To hope schools scrap uniforms

[greengoldfish]

It can’t surely be possible to wash blazers and heavy kilt like skirts on a daily basis.

AIBU to hope this means an end to uniform, or if not, a return to some comfy jogging bottoms, polo shirts and cardis/jumpers?

It's ridiculous to make sweeping statements about uniform being a leveller/erasing bullying/raising behaviour when you can only talk about your own personal experiences surely (unless you can point me to the results of a comprehensive study carried out in the last decade).

I am truly against overly strict uniform policies and would never send my DC to a school that denied them education time because they didn't confirm to an arbitrary set of clothing rules.

Schools with a sensible and flexible approach to uniform, where smartness is aligned with comfort, are to be applauded, it is possible to achieve great things when not wearing a blazer .

I simply prefer my DC to not be required to wear a uniform and am lucky enough to live in an area where I had the choice to send them to a high school with no uniform (and no real rules around what to wear except no football colours/offensive slogans). The dc are happy with no uniform and, in my experience, do not have an "absolute nightmare choosing what to wear every day", they just wear their clothes which they have chosen to buy. As do their peers. It's a non issue - in my experience.

@heymammy

It's ridiculous to make sweeping statements about uniform being a leveller/erasing bullying/raising behaviour when you can only talk about your own personal experiences surely (unless you can point me to the results of a comprehensive study carried out in the last decade).

I am truly against overly strict uniform policies and would never send my DC to a school that denied them education time because they didn't confirm to an arbitrary set of clothing rules.

Schools with a sensible and flexible approach to uniform, where smartness is aligned with comfort, are to be applauded, it is possible to achieve great things when not wearing a blazer .

I simply prefer my DC to not be required to wear a uniform and am lucky enough to live in an area where I had the choice to send them to a high school with no uniform (and no real rules around what to wear except no football colours/offensive slogans). The dc are happy with no uniform and, in my experience, do not have an "absolute nightmare choosing what to wear every day", they just wear their clothes which they have chosen to buy. As do their peers. It's a non issue - in my experience.

I live in an area where all the HTs in the high schools formed a consortium and agreed to set the same uniform policy and one that's incredibly strict - kids get sent home if they don't comply. So effectively no choice. The HTs behave little mini dictators - if only they'd focused as much on providing a descent education for our kids during lockdown. Priorities all wrong!

I like my children wearing uniform because they look smart and everyone is the same

Yet they all want the must have bags, pencil cases and trainers for PE

It doesn’t level.

Smart dress isn’t a requirement for learning otherwise the uni students would be in black tie.

I'm not convinced comparing our experience at school 30-40 years ago compares easily to now. My kids shop in Primark/New Look/H&M - you can't tell they are wearing cheap jeans/clothes. Clothes are much more plentiful. Jeans and a t shirt/sweat shirt are pretty ubiquitous, everyone owns them.

@UserErrorMessage

I agree. With most of thehigh street shops, Facebook communities and marketplace, and EBay it is easy to get new and gently used clothes for very little.

that’s a very effective way of excluding kids who can’t afford to dress in a suit every day - it’s not a equaliser!

Primark and Asda sell suits, they cost no more than non formal clothing.

@Alsohuman

that’s a very effective way of excluding kids who can’t afford to dress in a suit every day - it’s not a equaliser!

Primark and Asda sell suits, they cost no more than non formal clothing.

Brilliant - please link suits for women! Because I can't see any!

@Alsohuman

that’s a very effective way of excluding kids who can’t afford to dress in a suit every day - it’s not a equaliser!

Primark and Asda sell suits, they cost no more than non formal clothing.

And even for my ds with a 28in waist, you know skinny, tall teeenager - Asda isn't going to work for him either. If only it were that simple!

Brilliant - please link suits for women! Because I can't see any!

That’ll be because they’re sold as two separate items.

@Alsohuman

Brilliant - please link suits for women! Because I can't see any!

That’ll be because they’re sold as two separate items.

