Schools insistence on uniform rules are behind the times

[spanieleyes22]

I know I will be slated for saying this but just reading a thread from a poster who is disappointed that there is not a more formal dress code at work and so many people saying everyone is more casual in offices all over the place and suits are more worn by older people in the city. Yet schools seem to put so much faith in whether a boy keeps his shirt tucked in or how short a girls skirt is. God forbid they dye their hair or have more than 1 stud earring. Isn't it time for schools to loosen up wrt dress code? In the Scandinavian countries there is no uniform. Does this mean their teenagers are wild and don't learn anything. Why are we so hung up on not allowing teenagers to express themselves.

The argument that uniform being a leveller is bullshit- especially in secondary where everyone can see details like pics of your holidays, the size of your bedroom or what you wear out of school. Do kids in the UK become more obsessed with brands because of school uniform ?

I would like to see secondaries move towards having the same uniforms as primary - polo, trousers or skirt and sweatshirt is much more comfortable and probably miles easier to enforce than tie, blazer and shirt type uniforms.

You don’t hear about teens in the EU being wild because of a lack of uniform. 🤔

I completely agree. It would have been a total nightmare trying to keep up in the fashion stakes. With uniform, we didn't ever have to think about it. It was absolutely a great leveller and avoided poor kids being teased/bullied over having non-designer stuff. Plus it last for ages. I had two DDs (admittedly short-asses like their ma!) go 7 years at secondary with one blazer each.

It gives them a sense of identity with their school, and it is good for discipline. Definitely in the school uniform camp here!

It's really not. Children can keep those things private. They can't keep it private when they are head to toe in Primark and their mates are in designer!

Why would any child share the size of their bedroom? Seriously?!

I don't know about teens in the EU. I think uniform works for teens in the UK.

It doesn't have to come from a specific shop, however.

At my last permanent school, parents were advised to buy our basic black and white uniform from whichever store was most convenient to them.

Most of our parents bought their kids' school clothes from Asda's.

The school measured seniors for their blazers and bought them in bulk at a discounted price. If it was known that parents had difficulty, the school fund paid for the blazers.

No way, trainers are not supportive for growing feet!

That's the basic uniform in most high schools in my area.

A blazer is preferred for seniors, but not mandatory.

You can, and should, have both.

Trump was president and BoJo PM. The popular view is not always the correct one.

School uniforms at best enforce gender stereotypes (my daughter stopped wanting to wear trousers when she started school because she realised that 'girls didn't wear trousers') and at worst sexualise underage girls (we've all seen 'sexy schoolgirl' outfits). They are predominantly plastic so bad for the environment. It costs more money to send a child to school with a uniform than one without because you don't need to buy an additional set of clothes just for school. If a child gets their school shoes wet there isn't time to dry them for the next day, if there's no uniform then far more children would have the option of wearing another pair of shoes or trainers the next day. Or indeed wearing appropriate shoes on a wet or snowy day that won't get wet.

There is no evidence that uniform provides any benefits to either children or parents. And in schools with no uniform (I went to two) there is no competition about what to wear, that is purely an outcome of children having to wear uniform and having a single mufti day a year to express themselves. Just look at 6th form colleges and universities, teenagers dress very scruffily when given free choice, they don't go crazy for designer logos. I wore trainers, jeans and a sweatshirt throughout my entire school career, nobody was bullied for having the wrong clothes.

There is zero evidence for this, either in UK schools without uniform or other countries.

