To aka what you think to this change of school uniform??

[HappyDaze1997]

Just curious.

My Dc primary school have announced that they’ll be changing the school uniform from September. From white polos to royal blue. With leggings, shorts, or black leggings. With plain black trainers.and their usual school jumper / Cardigan which is also royal blue . It’s for everyday of the week.. it’s to fit in with their out door play etc. lots of parents annoyed as they’ve already bought new school uniform ahead of time before it was announced.

Our school you have a choice of "formal uniform" or "pe kit" every day. Most kids now wear pe kit uniform of polo shirts with shorts or leggings. The kids are comfy, they can sit and learn well with being so comfortable.

@Michele09 are they a bit of nightmare for going to the toilet, factoring in the grimness of school toilets!

And do you think this smarter uniform helps you children learn in a more productive way? Or do you think they probably learn in either the exact same way or even a better way due to being more comfortable.

Our school found attendance increased when they switched to being able to wear school pe kit any day you want. So surely that's a great thing?

I’d have thought this was the perfect time to implement the change - at the end of the school year.
sound like the biggest change is the colour of polo shirt, so even if a parents had already picked up a packet I’m sure the shops would honour an exchange.

Maybe so, dd never mentioned it being difficult. I suppose if you have a jumper on top it makes it a bit more awkward but she tended to wear them on sunny days when jumper not needed.

The issue with the change is many families will pass uniform down. Not necessarily to their own kids but to other families the kid down the street or whoever.

Uniform changes need to be phased in. Its fine to change it or say both blue and white polo's are acceptable.
White are probably cheaper and easier to find even if they do get grubby.

Plus the PFA at pur school make a decent amount of money on secondhand uniform that goes back to the school.

Introduce additional "comfy" items if they must but as extra options, not replacing the existing uniform.

Royal blue polos? Are those easy to buy cheaply in supermarkets? I’m not sure I’ve seen them but I’ve never specifically looked.

They should have announced it earlier and also had a transition period for people to use the uniform they already have that still fits. And if royal blue polos are hard to find (and have to be bought from their supplier..), they shouldn’t pick those.

I’d send my DD in a white one if it still fit her. Ditto if her school shoes still fit, she’d wear those before I went and bought black trainers.

I think this sounds brilliant, just poorly executed ito timing.

And I LOVE that skirts aren't part of the kit. I know lots of parents and girls want skirts, but that's because of what they've been socialised to think is normal. Skirts are not practical at school, especially not at primary where they're all running around. And as someone said, often the girls wear shorts underneath anyway. So just wear the shorts! I'd love to ban leggings too but that's probably going to cause a riot. God forbid girls should wear joggers.

@ShesTheAlbatross retailers pick the colours of the uniforms they sell that are relevant to their area - but they do need to know about a year in advance of any major changes from a school.
@HappyDaze1997 do other schools in the area wear royal blue?
Can this colour be bought easily?
If not that can be a good argument for a phased crossover and the Headteacher needs to contact the managers of the local supermarkets/M+S/Matalan etc and inform them so they can adapt their orders for next year.

I think you're missing the point. Your girls didn't like active play - but why restrict all other girls' options? An active uniform creates opportunities for continuous activity during the school day, it doesn't restrict it to certain hours like a dance class/PE.

Only 47.8% of children are taking part in the recommended average of 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity every day. (https://www.sportengland.org/news-and-inspiration/childrens-activity-levels-remain-stable-significant-and-sustained-action). This is even lower for kids from disadvantage socio-economic backgrounds.

Why wouldn't we remove barriers?

(@HappyDaze1997 sorry for the slight derail)

I like the idea of more practical clothes, although I'd prefer something looser than leggings. Eg. Joggers. Should phase it in though

Sounds like a sensible uniform for primary age kids, I’ve always thought comfort and ease of movement should be top priority. Never mind “looking smart” I’d rather they can run around. Girls do seem to wear shorts under dresses so why not cut out the extra layer.

The bit I would question is them wearing PE kit all day. Once they hit year 5/6 some of them will be getting sweaty and their kit will smell and be quite uncomfortable if they don’t change.

