...to wonder how effective/useful uniforms are at school?

[azert]

I'm from a different country, where children wear their normal clothes at school. There have been talks in my country about whether we should make a change and start wearing a uniform, and some trials in certain regions but it never happened on a national level and I doubt it ever will.

I can see some benefits to the uniform for parents: not having to think about how to dress the kids each day, being able to pass uniforms down to younger children etc. But I don't see many children who love their uniform, I feel like they'd rather wear their normal clothes?

The rules around school uniform seem silly sometimes, and strict about things that are truly not going to be distracting to children's learning. On top of that, the cost of buying uniforms seem to be quite high and on top of that parents have to buy clothes for evenings/weekends/summer holidays and half-terms, so it's like buying two full sets of outfits for each child.

As a parent and as a former teacher, I don't believe it actually does what it's supposed to do, as in put every child on the same level and avoid bullying and comparisons between children whose parents earn more or less money. Kids know these things and talk about them whether they wear uniforms or not, in my eyes it's more about teaching them kindness and respect.

If you're a teacher and pro-uniform, what do you think it brings to children? And if you're against it, why is that?

I'm ready to hear all kinds of thoughts as I don't want to be unreasonable to come from the outside and question a whole system that's been in place for decades!

I agree 💯💯💯. I can't imagine how hard and expensive it would be if they wore one clothes to school. My 13 year old is getting soooooo picky with clothes. She would be wanting expensive stuff because that's what ever one is wearing or else she feels "poor"

Some kids have an innate ability to make even school uniform look scruffy. One of my dc looks like they've been sleeping in a hedge, the other looks pristine.

I would prefer a more comfortable uniform - less moaning for a start when it's hot/cold.

Uniform for each kid, but not every year:
Blazer 35 x1
Trousers/skirt 25 . I buy 2.
Shirts- pack from asda. 10
Pe kit- no idea but too expensive for the wear. They get.
Shoes- between 10 and 90, depending on where I buy them.
School trainers- 45..

Considering they wear it every day, it doesn't work out that expensive.

Ds doesn't wear branded clothes, so he saves me money outside school. He likes uniform, because he doesn't have to think. Dd is happy for me to use vjnted if she wants anything unreasonably expensive.

@mymumwouldntapprove yes but that's your choice to buy expensive clothes.
Most teens I know like Primark and H+M (or charity shops).

I had no uniforms as a child, and from upper primary age, there was definitely notice taken of what people were wearing, day in and day out, and lots of pressure to get it right, wear the right brands, look right, and so on. I didn't ever really fit in for lots of reasons, including how I looked. I wanted a uniform, to get rid of some of that pressure. So to those who say that the pressure of own clothes is only when there are occasional non-uniform days, that's absolutely not true in all cases. Young people can and do judge in ways that parents and teachers probably don't see.

Happy for their to be a uniform but particularly for primary age it should be shorts or joggers and a polo and sweatshirt. Clothes that are actually practical for play and exercise. Why make small children wear uncomfortable and impractical clothes?

I have 3 kids aged 14-9 and live in a country where there's no uniform. I have never once had an argument with amy of them about what they're wearing to school, never once have they ruined any clothes by wearing them to school, never once has anyone been bullied about their clothes... Having grown up in the UK as the child of a teacher, I think uniform is a complete waste of time and not at all the social leveller it's supposed to be. Unless it's changed since I was a teen, you could still be picked on for not having the right shoes, coat, bag even when there is a uniform.

And FWIW, there are still rules about what they can wear - no football/sports clothes, no joggers, no ripped trousers, no short skirts, no exposed midriffs... Most of the teens seem to live in a self-styled uniform of jeans and sweatshirts - all very monochrome...

I suggest that uniforms are very effective and useful for teachers and heads who want to be complete twats

I grew up in the UK and wore school uniform, as a parent I’ve always been in a country with no uniform although it is being trialed in certain regions at the moment. I don’t think they’ll ever bring it in everywhere though.

Wearing own clothes is totally normal here so it’s not like non-uniform days. We haven’t had any clothes related issues, at one point DD1 wanted only branded clothing but accepted that we couldn’t afford it. She’s grown out of that now and doesn’t want branded stuff. I think it helped that we’re not in a particularly wealthy area and nobody’s parents were spending thousands on kid’s clothes. I’m sure there are schools where there is pressure to wear certain brands.

Edit to say the kids do wear very similar styles, mostly just jeans, a jumper and trainers.

Would £100 but you a whole years worth of cheap outfits in Primark?
really?

for what it’s worth I’m not an expensive shopper, no labels for me and very few for the teen, but even in Primark trousers or jeans are £15, tops are £10 and that £100 would t cover a year.

4 DCs. Love uniform.

We/ve been lucky in that mine have only attended primaries and secondaries with sensible uniform demands. Black/grey/navy basics. Jumper as top layer, no blazers. No logo. Sensible shoes, minimal jewellery. Dark coat in winter. Basic PE kit. That's it.

You can buy the uniform in all the supermarkets and also the primary school do a second hand sale/swap shop type thing which makes it very cheap.

I used to buy the best i could afford for eldest and then hand it all down to younger DCs for years ...

This is a bit out there - but maybe folks from hotter countries than the uk don't have so much of a 'who's got more £ than who' issue.

If it's warm enough for kids to go into school pretty much year round in a pair of shorts, and a t shirt it's a much simpler wardrobe than all the £££ coats, tights, skirts, dresses, long/short sleeve shirts, trousers, jumpers, blazers, shoes bla bla bla issues.

It's so easy in the summer in primary i love those months - every day is just a blue check (sp?) summer dress and a navy cardi (to put on in the morning and lose by lunch time 😂)

And I do wonder about the calls to shop in charity shops and Vinted. It only works if someone is buying good quality and new stuff to donate/sell on.

