To think we should do away with girls/ boys uniforms?

[MerryMarigold]

Can't we just have a gender neutral uniform? Trousers, jumper, shirt, maybe tie
My daughter literally NEVER wears skirts outside of school but obviously ALL the girls wear skirts to school even though trousers are permitted.

A. It would help those struggling with what they identify as wouldn't need to make any massive statements via uniform.

B. The cost of girls uniform (usually) is ridiculous and much higher than boys. My daughter's school has a specific skirt and specific blouse (skirt is 30.00 alone!) where whereas boys have generic grey trousers and generic white shirts.

It seems schools have bought into/ contribute to/ emphasise this very distinct boys/ girls gendered clothing. I hate it!

The time that is wasted policing uniform in school could be put to a better purpose, kids form their own uniform, usually jeans, trainers & hoodie. My school never had a uniform but the majority wore jeans, trainers & sweatshirts.

Completely agree. Tackling the issue of too short skirts wastes an inordinate amount of my work day.

I agree with getting rid of sexed uniforms, but not with getting rid of just the feminine options if uniforms are to be kept. My DDs' school uniform policy is presented as unisex - there is nothing that only one sex or the other has to aware, are allowed to wear or are banned from wearing. Skirts are still an option.

When they once tried to bring in sexed uniforms just for PE, with girls in leggings and boys in joggers, there was a significant backlash and within hours, all the options of shorts, joggers, or leggings open to everyone. As long as they're the right colour with no logos unless wearing the school ones, it fits the dress code.

My DDs' nearly always wear skirts and they do always wear joggers for PE. I like that this range is available for them as they see fit. At home, they often wear dresses with trousers - kids are all different.

Having been the A child with all the identity issues, reducing the options wouldn't have helped. Having the important things as sexed but everything else be an option and exploring masculine and feminine has been important for me. I really don't like kids like I was being used for this sort of thing as there is a wide range of experiences that can't really be appropriately used for this argument.

That uniform cost is an issue to bring up to the school, but it isn't universal - my DDs' skirts are less than half that cost and very comparable to buying trousers for their older brother who has never attended a uniform school, but most of his trousers are a similar type of grey formal wear.

To those of you saying you'd rather get rid of uniforms, I'm not sure you know what you would be faced with instead! I grew up in a country with no school uniforms and I still have loads of friends there with school aged children.

- it takes a lot of time to get them dressed in the morning, endless debates etc etc
IME this happens regardless. One of mine used to have huge tantrums in reception because he didn't want to wear uniform.
- they want to fit in with their chosen crowd so you end up having to debate their sartorial choices also
This also seems to happen regardless, they want to tie their tie a certain way, shorten the skirt, have the polo with the frilly bit, wear skinny trousers...
-you would end up spending significantly more money compared to the cost of most uniforms. They want brand name things and also request a variety of choice etc etc
I'm not sure about this, I don't buy mine more clothes in summer when they're not wearing uniform. They'd get more wear out of non uniform clothes if they could wear them to school.
- another thing to get bullied for
Maybe, although isn't it best to work on stopping bullying.
- more valuable items get stolen
My children's logo items and required footwear are among the more valuable (in cost) items in their wardrobes and we've had them stolen!

I agree, trousers for everyone would sort a lot of issues imo (and I am someone who no longer wears trousers)

Yes, let's change every school uniform in the uk because your daughter doesn't like wearing skirts.

Any books she'd like banned while we are at it? I don't particularly like cats so we could get rid of them.

If you look at teens outside school they are all dressed in joggers/leggings/hoodies/trainers

They set their own uniform outside of school!

I agree that uniforms should be gender neutral but that a skirt should be one of the options for either sex.

I find it very difficult to wear trousers. I have the odd pair that does not rub me in the nether regions, I find when I wear skirts I don't suffer from thrush as much.

I don't think the issue is the uniform itself, but the price differences. Items that everyone is required to wear (shirts, jumpers, trousers etc) shouldn't cost more for girls than boys. To avoid price differences they should be generic for both boys and girls.

Yabu your logic removes choice. Which is kind of why uniform options exist. To give choice.

Meh, I liked school uniform as we didn't have much money growing up and I wouldn't have been able to keep up with having a new outfit everyday, or the brands to be seen in- sounds petty now but at the time it's a big deal, and kids can be cruel enough anyway.

I don't see the issue as it currently is, anyone can wear trousers if they want to.

My DD school has a gender neutral uniform. What actually happens is that the girls compete with each other to have the tightest and shortest trousers. Teachers spend lessons checking trouser length and tightness and sending kids to isolation but my DD is more scared of the judgment from other girls for having not tight enough trousers than being in trouble.

