Rigid school uniforms

[Waitrosedisaster]

I've just had the usual letter from my child's secondary school, where it outlines all the dos and don'ts surrounding school uniform for the next academic year.

Is anyone just absolutely sick of the outdated concept of strict uniforms? The nitty gritty details of 'only black or brown hair bobbles', 'no bows on socks', 'all clothes including p.e kit must have the school logo'. Why? Just why? My personal favourite this year is the following 'any piercing other than single lobe piercings will be removed immediately, regardless of when piercing was obtained'. Also, nail varnish and shellac will also be removed immediately? Wtf?

School uniforms (other than being used as a money making scheme) were originally used for purposes not to dissimilar from uniforms for prisons, or mental health units. They were used to strip away a person's individuality and make them more likely to conform and obey as they are effectively 'uniform'. It's such an outdated concept and I find it bizarre that schools are able to even dictate which (overpriced) shops the uniform must come from.

I hear arguments from teacher friends about how uniforms are better for low income families, but are they really? Unless the parents do not work, are they even able to claim money off uniforms?

Anyone else agree?

If a school wants a uniform, then they will want it to be, well, uniform. ie They want pupils in as near as practical identical looking clothes. That's the whole point. So the more variation they allow, the less uniform the uniform is.
Uniforms mean that pupils are more easily identifiable which helps for trips, but to some extent also for security.

I do think every effort should be made to keep the cost down though, no parent should have to be concerned about choosing a school based on cost of its uniform.

My dad is an exec in Silicon Valley. He (and everyone) wears jeans, tee shirts, and trainers to work. These rigid uniform policies have much more to do with the British obsession with traditionalism and much less to do with preparing for the modern workplace.

It doesn’t stop distractions. Ime as a secondary teacher of 25 years, they just constantly find new ways to break the uniform code.

It doesn’t set boundaries, it just causes more reasons for non compliance.

I long for the days where you purchase Iron on patches from the school, to whack on uniform bought from a supermarket

@Workingmum34

So sick of the “it doesn’t stop them from learning” comment - pretty sure wearing a swimming costume to a swimming pool does suddenly mean you can swim!

It stops distractions, it teaches them boundaries and it does mean that it does not matter how much money your family has you all are the same.

Jogging bottoms (plain ones like they wear for PE) rather than smart trousers would be more comfortable and warmer in the winter. Black trainers rather than black school shoes. Polo shirts rather than shirt and tie for the schools that still have those for primary. These would still fulfill the objectives of your second paragraph.

It stops distractions, it teaches them boundaries

How do mainland Europe cope?!

It stops distractions

Really?! Not that I've noticed in 25 years' teaching!

@GreenLakes

In exceptionally wet or snowy conditions, the DCs’ school can give permission for boots to be worn to and from school, as long as they are replaced by school shoes upon arrival.

Unless DC are commuting via Everest I don’t see why boots are necessary otherwise.

Because a rule that says you have to change from practical footwear to impractical footwere for no justifiable reason is fucking stupid?

@kowari

The ‘uniform’ you describe sounds more suitable for working in sports direct than a professional environment such as a school.

A smart uniform helps inculcate a culture of aspiration and hard work.

[quote GreenLakes]@kowari

The ‘uniform’ you describe sounds more suitable for working in sports direct than a professional environment such as a school.

A smart uniform helps inculcate a culture of aspiration and hard work.[/quote]
Bollocks.

What about all these managers, vets, football coaches, sports teachers, professors, lecturers etc. who wear trainers? Are they all lazy fuckers who should be working in Sports Direct?

Your snobbery is showing

@inmyslippers

I long for the days where you purchase Iron on patches from the school, to whack on uniform bought from a supermarket

This is the way it should be allowing people to shop around rather than being tied into the schools supplier.

The (private) nursery my DS attends has a uniform for it's pre-school year, which would be fine as it gets them used to the idea of wearing a specific set of clothes but the problem is, is that it's all branded, single-supplier stuff. So, for a single polo shirt with a tiny logo on it which spends most of it's time under a jumper it's £12 each rather than a pack of 5 from a supermarket.

And before anyone says that well, it's a private nursery many of the kids are there due to funded places so they aren't massively well off. £60 vs £12 is a massive difference for some people, and then you have jumpers/nursery hats etc on top of that as well.

