Thoughts on school uniform?

[Twiglett]

I think school uniforms are excellent

inclusive, socially leveling and giving a huge sense of belonging so fostering respect

oh right. sorry. should have read properly.

Btw, lots of other people have uniform than those listed earlier and to some extent so do most offices - they have a dress code of some sort anyway - usually no jeans or t-shirts.

ds1's "uniform" is a non compulsary T shirt and/or sweatshirt. Different colour for every day of the week. Thursday is green day.Friday is perple party day. Much prefer it to the polo shirt and grey trousers of his previous school. The teachers and assistants often wear the same t-shirts as well.

And it come back filthy- which is great as he's learning.

I love a good practical school uniform.

I hate the ones that make kids look like mini funeral directors.

and I hate uniforms on toddlers.

perple???perple???

By spidermama on Thursday, 15 September, 2005 2:56:48 PM

I was forced to wear uniform and I left school 'demoralised, poorly educated, and de-individualised'.

It took me years into adulthood to recover, find mytself and gain a more relevant education.

well.... i also had to wear school uniform. I liked it because i always got bullied, and even more so on non school uniform day
I finished my education with 10 gcse;s and 3 a-levels

i hardly think that wearing a uniform can leave you uneducated and demoralised.

you know what I mean Fio

am amazed that you can blame the uniform for being poorly educated and not your own teenage self (or crap teachers)

Some people look for anyone/thing else to blame but themselves - its a 20th/21st century mantra!

starlover, no-one is suggesting that uniforms cause anyone to be poorly educated/demoralised, rather that, in some people's opinion, they go hand in hand with a standardised, factory-like education system that does not foster individuality in any sense

Is it possible that the whole factory/ one size fits all education idea is more due to HUGE size of many schools these days rather than the wearing of a uniforms? Jsut a thought Maybe small schoold cope with individuals better.

OTOH maybe they might stick out more in a small school

Sorry arguing with myself here

Haven't read the thread - but love them too.

No-one to bully because they're not wearing the latest fashions.
A great to way to give a sense of 'belonging' to the school, and giving them something to be proud of.

And - as after an incident on the bus 2years ago when heavily pg with DS2, and with a 3yr old in tow, a wonderful way of being able to tell the school what polite kids they have (full bus, very hot day, and the only people that offered to give up a seat to me were school aged children). I was able to find out what school they were from (didn't think to ask on the bus) and wrote to the school to say how they'd set a good example of good behaviour (got a lovely letter back too thanking me for giving them positive feedback about their pupils).

On the reverse side also a good way of telling which schools have the worst behaved kids

I never wore uniform at primary school either and there was never any bullying going on there ever. There was at the failure blazer school

whew thought Id killed yet another thread with my tangled musing Been doing that quite alot recently.

"Imho children living in poverty still stick out in a uniform just not quite as much."

I have to disagree on this one. I visited a school this morning (to help with assembly) which draws it's pupils from a range of backgrounds, including the poorest and roughtest estate in the town. However, because of it's location - it also has a few children from affluent backgrounds (it's also got a special SEN status so draws those pupils from a very wide variety of backgrounds).

As I sat at the front this morning, and 350 children filed into the school hall, it struck me that there was no way I could tell which came from a very poor background, and which came from the afluent backgrounds.

I think you raise a good point there tarantula, there's an organisation called Human Scale Education thats all about bringing the benefits of a small scale setup into big schools. I think they do things like set up "schools within schools". It's a good idea imo.

I recently withdrew my child from a (small) school affiliated to Human Scale Education. The philosophy sounds wonderful, individuals create the reality.

Why did you withdraw sunnyd?

The only year I wore uniform was my lower sixth, certainly 'in my day' I'm sure infants particulary didn't wear uniform as standard, when did this start?

I remember being entertainingly creative in what I wore - I have vivid memories of the day I made a skirt out of a sheet and a kilt pin. No memories of whether I looked great or ridiculous, but I like the fact that I have school memories like that. I'd really hate for all my memories (and photographs) of school to be in grey and navy.

Dd just started school nursery, and to me, 3 is a very early age to be enforcing concepts that everyone is the same. She looks quite cute, but a cheap grey artificial fibre doesn't really do her as much justice as her favourite pink cotton dress.

I dont like ironing either, so normal clothes bought with the minimal amount of ironing time is vital to me

Human scale Education sounds interesting. Be interested to hear about your experience too Sunnyd.

In Zim I taught at a senior school which taught 1800 boys. Uniform was COMPLETELY compulsary (varying punishments of being sent home to get it, "the best of 3" - as the boys called it (corporal punishment), denetention, lines or, even more humiliating being pulled up infront of the whole school at assembly). Hair wasn't allowed to be longer than a certain length (apart from one boy who was training to be an Iman (sp). And class sizes were generally at least 33-35. However, they still managed to help create invidiuals who not only had a great pride in their school, but in themselves - they've also "Churned out" some highly succesful pupils in recent (and not so recent) years including

John Bredenkamp (who was 33rd on the Times Rich List in 2002)

Nick Price (golfer)

Graham Hick (cricketer)

So a large, 'military' style uniformed school is perfectly capable of "churning out" indviduals who have a lot of selfbelief.

and um... QoQ... YOU might not be able to tell the kids background, but you can guarantee the kids will able able to. And given that you're rather unlikely to be bullying them surely it makes no difference if you can see it or not (other than for the snob value of assuming your school has no poor kids, of course).

Three eminent alumni - that's great, but what about the other 1797? The point I'm trying to make is that I don't like an education system that leaves the majority of its participants feeling to some extent like failures. A few are lucky enough to do well, but so many do not. I do think there has to be a better way.

Actually think that our school uniform is very practical and cheap. Grey flannels (shorts or trousers although DS appears to the only one with a pair of shorts so obviously we are posh , white polo shirt and red or blue sweatshirt. I prefer the red sweatshirt because DS looks good in red. You can get the school sweatshirts at £7 each or buy plain ones. Like someone has already posted the whole uniform was cheaper than the £36 shoes (think we must have the same ones). But last year's winter shoes were the same.

I have to admit to having grave concerns about the institution of school as a whole and for me, enforced dress code symbolises anti-individualism on a larger scale.

I worry, particularly at large urban schools with more than one class per year, that children come under heavy peer pressure to mix only with their exact age group and with their sex.
Then the pressure begins to 'fit in' in other ways. Boys must like football and hate pink. Girls must hate boys and be interested in Barbie or Bratz.

If it were down to me I'd send my primary aged children to school threeor perhaps four days a week and teach them about being at home or out with me the rest of the time.

But I still wouldn't want to put them in exactly the same clothes all their friends were wearing.