The trouble is left to come in non-uniform, they are NOT sent in clothes that are comfortable, or suitable!!! And definitely “designer”.

When I was at Primary school, back in the mid 70’s , we had a uniform, but it was not strictly enforced, so there was always a bit of a mush-mash. My secondary school, there was a strict winter and summer uniform, but not strict in the sense we hear of now!!! We were allowed whatever shoes we wanted ( desert boots were popular for girls) and zip-up cardigans were all the rage! As long as it was in the school colour scheme it was acceptable. Boys had to have a blazer, but they were not expected to keep them on ALL the time as they seem to expect now. I wish I knew where that diktat started!

As a TA , I think a general colour scheme, with maybe one branded item ( eg sweatshirt/cardigan) to show which school you belong to is the way forward.

Years 10 to 6th form shouldn’t be expected to wear uniform .

Mine are at private school so it's not cheap to begin with and honestly I find the beret and blazer pretentious and uncomfortable but it's the rules

I went to a primary school with no uniform in the 1980s. You could tell who was poor vs rich by the clothes and trainers they wore. When I left that school, they started to introduce a uniform. I was shocked at how strict my secondary school was, regarding uniform and shoes. Clothes and shoes do not interfere with learning, at all. I honestly think it's an unnecessary expense.

When my eldest started secondary school in 2008 it cost us £500 to get her kitted out. The costs were so exclusionary to poorer households, more so if you had a girl.

Girls uniform was pinstripe shirt, pinstripe skirt, blazer, jumper, pe top, pe skirt, pe shorts all purchased from the uniform shop, could not be purchased from anywhere else.

Boys uniform blazer, jumper, tie, pe top, pe shorts, rugby top all from the school uniform shop, white shirts and grey trousers could be bought from anywhere. So you paid a lot less for a boy to attend.

If secondary schools truly wanted uniform to be a leveller they would just have an x colour of polo shirts and x colour of sweatshirt with black/grey trousers/skirts etc...... that could be bought from any supermarket. Same with pe kit chosen colour shirts and tshirt. And yet hardly any secondary schools choose this! They all want the militant look of everyone looking the same as a form of control, and so there school looks the best. Oh and don't forget the big kick back from the uniform sale shop! That is nothing to with levelling and bullying and everything to do with what a MAT wants and thinks will change behaviour. And yet everyone complains how awful the behaviour is in secondary schools on here so it's not really working is it?

I think the benefits are overhyped.

Uniforms are more expensive than most other clothes. Children can easily notice children wearing outgrown uniform, hand-me-downs or second hand uniform. Fast fashion can be bought for next to nothing from Primark, H & M and Shein and is considered "cooler" than pricey brands like M & S or Next. Bullying rates in the UK are no lower than in the rest of Europe where uniforms are rare.

Secondary schools are getting ridiculous now with how strict they are; state schools have become stricter than private schools!

If they are supposed to look smart, they are failing, since girls roll their skirts up so high their blazers come down lower than their skirts. UK school uniform isn't particularly practical for UK weather either, and some schools mandate black coats and bags which is highly unsafe for children crossing the road in winter.

Uniforms are fine in my view.

What isn't fine is the ridiculously strict rules that some schools set.

I'd prefer teachers to be able to concentrate on teaching and learning, rather than policing the sort of shoes pupils wear.

Get rid of ties and blazers and let the kids wear a polo shirt and jumper. I actually think the PE shirts that a lot of schools have would be fine for day to day use as well as for actual PE. They wash and wear really well.

My suggestion might be either

1. Schools provide the uniform, after all thats what usually happens with uniform clothing, or
2. There is a standard range of clothing - jumper/sweatshirt, polo shirt/shirt shorts skirt trousers etc of standard design in a range of colours that anyone can make/sell and schools choose from that

@mymumwouldntapprove a supply of clothes suitable for school (not a year - but 9 months) could easily be done for around £100.
Tops can be £10 but they also do t-shirts for £3 in many colours and designs. A couple of pairs of trousers (all you need for school really) wouldn't cost much more than £20 - less if you get the plain trackies. Hoodies are about £7 - 9 each. Trainers are maybe a tenner. More lightweight summer shoes even less.

I've just kitted out my daughter with everything she needed for Reception class. Very reasonable uniform rules, only a few branded items. I did make the choice to splash out on the branded fleece for PE which will last several school years as it's enormous on her. It came to £160 in total, despite getting shoes and PE trainers, for less than half the shop price, new without tags on Vinted, and already having wellies and all-in-one rain coat which she needs for Forest School. That's more than I spent on her entire winter wardrobe last year.

all the evils of them
A tad OTT dont you think? 😂

Our children wear supermarket polo tops and bottoms - Asda sell them £7.50 for 5 polos, sweatshirts £5, £7 for trousers / skirts, £2 for 2 PE t shirts £4 for 2 pe shorts. So thats £47 for a full set with 2 sweatshirts and 2 bottoms.

I think that a basic uniform (polo shirt with skirt/trousers) is a good idea, but I was put off a local primary school that insisted that reception aged children had to wear a tie.

I remember a few years ago a headteacher telling DH that non-uniform days always had the highest rates of absence.

The high school mine went to had a uniform of white shirt, black skirt or trousers, a black v-neck jumper or cardigan, plain black shoes and school tie. There was an optional polyester blazer for senior pupils. PE uniform was a plain white t-shirt with black shorts or leggings and any trainers as long as they had non-marking soles. Other than the tie and blazer, it could be bought anywhere.

I loved having a uniform for work. I got up in the morning and knew I was wearing the work blouse and suit and that it had been washed and ironed at the weekend. Now I get up for work and have to try and find a top and trousers that go together since I no longer iron every Saturday night.