To wish more schools had uniforms like this

[Imsooveritt]

Talking to a friend today who's daughter attends an all girls private day school. She's 7. We were discussing buying uniform for the next year and I said it's a headache.

My 3 kids are in Y1, Y5 and Y8. All 3 have to wear those uncomfortable Teflon trousers/skirts. Older two need shirt and tie, eldest blazer. Uncomfortable school shoes. Logos on jumpers etc.

Her daughters school uniform is

• Navy, Red or White Polo
• Navy bottoms (have to be from their supplier but have the option of soft jeggings, leggings, skirt, pinafore or jersey material shorts)
• Red or Navy polo dress
• Red or Navy cardigan or hoodie
• white socks/navy tights
• Navy trainers
• Navy jackets from supplier but they are quilted style and have no logo so would be suitable for outside school too

This seems so much better, so many more options, no logos so somethings can get used outside school too, nice materials. Good blend of it being uniform but comfy. Not forced to have white polos that will discolour or uncomfortable shirts and ties.

AIBU to wonder why this can't be the norm? What is the need for shirts and ties, Teflon trousers and polyester blazers?!

Many other countries cope perfectly well without school uniform. No idea what purpose it actually serves nowadays, only goes to match our dull grey skies and misery.

I don't get uniforms at all but I'm not British. I actually think they stifle children's creativity and self expression 😅
Thing is, it's always the argument of it being a leveller but that's always said by people that were uniforms so how would uou really know.
I've never worn a uniform in school as its not a thing where I'm from and people weren't bullied for their clothes. They were for other things but not clothes and that was at a school with some of the biggest wealth differences in the country.
Also, with a uniform being the same it just highlights what is different surely, like bags and shoes etc.

Shocking. Did you complain? I would have.

I’m a teacher and I think it should be this in primaries AND secondaries. Give it 20 years and shirts/ties/blazers even for adults will be like top hats and tails; only for the ‘old guard’.

And to add:
How is it a leveller when it adds another thing for yhe parents to buy. I think if schools require uniforms they should supply them for all kids.

Why would anyone want children looking like Jacob Rees-Mogg!

And this too - my brother is an investment banker and spends a lot of his working week in the London office. It’s well known that only the very much older men wear suits. Everyone else, regardless of rank, wears polo tops etc.

There's another highschool local to us that have different colour blazers depending on what year the kids are in so the younger kids are a prime target for bullies plus the additional cost to parents every two years.
With lots of work places going hybrid or WFH I don't see how schools can claim that they're preparing children for the working world like ds school do either.
Plus the rigidity on warmer days in hot classrooms is unbearable. They have to ask permission from each lesson teacher to remove blazers so period 1 teacher might have said yes but for period 2 they're expected back in the blazer before the teacher arrives only to have to ask again.

I don't think it does. Tie and blazer etc was the norm at my bog standard primary (actually primaries plural becuae we moved multiple times and i went to 4 primaries) and secondary schools in the 80s and 90s. It was just what everyone wore. And it was easy and perfectly comfortable and looked nice as far as I was concerned.

Defy progress at all costs!

I attended three primary schools. Formal shirt and tie uniform in the first two, no uniform at all in the third. It may have been relevant that the first two were in Scotland in the 1960s and the third was in Leeds in the early 1970s. It was never universal back then that children wore uniform at primary school. My children's school had no uniform back in the 1990s. It was introduced just after they'd both left in the mid 00s.

I went to primary in 1989 and we had no uniforms. I love every class photo - such a time capsule. Bart Simpson and Power Rangers t shirts, Global Hypercolour/Benetton, Adidas poppers!

DS has an unbranded polo and trousers/shorts with school sweatshirt uniform which I'm just about ok with.

My kids old school:
Primary:
White polo (any brand)
Green sweatshirt with school logo
Navy skirt or navy wide cord shorts or trousers.
Black shoes.
Secondary (same school):
White shirt
Navy jumper
Beige chinos. No idea about the girls.

My kids were only there for some of the primary years and it was a great uniform for youngsters.

