To think that switching to polo shirts makes the school uniform look low-rent?

[Byetoshirts]

My kids' primary has announced a change from shirts to polo shirts (previously just KS1) for all years except year 6.

I just think it looks a bit rubbish - all the other (in the main more affluent) local primaries have kids that look smart, and ours now get to look like they've just rolled out of bed. My DC are annoyed as they enjoy looking smart at school.

I associate polos in school uniform with young children and others who struggle with buttons and spilling stuff on themselves.

They also wash and wear badly (as stains kind embed themselves in polos) and the collar doesn't sit properly when open so a lot of (KS1) kids wear them tightly buttoned up to the neck, which doesn't exactly seem comfortable.

There is an incredibly expensive prep school near me, one many people will have heard of and where you put your child's name down almost at birth. It feeds into some very prestigious senior schools.

They wear polo shirts and look very comfortable.

I agree with your post. It's the same around here. Top performing secondaries (and feeder schools) have a more casual secondary uniform. The ones that 'aspire' to be top but aren't even close have the uncomfortable blazers, shirts and ties.

Anecdotally, the best dressed boys at our primary school (perfectly gelled, styled hair, spotless clothing, tucked in shirt/polo always!) have always been some of the worst behaved children we've ever had (shocking, really) and quite low achieving academically.

Absolutely all of this.

And on the blazers.... they're definitely worse in the heat than a school jumper IMO

Ok, the polo shirt thing is clearly area/context-dependent. Round here shirts are very much the norm. (And both the highly sought-after grammars and the under-subscribed secondaries have blazers).

Unfortunately I doubt our school (which is lovely) will not be blazing any trails in this department as it is under-subscribed because of the area it's in. So part of my view is pragmatic.

I don't deny there's a snob factor for me - the school has a sizeable chunk of parents who really can't be arsed (with reading/toilet training/showing up/avoiding swearing & smoking at the school gate), and I feel the school is leaning into that unnecessarily.

Title of your sex tape

I am very much in favour of school uniform as a cost effective way to create a sense of shared identity and belonging within a school and perhaps more importantly to prevent any kind of bullying/feeling of not fitting in if a child’s family can’t afford the latest/most expensive trends.
However, I think what the uniform actually is needs to be considered carefully in terms of cost and comfort and how it looks (and whether it looks low rent) should be a lesser concern. Having worked at primary and secondary, I think polos and joggers is a practical solution.

I hate polo shirts.

They wash terribly and take much longer to dry than standard shirts.

People tend to prefer stretchy clothes when they are over weight. My kids are thin & have never once grumbled about shirts & tailored trousers being "uncomfy", they never bother changing out of uniform after school. They are both very active and have no issue running/playing football in it either.

I do worry that there's a constant shift towards elasticated/jersey clothing because too many children are fat.

I wish this was the norm! Who cares if little kids look scruffy - they are little kids.

Do you understand that not all children are your children and that 'not grumbling' isn't really the same as actively comfortable? Trying to shoehorn in some fat shaming when people want children of all sizes to be comfortable is pretty nauseating but par for the fucking course on here.

In the city I live in, the primary schoolsvwhich send a higher proportion of children to Gramnar school all have polo shirt uniforms. The three that have shirts and ties are all bottom of the pile in terms of SATS and have very few children qualify for Grammar.

Its the opposite in the county where I live. The sought after village schools have shirts and ties from reception, no trainers etc, and send high proportions of kids to grammar. The town schools in poorer areas moved to joggers & polos and send few or none to grammar.

Im questioning why children would be uncomfortable in smart uniform unless it doesn't fit them correctly? There's nothing uncomfortable about a cotton shirt.

Not in secondary schools they’re not 🤣🤣🤣

there is no tearing about anywhere with teens

my friend at the school (Head of Dept) said the behaviour and attitude change was undeniable

they basically thought they were on Summer hols already

Why do so many Mners come in the door after work and tear off their bras while still on the doormat? Asked if they’re uncomfortable because ill-fitting, they say no, they just find it restrictive. So — same thing, I suppose?

