No uniforms and first names

[SailorStow]

My DD is only 2 but to get a head start we have been looking at schools locally.
One of our closest schools is massively over subscribed, the last distance offered has been as low as 300/400m and we fall within this.
It has a great local reputation, Ofsted good (assessed in 2022) and great KS1 and KS2 results (obviously these are a bit dated now).
Putting all of that aside, this school has no uniforms and the children call teachers by their first names.
I haven’t been able to find any reasoning from the school for these choices, it seems to have been that way for a while at this school.
I’ll be honest I was looking forward to DD having a uniform, picking clothes for myself everyday is exhausting enough!!
Excluding everything else about the school would no uniform and calling teachers by their first name be in the pros or cons list for you? How much would it bother you either way?

AIBU to view these as negatives in what otherwise seems to be a great school?

When I attended primary school the uniform was very much 'if you're bothered' I had a school jumper and a summer dress, just one of each no wearing them every day. Some wore pinafore dresses or school trousers. My second primary school ( we moved counties) was the same. Most did not. The buy ALL the uniform seems new for primary.

Our local school is like this and I like it. I think strict uniforms and calling people by the formal surnames pretty archaic

The lack of uniform was not really a choice. When I was a child very few primary schools had uniforms, so it is, in fact, a choice that other schools made to introduce them. So how long this school had no uniform was probably since it opened. Surely it can’t be that exhausting to dress your kids for school. It was a plus for me as I didn’t have to buy anything extra for a child that still had plenty that fitted.

OTOH, you didn’t address adults by their first name without putting auntie or uncle in front. So calling your teachers uncle Bob or auntie Pat would have been bizarre! These days everyone is on first terms so, although this is unusual, it wouldn’t have bothered me one way or the other.

Our secondary is a no uniform first names (apart from the head) school. I went there and so did my son. I like this approach and think some schools spend way to much time policing uniform when they coukd be doing something more useful. There is another school with a similar approach a few miles away so it is normal around here. The parents who have a problem with it pick a different school. The no uniform policy is revisited every few years but is popular so remains.

It's not a UK thing. School uniforms (blue)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_uniforms_by_country#/media/File:Use_of_School_Uniforms_by_Country.svg

Our favourite primary was a no uniform school. Far cheaper, far less stress, kids mainly wore jeans or leggings. Far more practical, no white shirts or daft ties, could wear boots in winter for example.

People who only have experience of uniform school tend to think it will be like non-uniform day, everyday, but it isn't.
Uniform is supposed to be a financial leveller, but we've always found it such a financial stress and you still need everyday clothes.

No real opinion on teachers names. They mainly seem to be homogenously sir or miss no name at all our schools.

My DS goes to a school with no uniform. I don't think it's a particular hassle once you get used to it - more a case of rotating pairs of chino/joggers/jeans and t-shirts and or sweatshirts. They're in primary school - it's not a fashion parade.

It has no effect on educational attainment. Most of continental Europe manages to educate their children without resorting to school uniforms. It's a peculiarity of the U.K.

Sounds amazing. No big outlay every summer buying uniform. No mad washing g rush at the weekend to have uniform done for Monday.
my DC school are on first name basis (outstanding school, 200 m catchment area).

I teach in a school like this and love it.

The students are from wealthy backgrounds (private school) but universally dress in joggers, leggings, hoodies etc - school certainly isn't treated as a fashion show! Staff also wear pretty casual clothing by and large so we're all on an equal footing - no suits and ties or office wear, because we're a community, not an institution.

Respect for staff from students is very good, as is behaviour. Having worked in state British schools where loads of teaching time is wasted on enforcing petty, minor infringements of uniform that are reflective of the despotic, almost military-style environments of many state Academies, I much prefer a non uniform school.

Teaching children to conform even when rules make no logical or practical sense is madness. We're not in the nineteenth century any more. I find it deeply troubling that so many schools still operate along the lines of producing robots designed to unquestionably know their place and blindly respect their elders and betters, and use petty and discriminatory rules to punish children for stepping out of arbitrary lines invariably drawn by white men around what is and isn't acceptable behaviour. Schools should be places where students are encouraged to question, to explore, and to create - you can't do that in an environment that is solely focused on conformity and hierarchy.

I’m Scandinavian and we don’t have uniforms and call our teachers by first names, I can’t see anything negative about it at all. My kids went to predominantly British schools and I hated the uniform for the majority of the year. It’s either way too hot in the summer or they are forced outside in unsuitable and too cold clothes in the winter. I would much prefer that they could wear weather appropriate clothes all year around.

I used to teach in Spain and DD attended primary school there, most kids don't wear uniforms unless they're in private and/or Catholic schools and all of the students referred to me by my first name or sometimes just "Profe" (teacher) from the little ones and I never noticed a lack of respect or it having an effect on behaviour.

