To think school uniform is a bunch of crap?

[Ahurricaneofjacarandas]

So to be clear, I don't think the principle of uniform itself is crap. However why are we allowing our primary aged kids especially to spend the majority of their childhood in such restrictive clothing?! It's almost always restrictive trousers/dresses at least and some in my area even proper shirts and ties. We have evidence in the importance of learning by moving in this age group. Most kids this age have a degree of sensory processing immaturity. Many even have spd and this is arguably discriminating against these kids. I do understand the importance of uniform and learning to adhere to uniform standards but can anyone give me a reason why the uniform isn't just a simple pair of leggings/joggers and a tshirt and hoodie? Maybe I've overlooked something but it seems to me it's entirely for the benefit of the school and their pockets not the children.. why do we accept this?

DS had to wear a suit for 6th form; dd could wear anything. On balance anything was better but the girls were not at all competitive around clothes.

I used to think school uniforms were important, for the reasons others have raised e.g. prevent bullying over clothing and suchlike, but now I live in a country that has no school uniforms and I've not seen any issues like that in DD's 6 years at school. The children all dress sensibly, and weather appropriately, pretty much all of them wear joggers/trackies/leggings and t-shirts/long sleeve shirts and hoodies, and the right footwear for the weather (trainers in summer, wellies in spring and autumn, warm boots in winter). They go up to upper school when they're 13 so potentially it gets troublesome there but whenever I see the upper school children on their way to and from school they're dressed pretty similar to the primary school kids, just a bit more jean wearing. I have never seen a single girl wearing a skirt or dress to school except when they were doing an independence day ball theme just before independence day, and the children all dressed in formal wear, so I find it especially odd the insistence in UK primary schools that little girls wear skirts and dresses, its really not the best clothing for playing in.

But even if you had plain joggers, t-shirts, trainers as a uniform you would still have those in M&S joggers that are new every term and those in Primark ones that have been handed down from older siblings and now falling apart or completely washed out.

You’ll never avoid the rich/poor divide with uniforms unless the school provides the clothes to everyone and bulk-buys hundreds of items from the same supplier.

All of the primary schools in my area have simplified uniform to jogging bottoms, a plain white polo shirt and a sweater with the school crest. This is for both boys and girls. Excellent uniform and when they do PE all they do is pull on shorts and pull off their jumper. Done. Very loose and easy to move in for little ones.

At secondary school, I am firmly in favour of uniforms. Working in education non-uniform days are the bane of my existence (at least 3 a year where kids pay a £1 and it goes to charity). Kids are so brand conscious. It turns into a fashion parade and inevitably some little snotty brat picks on a kid who's family couldn't afford the right brand of traniers, jeans, sports tops etc etc. I despise how non-uniform heightens the class distinction and incites bullying.

Saying this I think that the current secondary school uniforms are ridiculous. Blazers are just pointless. I worked in two schools where the kids only wore them to and from school...so parents payed £55 to £100+ for a blazer they only wore into the building, lived in their lockers and then got worn home again. When they are worn the pockets get ripped off easily and the pockets become odd hybrids of pencilcases and food cupboards.

The gender nonsence of making girls wear skirts and the time teachers have to waste as moral idiots enforcing arbitrary skirt lengths enrages me. Always some SLT idiot pushing me to bully the girls about their skirt lengths which is awkward and just ridiculous. Uniforms should be black or navy, and shirts white so that they can be bought from any generic shop allowing for cost effective purchasing. Boot or straight leg plain trousers(we have to be specific otherwise you get kids in trousers that look painted on, or have glitter etc on them)a white dress shirt, clip on tie and a jumper. The tie and the jumper with a badge should be the only two items that need to be bought somewhere specific. Job done.

The underhanded deals that schools have with local maufacturers and shops also bugs me. Currently, I work in a school where the uniform can only be bought from two shops and is a colour (a unique green with orange details) that can only be bought there. Skirts, trousers, shirts, socks, tights etc. are all such a unique colour that they have to be bought in this one place. The school gets a cut of all unifrom sales for their cosy little exclusive deal which makes the average unifrom cost the guts of £400. Daylight robbery. Sadly, with school budgets under such pressure and schools in increasing debt I see more and more schools altering their uniforms so that they are different enough they are able to create exclusive manufacturing and selling deals with local shops that nets them a hefty chunk of change that they can put towards the vast govt shortfall to buy resources.