If wearing polos isn't normally allowed and is a summer time treat to welcome the good weather, then of course the kids will go more wild when they are allowed to wear them.

Same as non-uniform days. If it's an occasional treat for a fundraiser, behaviour goes downhill because the kids are over-excited and not in 'school mode'. But in schools with no uniform then wearing normal clothes isn't a transgressive thing and so the kids don't react weirdly to it.

This is why British teachers say that it's hard to teach on non-uniform days (because the kids are obsessed with the novelty of showing off their home clothes) but teachers everywhere else in the world don't have this issue when every day is a non-uniform day.

I am not particularly comfortable in 'smart clothes'. Not because I'm overweight and not because they are ill fitting, but because a stretchy top is just a lot more comfortable than a restrictive blouse with buttons all the way down it and no give in the fabric.

Thankfully, being an adult, I don't have to wear this kind of stuff to go to work despite being in a 'professional' job. The only place I ever see 'workwear' nowadays is on teenage kids at schools with strict dress codes!

Rubbing alcohol as soon as possible (I buy it Amazon - it has loads of uses) and then rinse with cold water, hot water just sets it in

last year I picked up my dgd from school and the sight of her and her schoolmates made me giggle; boater hat skewed sideways, shirt simultaneously tucked ballooned and untucked, skirts either outgrown well above the knee or new and mid shin, one sock up one sock down, blazer as ill fitting as the skirts.
The lot looked so scruffy!! But they were smiling laughing running out of the school “meet me at starbucks grammy”.
Good memory, no the fancy exclusive london shiny prep uniform wasn’t looking smart by 4pm.

Our primary school has white polos, jumper with school logo and the usual skirt or trousers, plain black shoes or tenosaurs. Works well. Never had issues with stains other than sun cream but that just requires time to soak in before getting dressed.
My nephews primary is shirt, tie etc, they may look smart at 8.30am but I can assure you by lunch time the kids look like they’ve been on a night out…really dishevelled and unkempt looking. Certainly does not make their behaviour any better!

As for secondary school, I attended a local grammar and we had no tie, no blazers. Had zero effect on behaviour. In fact from my experience kids at other schools who had the full works for uniform were often the ones smoking on buses, throwing bottles of urine coloured liquids out the bus windows etc.

I def think school aged children should be comfortable at school, not many places require employees to suited and booted, we are trying to teach children to be independent adults with a mind of their own, should we help them to feel comfortable too?

Then it probably wouldn’t be an issue if polo shirts were standard year round uniform.

A shirt with the top button done up is really not comfortable! My DCs can get away with not fastening the top button under their ties, but this is against the rules in lots of schools.

The state primary my little grandson will be going to in Surrey, insists on polo shirts with the logo , no generic ones allowed. They are 67 percent polyester and cost £7. 99 each from the school supplier That would be almost £40 for 5 polo tops. Madness when you can get a pack of 5 nice cotton ones for a tenner in M and S.

It was polo shirts at the primary school DS attended 25 years ago. It was a very good school and no one complained that it wasn't shirts and ties or that it looked low rent.

I feel uncomfortable in a “smart uniform”. I find shirts very restrictive and tight under my arms. Not overweight and it’s the correct size. Much prefer looser stretchier clothes.

also shorts need ironing. With polos they look fine without being ironed.

Luckily I don’t need a smart shirt/suit type outfit for work. Very well educated and well paid job btw before the middle class moaners come on!! I wear comfy clothes and this makes me feel more confident and happy.

OPs kids say they want to dress smart. I don’t think any child I know from a range of schools would ever say this. Would other people’s kids say this?

Most school uniform shirts, even in private schools are now polycotton. Depending on the proportion of cotton to poly they can feel very plasticky. Full cotton shirt may be permissible in some schools but not all. If the school insists on shirts in a particular colour or stripe then there may be no 100% cotton option available.
On the other hand most polo shirts are 100% cotton and therefore much more comfortable.