The school I worked at had a uniform (polo shirt, jumper for winter, shorts/trousers or skort) and a PE top that had the school logo on but it was very much optional - some kids would wear uniform every day, some would wear uniform a couple of times a week, some would wear their PE top and jeans, others would wear uniform polo and trousers but their own hoodie etc and nobody noticed or cared because as long as you followed the dress code (which was essentially "no underwear, shoulders or navel on show") you could wear whatever you wanted so the children weren't constantly comparing clothes because it wasn't a big deal and they could dress for the weather - if it was 30°C then they could wear shorts and a vest top, if it was 3°C they could wear thick layers, the weren't expected to wear the same shirt/skirt/blazer regardless of the weather.

It also applied to teachers too so we could wear jeans, trainers and a t-shirt every day and be comfortable - as long as we were appropriately dressed with no short skirts/shorts or low cut tops or anything with inappropriate slogans on then you could dress for the weather and ensure you were comfortable all day.

I chose a school exactly like this for DC. I then gave them each a 'uniform' of comfortable cargo pants/utility trousers, warm sweatshirts, thick jeans etc and they had 'school clothes' so no fashion show or rows in the morning.
They did unbelievably well academically and socially.
I don't understand the British obsession with formality and uniforms at all!

A great school is where the kids are happy and safe.
Not saying an outstanding school isn't decent. But they'll be ticking all the right boxes and using all the right buzzwords in their paperwork.
I do tutoring for a few teens from a nearby outstanding school. They're fully aware that they're being taught to pass exams rather than being taught the subject.

We live in Scandinavia, we find non-uniform so much easier as we don’t have to make sure n shirts and cleaned and ironed by Monday etc, it also means no more expensive impractical leather formal shoes for small children. Calling all staff by their first names is also the norm. We wouldn’t be seeking a school ever again that had a uniform.

My Ds went to uniform primary- none uniform - first names secondary .

This is definitely more inclusive than uniform - they don’t struggle feelings uncomfortable .. my D’s has lots of sensory issues .

people tend to think of the long winded decisions on none uniform days .. it tends to be much more grab top of the pile in none uniform.

I can say in primary it was still clear the children in well worn uniform that has faded, repaired holes..

I don't think you are being unreasonable. I lived for years in a country where no uniforms and first names was the norm - even for the Headteacher, and it gave me the absolute ick.

The no uniform would be a slight negative for me. But not enough to put me off what sounds like a great school.

In my experience (teacher, parent, grandparent) Good is better. Too often Outsranding means outstanding at the paperwork and academies that fly extra staff in from schools in their group when Ofsted are in.

I am not in the UK.
I have never once worn a uniform to school. We had a bib in pre school, though, to wear over our regular clothes.
Pre school teachers and primary teachers were all address by first name.

Once out of primary school, youd address the teachers as... teacher! No names or surnames!

That would definitely not put me off any school!

I can say in primary it was still clear the children in well worn uniform that has faded, repaired holes..

Exactly this. This idea that uniform magically achieves socioeconomic equality is so short-sighted - kids can still tell who’s better off than whom, and the ones who are going to do the bullying will always find something to pick on another child for.

I find the message “you must look the same as everyone else if you don’t want to be picked on” kind of sad anyway - maybe we should invest more energy in teaching our kids not to judge by appearances than on encouraging them to fit in and look a certain way.

School uniforms were not the norm in state Primary schools in the UK until the 90s other than in some church schools.

Another Northern European joining the Scandinavians on here - no damage was done by my attending a first name, no uniform school. I picked my own clothes from about age 6-7. Jeans and t-shirts mostly (early 90s). It's nice to be able to dress appropriately for all weathers.

Definite pros. We didn’t have uniform when I was at primary and I wish my primary kids now could just wear a tracksuit if not full ‘mufti’. Just like with nursery I’d have designated ‘school clothes’ and the kids could pick from those each day, no extra work for the parent. Uniform trousers are soooo annoying, and don’t look comfy at all!

First names - no opinion really. I suppose nowadays in the real world things are much less formal. I rarely get called Mrs X. Just like how I hate secondaries make kids wear their blazers - completely unrealistic, I don’t know anyone who wears a suit to work!

I'm not fussed either way about calling teachers by their first names, but lack of uniform in a primary school would be a massive pro for me. DD's school didn't have a uniform when she started, and they introduced one when was in KS1, and it was such a pain.

She was used to wearing comfortable, practical, weather-appropriate clothes and getting full use out of them. Instead, she needed just as many non-uniform outfits because she still needed to wear clothes on weekends and school holidays, and to have outfits suitable for different types of weather, but had to buy additional clothes that were less sturdy and practical, easier for other children to take home by mistake, less suitable for weather variations, and much, much less comfortable. When uniform was introduced, accessories and non-uniform days became a big deal in a way that clothes, bags etc hadn't been before..

Absolutely!

My UK friends have admitted that they kids were still bullied over the shoes, bags and even haircuts! So clearly uniforms solve nothing.

I never had a uniform, and I went to a private catholic school, with some very rich kids... I wasnt rich... very much lower middle class, so "poor" when compared to most of the other people in the school!
I was never bullied about my clothes, which were 95% hand me downs!
Definitely no brands (at most, Id have somethings form Zara!), and again, it was never an issue!