I never has a school uniform in my infants and primary school in my days but I guess no one did
Uniforms for our secondary school were expensive as schools were tied into a shop or two

Now days much better and from what I can see, all schools for all ages have school uniforms and its a good thing

Where our grand kids attend a primary school, they have uniforms and I hate the so-called free days etc where children pay school one pound each to wear non uniform

we are lucky as we were financially comfortable but I wonder what goes through some parents minds when these days crop up

The kids love it as they would ie the no uniform days

Unfirms for all age groups is the way forward

private school a few miles from us for 11/12 to 17 age group wear smart suits - its a boys school

I agree with OP. My daughter’s secondary made a big speech during the assembly about the importance of uniform in preparing young people for the world of work.
My immediate thought was no one dresses so formally anymore, why are we asking 12 year olds to dress smarter than adults do.
But the UK school system is outdated in general with some bankers rules re. attendance, fines for absence, uniforms, toilet use etc.

My school uniform was expensive, uncomfortable, and didn't work on many body shapes. The skirt (trousers weren't allowed for girls) was also fairly light coloured, and I had horrendously heavy periods as a teenager. It was awful. Plus all the weird rules about hair.

A local private primary school still had straw boaters as part of the summer uniform and flat caps for the boys and rounded hats for girls well into the noughts!

Fair enough, have a dress code (which caters to sensory, cultural, medical and body shape needs) but don't have ridiculously prescriptive uniforms! Even the "smart" uniforms look scruffy when they don't fit properly!

Trust me, there is nothing cheaper than a decent school uniform! Biggish initial outlay but the cost per wear must have been peanuts!

In your anecdotal experience.

I wear the same uniform as most of my class. The whole school wears it, from the head to the youngest child. Some children don’t wear it due to sensory or other need. We all wear a polo top, trackies/ shorts/ leggings and comfortable shoes (mainly sketchers or trainers). All wear navy jumpers/ cardies and staff wear fleeces. It tells the kids that we are “safe” adults, we are part of their school and we will help them. We are a school for children with significant learning disabilities: comfort, the ability to move and practicality are the key features of our uniform.

DD is in primary 3 (scotland) and she started p1 at 4 and they wanted them in shirt and ties from then. P.E days she can wear leggings and a polo shirt but from p4 they want them in shirt and tie 5 days a week and taking their kit with them.

Yeah our school sixth form insists on a suit for boys which I find a bit OTT given few men wear suits to work these days. I work for the civil service and it’s become very casual, which I think is fine if in a non public facing role. As long as it’s appropriate which it always is, though I do find shorts a bit much for the office but that’s just me

I've no idea why you had to have bad teeth when dental care for children was free on the NHS? My parents were anal about three things - our feet (properly fitted quality shoes), our eyesight (three out of four of us were/are shortsighted, and teeth. All of those things have to last you a lifetime. And I am sure there were times when my parents struggled to afford the paid-for parts too, but they absolutely prioritised them, and I did the same with my children.

I don’t think uniform should extend to hair, or have to be rigidly from one expensive provider. More schools should state a colour for jumpers/polos and then just require parents purchase the school badge to iron on.

However I do think school uniform is an equaliser, and a necessary one too.

Express themselves? So they compete to wear the same thing as everyone else

Some jobs have uniforms teenagers can wear what they want on weekends, after school and on holidays

Have you considered that the poster here did not have parents who prioritised in the same way? Didn’t cross your mind even momentarily, before posting?

They really haven't. Schools have had similar uniform policies since God was a wee boy. I'm ancient and my school uniform was the same, as was my mother's before me, at the same school.

What kind of colour of coat would you find acceptable? Do you think they should all wear white ffs?

The schools do focus on teaching the kids. Since time immemorial.

No idea why I should have to and I have no idea what you are on about. Dental treatment for children was/is free. There is no reason for children to have poor oral hygiene/bad teeth. It's neglect, pure and simple, whether you like it or not.

Plenty of occupations require the wearing of uniforms.

I thought part of the point of school uniform was to make the child easily identifiable as a pupil at a particular school. That was impressed on us in the day. (There were batshit rules too, and I'm of the vintage that had our skirts measured). The identifiable part makes sense to me though, especially when teenagers are allowed out on their own at lunchtimes or making their own way home. Poor behaviour or troublemaking can be reported to the school.