the type of children for whom a uniform is a godsend.

Ha, that doesn't happen.
It's mainly skinnies and tshirts/hoodies as I said up thread.
Dd doesn't have any of the things you mention, the most expensive things she has are DMs/Converse and they were either presents or she bought herself.
She gets her everyday clothing from Primark, as do her friends.

A colleague at work confided in me that he doesn't know how to dress and that when he goes to buy work clothes he tends to buy a replica of his old school uniform. In the workplace he struggles when there is an expectation to dress down or dress more informally.

As others have said there is no evidence to link uniform wearing with academic success. My kids don't complain as they are rules bound but my wallet complains.

@timeisslippingaway I haven't insulted anyone's children. I think you might be a bit too invested in this thread maybe?

I won't bite my fingers as you suggest as this is a public forum and everyone is entitled to post what they want.

IHaveBrilloHair, your missing the point. Children from wealthy families grow up with all the privileges that make them well adjusted teenagers. Teenagers like that react in a very civilised way with such freedoms of rules a no uniform school provide.

Unfortunately 'normal' schools aren't filled with as many well adjusted teenagers. So a strict uniformity is needed.

My Ds goes to a none uniform school.
He is no more incapable of wearing a suit than those in the blazers up the road.

He will not work harder because he is in a uniform.

I also do not get the argument that it is about preparation for a job . I doubt my year 7 who runs around at break will do so when he gets a job but I would rather at this age he would run around ready to sit down.

He has only been there a week and has not made a single comment about what anyone else is wearing.

Actually it has a very mixed intake, it just happens to be in a wealthy, but quite bohemian area.
The kids aren't necessarily privileged, mine certainly isn't.
I still don't think uniform is needed, and it would certainly have taken the pressure off me when I had very little when Dd was small and her then had a uniform.

I'd hate to have to decide what to wear every day.

Wow. Does that cosmic level of indecisiveness apply to your work too? And if it doesn't, why not? Because deciding what to wear isn't rocket science. My 17yo who goes to a non-uniform 6th form manages it every single day.

Eliza the smartness or non-smartness of polo shirts is a matter of opinion. Yours is no more valid than anyone else's.

@Eliza9917

You insulted me by specifically telling me my children don't look smart and I am deluded to think they do. Your superior attitude says everything about you. Not too invested in this thread, perhaps just pissed at you. Wind your neck in.

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The first 11 employees of Microsoft.

Not everyone one has a choice of schools,we have one input catchment one primary and one secondary in our area.The next nearest secondary is in a different county and 22 miles away.No public transport.
The School has another new Head so wasn't allowed to change much as new uniforms were all changed 2 tears ago but the girls do now have to have logo leggings for sport.My DD reports that on the first day back they did running but half the girls walked as the leggings kept falling down.
As to not going to the toilet in primary school in lessons,yes it is an issue but teachers usually know which kids need to go.I also found one my DD started periods I had to send a note each month as she got caught early on not being allowed to leave and not liking to say in front of the whole class.In year 6 starting and dealing with unpredictable periods is a big thing.
I expect perimenopausal teachers may need at times to make a quick exit occasionally so as not to traumatise young children.
I'm another who wears a uniform to work(supplied) but is is not restricting in anyway.I also can't think of any jobs where women wear ties so not sure what that is about.
My DD quite likes wearing uniform(I just grit my teeth when new stuff demanded by school and am thankful that she seems to have stopped growing.
Looking forward to next year and uniform free 6th form college.

Actually it has a very mixed intake, it just happens to be in a wealthy
I am pretty sure that a 'mixed' intake in a wealthy area is very very different from a 'mixed' intake in a disadvantaged area. People do like to be blind to their privilege.

I went to school in a country without school,uniform - wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. The bullying, name calling and shaming is incredible. There is a uniform, it’s just not official and consists of £150 trainers, £100 jeans, ..... if your parents can’t pay several of these (and of course new sets 4 times a year), you will suffer. Badly.
I love school uniform for my kids.

I went to school in a country without school,uniform - wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. The bullying, name calling and shaming is incredible

That is a complete failure of the school to tackle bullying. Nothing to do with uniform. My school did not tolerate that kind of behaviour.

We had some people who were complete fashion victims and followed every expensive trend. They were not generally admired - quite the reverse.

@timeisslippingaway I don't think polos look smart; they are t-shirts. A proper shirt, tie & blazer does. That's a fact.

I don't need to wind my neck in, I think you might need to look at why you are so annoyed about what people on the internet think though.

So what is the problem if children like wearing uniform and know they are to use the loo at break as a whole.

beksyt my daughter started her period end of year 5 and was already developing boobs, this is hard enough for young girls never mind the added stress of dealing with a teacher saying she cant go.
Those teachers had an air raid bashing of me and never tried to stop any of mine again. Furthermore i told all mine if they were told no and they really needed it, then they went anyway as they can not physically stop them, my son told his teacher he would go pee in the corner of the classroom, funnily enough they let him go.

Because beksyt i have no problem with a uniform..i have an issue with how silly they have become with it.
Also i cant schedule my bodies wanting of the toilet to a timetable..they may not need it in the break but half way through a 3hr lesson..they may need to go. Making a chikd wait an hr and a half for the loo is going to disrupt their learning as i know i couldn't concentrate if i needed to go.

A note from mum about periods and fine I will let them go.

Funnily enough children who say they can't wait when I say no always do.

3 hr lesson?

Walkingdeadfangirl (so is Dd btw)
I'm a single parent on benefits, no privilege here at all.

My dd started a new school on Weds.
First time with collar and tie and new clarks leather shoes (they'd changed the design fractionally from last year and she couldn't cope).
She is being assessed for ASD (sibling is ASD).
School said they'd 'phone home' lunchtime fist day to let me know how she was doing. I got the call at 2.30: 'she is fine, her shoes are not' She was wearing the lightweight black shoes she'd worn summer term at her previous school.

Focus in the wrong place there methinks...

@Eliza9917

No you do need to wind your neck in.
They are t-shirts with collars which can look smart no matter what some upity arse on the internet thinks.

Uniform just means all the same doesn’t it?

I think school uniform is a very good idea for many reasons, most of which have been mentioned.
Shirt & tie, blazer, polo shirt etc does it matter?
Anyone looked at the Eton uniform lately? 😂