Everyone wearing trousers removes the need for the debate of skirt lengths/socks/tights etc. Staying black or navy for trousers and white for shirt makes it purchasable just about anywhere, from a supermarket bargain rail to a high end department store. This gives parents choice.

The reason I am not in favour of 'iron on' badges is because while this can democratise jumper purchasing I have seen some seriously dodgey attempts at ironing them on. Crooked, wrong side, etc etc. This leads to teasing between kids and in the worst case I saw one school where a trend of kids competing to rip the badges off each other started.

I think school uniform is a good thing but only if it is simple and cost-effective - maybe a polo shirt or jumper with a logo, and then standard trousers/skirts/shirts/blouses available from anywhere.

My main issues with school uniform are:

(a) the cost of certain items; and

(b) the disproportionate time spent policing what kids wear rather than concentrating on teaching and learning.

if a uniform is cheap and simple, it will be largely be complied with.

The government has issued compulsory guidance for school uniforms (in England) to make them affordable.

Press release from 19/11/2021 : www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-to-drive-down-cost-of-school-uniform-for-families

Some key points:
"Schools are expected to have taken steps to adhere to the new guidance before parents buy uniform for the academic year beginning in September 2022."
"Schools should keep branded items to a minimum and limit their use to low cost or long-lasting items. The term ‘branded item’ is not just an item with a logo. It is used to describe an item of clothing with distinctive characteristics which make it unique to the school or trust. As a general rule, if an item cannot be purchased at a range of retailers it is likely to be a branded item."
"Schools should avoid frequent changes to uniform specifications."
"Schools should ensure that arrangements are in place so that second-hand school uniforms are available for parents to acquire."

Parents should make themselves aware of the guidance and make sure their schools will comply from September.

I don’t like uniform but the idea that a dress code would solve problems as suggested upthread is rubbish in secondary.
The problems would be different but unless we really say that kids can wear whatever they like, there would still be issues.

I agree that shirt and tie is over the top for primary and secondary aged children.
I am delighted my children have a school uniform. They all look the same at school, there is one large investment for the set up and then you just keep adding larger sizes.

When I was growing up we didn’t have school uniform and it was a massive pain in the ass as the children divided themselves into ones who had names brand clothing or clothes in a certain style and those who didn’t. It was very unpleasant.

Mine attended a very leafy cofe primary and then very sought after London Day Schools. I found no correlation between money and lots of new clothes. In fact quite the reverse. The better off families had no compunction about passing around and older siblings outgrown stuff within or without the family.

YANBU. There is an argument to be made in favour of uniform (although personally I disagree with that argument) but there is NO justification for continuing to dress our children up like little Victorians while the rest of the world has moved on.

Some state schools ban children from covering their legs even in winter: boys must be in shorts year round and girls are forbidden trousers. What’s that about then?

Most uniforms are chosen by headteachers who have very narrow and prejudiced ideas about what looks ‘smart’ and who care nothing about the cost to parents or environment. In reception DC had to wear a polo shirt. In year one the shirt still fitted them fine but it was now a forbidden item and they had to wear adult buttones shirts despite being too young to manage buttons.

Our old school has a compulsory PE uniform plus a compulsory mongrammed PE kit bag. But the PE kit does not fit into the bag and they have to carry some in their hands while being told off for that. This crap is not good for children’s mental health.

Uniforms should be:

• cotton black jogging bottoms / shorts in summer


• cotton hoodie in a single school colour (red, blue, whatever)


• white tshirt


• trainers

Simple. And for primary age Pe they can just wear the same stuff with no need to waste class time and stress kids with getting changed.

Every parent I know wants this. So why can’t it happen?!

I agree to some extent, although my son's secondary head had rather outdated ideas about what shoes were acceptable (can't see what's wrong with black trainers myself). But some schools have ridiculous policies insisting on extensive blazers and skirts of a particular length and often the uniform policies are sexist (only boys have to wear ties, for example - why does anyone have to wear one). Academies tend to have the strictest and most ridiculous policies and then put kids into isolation if their parents can't afford the specified items. Utter nonsense and goodness knows why it's even allowed.