They then went to a more traditional school where even the girls wore a tie and blazer. It was far more expensive too.

Oh I know that now. I had a conversation with someone in my late 20s and she'd never worn uniform at all. Them someone else chimed in saying only in secondary. I had no idea until then there were any non- uniform schools in the UK at all other than the occasional hippy ones with no formal lessons you used to see documentaries about.

I was at a primary with no uniform, secondary with uniform, 6th form with no uniform. The only place there was bullying about clothing was the secondary with uniform. Cheap nasty uniform Vs the better quality stuff, bags, trainers etc is actually a much more obvious difference than all the many clothes styles and brands. Plus the twice annual non uniform days were to be dreaded.

The jobs that wear uniform tend to be the less qualified ones. Better paid and more professional roles usually have free choice of what to wear. In any case you can still have a dress code even if no uniform, which could exclude expensive brands if this was becoming an issue.

Plus I think secondary girls uniform is perverted. The excessively short skirts that schools can't seem to control even though every other aspect of appearance is tightly controlled, the girls are walking down the street with their bum cheeks hanging out. It does not look smart or suitable for any job other than a sex worker. Surely any jeans and hoodies would be preferable?

Our primary is red or white polos, sweatshirt or cardigan, logo or not if you like. Can wear trainers and any type of trousers as long as they are black or grey.

Secondary is polo tops and sweatshirts which do need logos but they're not too pricey. Can wear trainers there too.

Thank god no blazers or shirts!

My kids have a formal uniform (shirts & ties, smart trousers etc). They like it.

The shirts are cool, and they wash and dry quickly and easily. You can buy the trousers, skirts etc in better quality fabrics, neither of my kids have ever suggested its uncomfortable and they rarely choose to change into anything else when they get home. There's no prescribed coat or jacket and only the jumper has a logo.

None of it is expensive and there's masses given away free on local buy/sell sites - including logo jumpers in excellent condition. The pta also collect uniform & book bags etc and do a sale at £1 an item.

The jobs that wear uniform tend to be the less qualified ones. Better paid and more professional roles usually have free choice of what to wear.

I went to an event the other week targetting the banking/finance sector and it was still very much shirts and suits on both men & women. I don't work in that sector and was surprised to see how many were wearing ties.

My daughters senior school simplified their uniform last year. Blazer and tie are still there but otherwise white or blue unbranded shirts, grey trousers, skirts ir shorts and white, black, or grey socks. PE kit is any plain black or grey shorts, joggers and tshirts. Its brilliant, kids still look nice but so much cheaper.

As long as the prestigious, high attaining private schools maintain smart uniforms, state schools will continue to emulate.

We have no uniform (primary school) and DS frequently wears obviously darned and patched clothing. (Because he never likes me to throw anything away after he gets holes in it).

He is passionate about how much he would hate a uniform and has never mentioned having any comments about what he wears.

However I suppose if you absolutely must have a uniform then comfortable, non hideous and with a range of options would definitely be good!

I hold a global corporate finance role. We haven’t worn suits since before the pandemic. Last week many were in the office in jeans and formal office attire is rare.

Ours is

Primary school

Grey trousers or shorts or skirts
White shirt or yellow polo shirt
Blue jumper or cardigan
School tie - provided by school

High school

Black trousers or skirt
Black jumper or cardigan
White shirt
School tie - provided by school
Black shoes or black trainers

All clothes can be bought at supermarkets or high street shops

No rules about jackets, socks etc

No football colours for PE

That's it. And that's the standard approach everywhere near me.

Events/conferences are a bit different.

The secondary school in my town has the most hidious uniform for the girls. The boys is fine, the boys is a wine jumper, shirt and navy trousers. Girls is wine jumper, shirt and GREEN trousers or a sort of checked skirts of green/ wine/ navy. The skirt looks 10x better but lots of the girls wear the trousers - as is their choice. But why the girls couldn't have the navy trousers IDK. I didn't go to that school my school had no choice skirts only.

What your describing sounds ideal