Nothing suitable in separates either - there are rules for the skirt - nothing knitted, denim or jersey, nothing short...and when I eliminate those - there is nothing in a size 8. That would be a no from Asda. Thanks for trying though! 😁 Finding a suit that meets their requirements is hard enough - apply a tight budget and it's close to impossible.

It's the last thing I think should happen. My school scrapped uniform and I was given my mother's hand-me-downs to wear at school which is not what you want when you are trying to be a cool 14 year old. Wearing clothes belonging to a 1970s 50+ year old was not a good look.

A simplified uniform would be much better in my opinion. Like a standard primary school. Polo shirt and plain school trousers that you can get from supermarket then a logo jumper being the only logo item. Maybe could change that to plain supermarket available shirt and a cheap tie for secondary if they're desperate to be more pretend business like! Smart enough but comfortable and practical so they can concentrate on their learning. Also cheaper to be more inclusive. I really can't see the point of blazers and kilts etc. Just lots of money and inconvenience for no benefit I can see.

@phoenixearthworm

It's the last thing I think should happen. My school scrapped uniform and I was given my mother's hand-me-downs to wear at school which is not what you want when you are trying to be a cool 14 year old. Wearing clothes belonging to a 1970s 50+ year old was not a good look.

I think that is very unlikely to happen now.

"Smart" uniforms are horrible anyway. If the concern is fashion/bullying/cost/etc. then why not just have a school polo shirt and sweatshirt. Job done. Can be worn with any shorts/trousers/skirt.

@YoTeQuieroInfinito

"Smart" uniforms are horrible anyway. If the concern is fashion/bullying/cost/etc. then why not just have a school polo shirt and sweatshirt. Job done. Can be worn with any shorts/trousers/skirt.

Form over substance.

@usererrormessage it was unlikely then which is why I got bullied for it. I think it's actually more likely now as jeans and t-shirts can be handed down easily, at least it won't be polyester monstrosities.

[quote phoenixearthworm]@usererrormessage it was unlikely then which is why I got bullied for it. I think it's actually more likely now as jeans and t-shirts can be handed down easily, at least it won't be polyester monstrosities.[/quote]
I think it was normal in the 70s to wear hand me downs.

Mind you my dd wears my clothes - I could say steals my clothes, she wears a few of my jumpers, my coats and my shoes...so I think even the hand me downs might have changed.

I think anything other than poloshirt, sweatshirt and trousers/shorts is a distraction.

I'd like to see children going to school in comfortable clothes that they can move about in. I think primary should be track suits in winter and shorts and T-shirts in the summer, with no getting changed for PE. Children will be running about at playtime anyway, it has always seemed such a waste of time to get small children to do outfit changes in the school day.

High school, I understand the necessity of changing for sport, but ties, blazers and skirts should be scrapped.

I think it was normal in the 70s to wear hand me downs.

Yes from older siblings but not from parents.

Many other countries don't require their children to wear school uniform, I would very much like to see ours scrapped.

We live in a country where uniform is not worn. The requirements that clothes worn to school have to meet are extensive and children often take bags of spare clothes to school each day. No school uniform does not make it simple or cheap by any means. It’s not a ‘nightmare’ to choose clothes in a fashion sense, but in a ‘does this combination of clothes meet the requirements for this school day’ sense. The school expect them to have suitable clothes for any weather/activity at any point. In the UK they seem to make do with what the kids are wearing as it’s the uniform that’s been agreed, even if it means little children playing outside in winter in thin polyester trousers.

@phoenixearthworm

I think it was normal in the 70s to wear hand me downs.

Yes from older siblings but not from parents.

Sounds awful - but is it the right approach to make all kids wear uniform because 1 child in a thousand has parents who behave very oddly?

I definitely don't want uniforms scrapped, since lockdown our school has allowed non uniform and I've had to buy so many more clothes, also it feels like I'm running a laundrette.

Uniform is so much better, no stress, no sulking, definitely much easier for me.

My girls are primary though so can't speak for secondary.

For secondary they require 5 shirts each 2 pleated skirts or trousers

These all need ironing weekly - that’s 2 hours of my life every week

I’ve not done any ironing since lockdown!

Plus the endless supply of tights.