Totally agree OP. I could rant about this for hours.

My daughter starts reception this year, doesnt like dresses or skirts and will have to wear either those or tailored trousers. She's 4! I've asked the school if she can wear leggings / jogging bottoms. I dont want her to feel pushed into wearing a dress / skirt.

And why not trainers for goodness sake? I have a professional job and spend my days barefoot in leggings! It's 2022 FGS.

expensive blazers. not extensive.

As a child growing up I was glad of a school uniform however gross it was. As a child my parents didn't think clothes were important so I was clothed from jumble sales etc. Other kids still took the piss out of of the school uniform 'Oh Katherine, you still have the A line skirt? I have the latest one, it is straighter and much more fashionable'. It would have been worse with a 'guideline' for what to wear.

I was thinking about it few months ago, and it occurs to me every school holidays.

during half terms etc I often see children dress inadequately, looking scruffy but not due to cheap clothes but because they’re not clean,different shoes, hair that haven’t been brushed.

It makes me think that if it wasn’t for school uniforms, some parents would be unable to dress their children appropriately, and those children would certainly be judged by their peers.

as long as you see parents taking kids
our in their pj/dressing gowns, they’ll have to be some sort of uniform standards of how to dress your children.

Agree with your suggestion (and all your other comments) NeverReturnToAThread... but not sure you'll be back here to see this 😂 I think I'll email the school to ask them. Presumably it needs parents pushing for this for things to change.

The whole of the school system is so outdated, as is the uniform, but nothing will change because the minute they try it creates mass hysteria.

We should follow the rest of Europe and get rid of it. It causes issues for behaviour, SEND, etc. with many a pointless confrontation over skirt length, etc. Of course, some of these latter issues could still occur, but I do think we need to step into the 21st century and I'm a teacher myself. I have ASD dc and the uniform has been problematic at times for both of them. It's too hot in summer and impractical in winter, plus itchy seams and generally ill-fitting whether you buy items from marks and Spencer's or Lidl. I've tried both. The blazer is from the school outfitter and it is the biggest rip off imaginable. Rubbish quality but it costs £££££££!
My main concern about ditching school uniforms is that kids feel pressured into wearing the 'uniform' of their peers, e.g. expensive designer gear, though our blazer cost would cover a few designer t shirts!

@mumsys I think you must live in a parallel universe UK to pretty much everyone else. "Affordable" and "practical" Er...no. Those 50 quid blazers which are too hot to wear in summer (but pupils have too), not warm enough in winter (and too bulky to wear an actual coat over).
Kilt skirts that are £35 a skirt so you want to make it last but the style is short to start with so as soon as the wearer has a growth spurt then they are pretty much indecent.
"Options for summer". Primary schools maybe have those check dresses (my daughter's school didn't) but for many schools it's the blazer, jumper, tie combo whether it's heatwave July or blizzard snow January.
I am curious where you live !!

I'm in the top of Scotland where uniform is much more relaxed. Primary school uniform for my dc was a logoed sweatshirt, and you had the option of logo'd or plain polo shirt. Navy or black trousers. No restriction on shoes.

Secondary school was a plain or logo'd hoodie/T-shirt/polo shirt/cardigan. In school colours (grey white black). Also had option of shirt and tie (compulsory for elder years).

I love school uniforms. As a working mum, Monday morning there are 5 clean shirts, trousers, socks, sweaters, blazer. No thought, no fuss required. No agonising over brand, colour etc. 5 sec

I agree some uniform is too rigid and too expensive. However, it's a difficult one to win as I wouldn't be happy to dress my child in jogging bottoms except for sport. Leggings, if not see through may be just about okay, but I'd prefer just comfy versions of trousers/skirts/dresses. I think polo shirts are better than shirts and often don't need ironing etc if hung straight after washing.

5 seconds to dress and done. No bullying.
practical, and convenient. Works for us.

I think uniforms can be useful, but some uniforms could do with updating. Ties are old-fashioned and blazers don't add to learning. I notice now that some school uniforms can only be bought from one supplier and there are crests on everything. I wore a school uniform, we didn't wear blazers and it didn't stop anybody from being educated. The uniform should enhance and encourage education and serve a practical purpose.