As to the uniform change process, schools generally have a transition period of at least a year where both old and new uniforms are allowed. Hopefully your school is doing this?

@ZanzibarIsland joggers are also on the revised uniform list

I’ve never had a polo shirt last a whole school year, let alone be in good enough condition for it to be passed down - especially a white one!

Our school has all the options of skirts, pinafores, trousers, shorts, summer gingham dresses and those gingham playsuits. The latter being not official uniform but never been a problem.

The majority of girls choose skirts and dresses and some of them choose to wear cycling shorts under the summer dresses. Nearly all of them spend their break times cartwheeling and swinging on the bars upside down whenever they can. Unhindered by their skirts.

Choice is important. I don't see why skirts need to be banned as long as shorts and trousers are also an option

Oops. Only read the original post

Sure, a mix of options is fine, but the user I quoted is specifically anti-shorts, and I think pro skirts-only (hence my apology for slight derail, as the OP isn't). Presumably that means no cycling shorts under skirts either - just pants.

"Thank God some schools still have a traditional uniform for girls! Who wears shorts as uniform? My DDs didn’t except for pe. Why cannot girls wear skirts and dresses? My DDs didn’t want to look like female footballers every day"

I'm wondering whether getting rid of dresses and skirts removes the thorny issue of whether boys can wear them.

I know after COVID DS's school (a private school which had quite rigid uniform policy split between girls and boys) relaxed their stance and it became a single policy. It included skirts/skorts but didn't specify these were just for girls. Boys used to have to have hair off the collar but that restriction was removed and long hair was allowed for anyone but had to be tied back if a certain length or during science etc.

I think the lack of notice and not allowing children to wear the old uniform until they've grown out of it is definitely unreasonable.

I'm baffled by posters complaining about children of primary age wearing leggings, shorts, and joggers though. I'd be horrified by a school which puts 4 year olds into tiny versions of old fashioned workwear with blazers, ties, and smart trousers. They should be running about and playing, getting their shoes scuffed by climbing and kicking balls at breaktime, wearing clothes that let them run and balance and jump. They should also be feeling comfortable in their clothes so that they can focus on learning. That is far more important than looking 'smart' according to some outdated adult dress code (how many of us wear blazers and formal trousers to work these days anyway?)

I'm extremely grateful to the Head of our school for her good sense whenever I read uniform threads. The children are allowed to wear either a school coloured or a white polo, they don't fuss about what they have on their legs as long as it is black or navy (and as an earlier uniform code used to specify grey, they also allow grey indefinitely as people pass down old grey trousers and shorts, recognising that reusing clothes is both better for the environment and for families' finances) and if girls want to wear a dress they can, but if they prefer not to they don't have to.

Our primary school changed the uniform a few years ago. We were told in the February that polos would be yellow instead of red but that it wouldn’t be officially changed until August when the kids returned from summer holidays. This gave plenty time to adjust and plan for the change. It doesn’t seem right that your school are giving you 4 weeks notice (or whenever your school returns after summer). As others have said, a grace period should be allowed.

I think its clear they want the kids ready for the outdoor activities like PE or forest school at any time. Activities that skirts are not usually worn for.

They may not object to PE Skorts for example

They should allow a year of either/both as a crossover, I would be annoyed too.

However, changing to a more comfortable (and less white) uniform is definitely a good thing. I'm really hoping our school will do the same soon - they're talking about it as a way to get kids to be more active. My son hates his school trousers/shorts, they're uncomfy material and always too big on the waist (even adjusted) so he runs holding them up. Much happier on PE kit days.

If anyone knows how to get whiteboard pen out of white shirts, please do let me know because ours get ruined on a regular basis and it's a fucking pain. No-one would put small children in white at any other time. In fact I never wear white myself, I can't be trusted!

Probably because the school think being dressed for active playing is more important than looking smart…

I would be really happy.
We moved schools and went from coloured polo to white. The coloured ones are so much better to hide stains.
Joggers or leggings with trainers are a great idea for kids.