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?

@PenguinRainbows I completely understand where you are coming from. It is very obvious that UK kids are so much less intelligent and able to learn that they need to spend 12 years in a restrictive and conformist environment in order to become good citizens. They must be taught hierarchies and obedience from birth, otherwise every single one of them will end up a member of the criminal fraternity, or if they are very lucky - gasp! - the lower classes. Kids in other countries where there is no uniform are clearly blessed with higher intelligence and much better parents, so they don't need these things.

Or you could just be wrong.

My sons school has no uniform and teachers are called by their first name. I wouldnt really use these aspect to measure whether a school was good or not.
I think the atmosphhere in classrooms, sen provision and progress are more important.

The idea of a uniform as a leveller only works for schools with a large catchment. When you have such a small catchment the kids are going to be from the same social economic group as they also live together.

Neither the uniforms or the first names would bother me OP. It sounds like a family school which so great especially in primary

I don't agree with calling a teacher by their first name, even though it can be difficult for a female teacher who may not wish to be called Miss (surname) or Mrs (surname).

Uniform or not, as long as the policy is clear and not one that leads to a double standard between boys and girls, I am OK about.

It truly is just your preference. You’re a bit early to do open days but you will be able to next year or so. Then you can get a real feel. There might be something you especially do (or don’t) like that surprises you. You really do have to visit.

Maybe focus on how and what they actually learn, extra curricular, pastoral and special needs support and if you like the staff and class set up. You need to see what would work for your daughter.

A school aged child can dress themselves - just provide a pile of supermarket leggings and t shirts. It's good for them to choose their own clothes. School uniform looks cute on little ones but on girls over about 9 it just seems to mean inappropriately short skirts that barely cover their pants.

First names are standard in the modern world, I wouldn't have an issue with that either.

I would have a visit, see if you like the head and the atmosphere, see what the vibe is. Get to know local parents and ask them about behaviour and bullying in the older classes. Find out about wraparound care if you need that.

I agree. I don’t always want an outstanding school tbh. They don’t get assessed as much. The outstanding one near me is ‘great’ but felt massive and wouldn’t suit my child at all.

Is it Fortismere?

It's a good school.

Please don't just look for outstanding. Ofsted are not a good judge of schools. You need to go and look at schools yourself, see if you agree with their ethos, their way of working, do you like how the children speak to each other ? Does the head know the names of the children as he walks around? What is the staff turnover like? What good is outstanding if it was a result of ignoring the arts or overworking the teachers so they've all left and you've got a new set.

I really enjoyed working in a non-uniform, first name school. It was more relaxed and easier to focus on teaching without distracting micromanagement of school uniform policy. The staff-pupil relationships were excellent.
Everyone just put clothes on in the morning according to comfort and weather.

Alas there are no options in our area for my DCs. DS1 has sensory issues and would find it far easier if he wasn't constantly being niggled by the discomfort of wearing polyester trousers, plastic in the collar of his shirt, a clip-on tie, and a polyester blazer so that he can aspire to look like a second hand car salesman.

@BogRollBOGOF I really enjoyed working in a non-uniform, first name school. It was more relaxed and easier to focus on teaching without distracting micromanagement of school uniform policy. The staff-pupil relationships were excellent.
Everyone just put clothes on in the morning according to comfort and weather.

I would love to work in a school like that! I’m genuinely convinced I’d do my job better if I could just wear whatever I liked…

I remember during Covid - when we had all
the windows open - it was 12 degrees in my classroom and SLT kept sending messages round saying on no account must we allow pupils to wear coats or hoodies or scarves or anything non-uniform in lessons. With everything else going on at that time, that was the thing they were most focused on 🙄

I agree. Some of things they focus on are so stupid

it was 12 degrees in my classroom and SLT kept sending messages round saying on no account must we allow pupils to wear coats or hoodies or scarves or anything non-uniform in lessons

I remember hearing stuff like this at the time. Absolutely batshit.

I wonder if what this poster means is that children in a school with no uniform will never learn to value the importance of rules for the sake of rules.

There seems to be a huge number of people who genuinely believe it’s really important that kids learn to obey rules completely regardless of what those rules are. You can see this whenever you read an article about a child being put in isolation for having bows on their socks and 90% of the comments on it say “good on the school, rules are rules!”. Some of them rant a bit further about how it’s no surprise society is falling apart when kids are going to school with hair 1mm too short and more than two earrings in, because as all teachers know, nothing causes more disruption to a class than a skirt with the wrong kind of pleats or a jumper that doesn’t have the right logo. How is anyone supposed to learn when there’s a child in the room without a blazer on?!

If a school only has rules that actually make a difference to the pupils’ learning, behaviour and wellbeing, then how can children possibly learn the value of blind, unquestioning obedience?

Wow. How were children supposed to learn if they were freezing cold?? I know I wouldn't have been able to bear it, all my energy would have gone to trying to stay warm, not trying to listen to the teacher or do work.

The polyester school uniforms are another reason I don't like uniforms - polyester feels absolutely horrid against the skin, much nicer to be wearing comfy cotton clothes.

My kid is has been in a uniform pre-k and getting him to wear the uniform is an everyday struggle(and he doesn’t; he wears the same colours but no logo and slightly different)! And he isn’t the only one- at least half the class every day shows up in at least one non uniform item- top and/or bottom. They also call the teacher miss/ Mr first name. I see no issue with that.

DD went to a primary with no uniform and first names used. It was a lovely school with a real community feel- despite being inner city London. There were no issues with respect that I saw, but then I'm not sure using surnames indicates respect particularly. Kids generally wore basic clothes of t shirt and leggings/ trackies/ shorts. It was a typical London school where some kids lived on council estates and some in million pound houses but there didn't seem to be an issue with different clothes causing bullying etc, in fact most kids wore H&M or primark. In some ways it was quite a traditional school but it did celebrate difference, everyone's culture and religion etc

No one in my home country wears school uniform and the kids are much less likely to judge their peers' income or be overly concerned about appearance and clothing than UK kids (my own kid grew up in England).
First names seem to bring respect and a feeling of community to a school- an outward symbol that we are all working together towards something important (education and a good society).

My children went to quite a few schools in the UK over the years (3 kids and several moves). Without a doubt, hands down, the best 2 schools we experienced were the two with no uniform and a first name policy.