My personal favourite this year is the following 'any piercing other than single lobe piercings will be removed immediately, regardless of when piercing was obtained'. Also, nail varnish and shellac will also be removed immediately? Wtf?

WTF? Your kid needs 'shellac' nails to go to school. And more than one pair of earrings?

Your indignation would have a bit more weight if it looked like you actually gave a shit about their education rather than how 'Love Island' they could look.

[quote GreenLakes]@kowari

The ‘uniform’ you describe sounds more suitable for working in sports direct than a professional environment such as a school.

A smart uniform helps inculcate a culture of aspiration and hard work.[/quote]
I'm a professional.

I wear jeans, a t-shirt and trainers at work.

The idea that the clothes you wear makes any difference to how good you are at your job belongs in about 1980.

@GreenLakes
Or in any sporting environment? Which is what it is. Primary aged children are active, they run and play, sit and move around on the floor for activities. They are not office workers.

*The ‘uniform’ you describe sounds more suitable for working in sports direct than a professional environment such as a school.

A smart uniform helps inculcate a culture of aspiration and hard work.*

What utter shite. This is why we have this stupid uniform culture in the U.K. As a teacher l often see the following pattern:

The worse the school the tougher the stupid pointless uniform rules.
The better the school the more relaxed the uniform rules.

Which puts paid to the theory of a culture of aspiration and hard work! What a joke!

25 years a secondary school teacher.

Where is the evidence that a smart uniform leads to a culture of aspiration and hard work?
DT’s school must have lost that memo - no school uniform but DT’s achieved all A’s and both got 1st from RG Unis. Standard drezx was jeans, T-shirt and hoodie with trainers. The majority of their friends went to high achieving Unis across the world.

DH is a doctor- he went to work last week in cargo shorts , T-shirt and trainers. It didn’t seem to impact onto his usual high standards of work.

20 years a secondary teacher in areas of really high deprivation plus personal experience of being skint as a kid.

Non uniform days result in kids not coming in because they don’t want to stand out as they don’t have the right pair of trainers / top / jeans etc. I remember hating them.

Uniform regulations are on pretty much every school website. If you don’t agree with them, don’t send your child there - simple. Sending your child to the school and then arguing them helps no one.

Uniform regulations are on pretty much every school website. If you don’t agree with them, don’t send your child there

You do realise not many people have a choice over where to send their children, don't you? In many rural areas, you go to the village primary and the secondary in the nearest "big town". You simply don't have a choice unless you can afford private education.

They are not levelling if it costs £400 per child to buy uniform which is against the DfE guidance.

@warmfluffytowels

Uniform regulations are on pretty much every school website. If you don’t agree with them, don’t send your child there

You do realise not many people have a choice over where to send their children, don't you? In many rural areas, you go to the village primary and the secondary in the nearest "big town". You simply don't have a choice unless you can afford private education.

Or even when there are plenty of schools you often can't just choose because children who live closer have priority. So you may prefer school A with polo shirts but have to send your child to school B with white shirts and ties for four year olds.

We only have a choice of inner city comp or inner city church school because we go to church otherwise it would be no choice at all.

Or even when there are plenty of schools you often can't just choose because children who live closer have priority. So you may prefer school A with polo shirts but have to send your child to school B with white shirts and ties for four year olds.

Exactly. Must be nice to have all this luxury of choice

You can be smart in supermarket trousers, non logoed pe kit ( more smart as if it cheap you can afford a replacement)

@Workingmum34

20 years a secondary teacher in areas of really high deprivation plus personal experience of being skint as a kid.

Non uniform days result in kids not coming in because they don’t want to stand out as they don’t have the right pair of trainers / top / jeans etc. I remember hating them.

Uniform regulations are on pretty much every school website. If you don’t agree with them, don’t send your child there - simple. Sending your child to the school and then arguing them helps no one.

Uniform regulations are on pretty much every school website. If you don’t agree with them, don’t send your child there - simple. Sending your child to the school and then arguing them helps no one.

Are you sure you are a teacher - you seem to have lost the ability to reason. What a stupid comment.

Choice is for those who can afford to move or in our area, those who live in suburbs get a choice as there are not many schools in the middle of cities/towns