Focus then also falls on bags. Practical back packs get laughed at and hand bags must be whatever the popular girls have decided is "in" this week. Drives me up the wall!

Then it's bloody hair and make up.

I've just transferred DD to a new school. Long pleated skirt or trousers and blazer. No make up permitted and hair must be tied back. Hopefully thus will stop some of the nonsense but I'm sure some other issue will pop up.

I think school uniform for primary should be as simple as...

X colour trousers - joggers, leggings, trousers, shorts. (No denim, overly tight fits, low cut, XL wide flares) OR X colour skirt with plain socks or tights. You don't need to say boys or girls for either.

Y colour polo shirt, long or short sleeve.

Z colour jumper, school sweatshirt, cardigan or generic knit.

Black shoes- closed top, flexible sole, trainer style preferred. No flats, Mary Janes or slick soles.

Reasons:

1. They're 4-5 when this bullshit begins. Its entirely unecessary.

1. We put our children (particularly girls) in unsuitable footwear that limits activity and then wonder why they're inactive.

1. Putting little kids who need to move around in formal wear is fucking stupid.

1. Louder for the people at the back: PUTTING LITTLE KIDS IN FORMAL WEAR IS FUCKING STUPID!

Put them in work wear suitable for the work at hand- flexible, active, comfortable, hard wearing.

There should be no restrictions on hair cuts as long as hair is tidy and well kept (ie. afro hair growing naturally is FINE, back combed 80s glam rock probably less practical). Hair is just hair, it doesn't fucking matter.

Why take away the choice? As long as boys and girls have the same options why do you want to take away skirts?

Really odd

Totally unreasonable! My daughter loves dresses and all things ‘girly’ and I think the winter pinafore dress is such a cute look.
Perhaps there should be a choice but stop with all the ‘gender neutral’ talk. As @StopGo says, it’s a default into everyone being male. Not everyone wants this and I’m certainly not enforcing it on my daughter who loves everything princess related, pink, girly and glittery.

I'm not fussed about skirts being an option, but having 'school uniform' as a category when buying online would be much better. Splitting it into 'girls' and 'boys' is unnecessary, just have it all together. I end up buying boys trousers, PE kit and trainers for my daughter anyway.

Especially in primary girls should wear shorts and trousers so they can run and tumble and play like the boys and not learn to have to not be active to hide their knickers etc.
Like baby girls not crawling in their dress whereas boys can crawl in their onesie

YABU because there is no such thing as gender neutral clothing. Schools that have implemented so called “gender neutral uniforms” have basically mandated that boys and girls should wear boys uniforms. It defaults to the male gender and denies girls any way to express femininity.

My girls' school allows a uniform skirt, or trousers. One daughter hates skirts and the other hates trousers, so it works for us!

I grew up in another European country without uniform and the amount of bullying based on what kids were wearing was unreal. If you couldn’t afford the branded clothes, bullied. If you stood out in any way, bullied. I realise there’s always going to be an element of this anyway but to not have to worry about my kids being teased for their clothing is fab. I really like uniforms but agree the cost could be massively subsidised.

Take the gender labels off uniform. Let children choose from trousers/ shorts/ skirts/ pinafores.

Particularly at secondary, uniform has become ridiculous anyway. Logoed blazers and ties do not make people learn better and constant crackdowns on the tightness/ length of skirts or trousers or distinguishing on when a practical black pair of lace-ups wastes masses of school time, parents' money and goodwill. Then there's the difficulties created for children with sensory difficulties that can often end up excluding them from the education system when issues escalate.

Working in non-uniform secondaries was much better, everyone was comfortable, able to be themselves and very little time wasting.

Ah, 'abolish female clothing and make girls wear standard male clothing but not make boys wear female clothing and this we will label "gender neutral"'.

My DD's school, which is very conservative in many ways has a surprisingly inclusive uniform code. There's a list of clothing, which includes skirts but it's not sex specific. Haven't actually seen any boys wearing skirts though. But there's no rules saying they can't.

I wonder what a gender neutral uniform woukd look like. Im thinking leggins under a t shaped tunic just above the knee.

I find it funny that people are saying trousers and shorts are easier! My sons struggle with those horrible stiff buttons and hooks you get on trousers and shorts, and it’s not just mine as when I checked the reviews most parents were saying the same thing i’m glad my 4 year old daughter won’t have to try to manage them as my boys always say they are difficult to do up especially for a young child using the toilet, girls can wear tights under dresses or you can buy little shorts to go under if your worried about knickers on show