Thoughts on school uniform?

[Twiglett]

I think school uniforms are excellent

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

Having gone to a junior school where there wasn't a uniform and being very poor, my mother used to shop at jumble sales and buy other children's cast offs for me. Therefore I was teased awfully by the children the clothes used to belong to.

DD has a very smart uniform at her prep-school, it is purchased from the school shop therefore every child has the same, even the schools bags are the same. It is wonderful, she loves looking smart and she loves the fact she is the same as everyone else.

Give me a uniform every time.

Lailig

How to uniforms work?

They make sure children are identifiable, and so you can see who they are and where they go to school, vital if you want to keep an eye on behaviour to and from school.

While the children are still individuals it does give them a sense of belonging. Just like I feel a sense of pride in being part of the team.

It gives them something minor to rebel against, they can push at a boundary that you are happy with. If you don't set the mark at that, they will push at soemthing else, that you might not be so happy about.

They reduce bullying between different groups.

they help to keep the kids minds on work and not so much on the opposite sex....nit totaly, but to a degree

they prevent inappropriate dress. Adults can uaulay be depebnded on to dress in a way appropriate for work, you can't do the same for all kids.

I work with almost 200 kids each week, they may wear uniform, but trust me they are all individuals! And they do behave better when uniform is strictly followed....what ever that uniform is chosen to be.

Uniforms are fab, agree with just about everything that has been said in favour of them. Goodness, getting the kids out of the house is stressful enough without adding a debate about what to wear.

If it makes your kids happy then it can't be bad. My boy loves his uniform and being the same as the other kids and soon he'll want to lose his Oasis haircut I fear. But it's not up to me. I hated school uniform but not until secondary. Him loving it makes me love it.

I like school uniforms.

I like the conformity.

They can rebel later.

hmb - I agree. I have worked with many many children over past 8 years of teaching. All wore uniform. And I definetly agree - their individualities certainly didn't seem thwarted by it at all!

Think uniform gives teenagers something safe to rebel against.

Ha-ha, HMB, thank you for replying but have heard all the arguments in favour for uniforms over and over , on previous threads as well. Not able to be convinced...
I think that if you are brought up in a country where they never had uniforms, the idea is just too weird.
Not quite the same, but at my work here in the UK all the men wear ties, even the students. In my country the men in the same profession as here, never used a tie, the students would wear jeans.

sorry - just had to bring this thread up again. How's this for a school uniform - not DS1's school - although if things improve in Zim in the next few years DH and I both dream of sending him there )

"1. Best Dress
a) Brown conventional lace up shoes, without buckles.
b) Grey socks or school stockings.
c) Light gray long trousers, conventional width (tapering or flares are not permitted)
d) White drill shirt.
e) School tie. Please note that there are special ties for Prefects and Colors awards.
f) School blazer. (all buttons fastened.)
The three feathers in gold are reserved for those hold school colors or team awards.
g) Straw basher and Prince Edward hatband.

2. School Dress
   a) School shoes and tie as above.
   b) Khaki drill shirt. School Prefects and Upper Sixth formers may wear white shirts.
   c) School stockings turned down and worn with garters.
   d) Khaki drill shorts with loops and brown belt. They must not be too short, elastic waist bands are not permitted.
   e) Blazer for everyday wears is optional.
   f) School hat ? only maroon floppy hat with hat badge must be worn. Gray hats and Maroon caps are not part of the school uniform. Maroon caps are worn at sports, especially at cricket.

3. School uniform
   a) During the term all pupils must wear full school dress (Best or School) on school premises, on their way to and from school, at all public functions at which the school goes as a group (e.g. plays, inter-house debates, etc) and at the railway station or at the airport when a school team is leaving or arriving.
   b) At watch ?home? activities such as cricket, tennis matches, boys should be in school uniform with a blazer. At 1st XV rugby matches and inter-house athletics, best dress is to be worn by spectators. Dress for every evening club activities may vary according to the activity, but in the main it is school uniform as detailed by the member of staff in charge (mainly best dress). When at school for any function or watching ?away? matches, school uniform must be worn to indicate pride in one?s uniform.
   c) Boys attending afternoon lessons, supervised prep, practical and club activities may wear either wear school uniform of the games dress for the activity which they are attending that same afternoon.
   d) Grey jersey with the school color may be worn with the rest of the uniform.
   e) Pupils are welcome to wear school uniform at other times and places (as a matter of pride and to spread the Prince Edward reputation), but items of school uniform may not be worn with items of casual clothing.
   f) All items of clothing must be clearly and indelibly marked and should be and should be kept clean and in good order."

You couldn't let it lie could you Qoq.

at those uniform requirements. I'd be in a right old quandary I can tell you.

I was actually looking to see whether they still described it as Maroon or Burgundy (Sleepyjess and I discussing these colours on another thread). Found it and thought of this thread .

I too was thinking about this thread today because of a book I was reading about pre-school children and gender.
On the one hand we need to tell our girls not to flash their knickers, on the other we make them wear skirts/dresses but the boys wear trousers. Girls are therefore made to feel more self-concious about, eg, hanging from monkey bars etc.
Also, girls have to sit with knees together when boys don't. (I'm always infuriated when I see a man slouching with his legs wide open on the tube or on buses, taking up far more room than a woman would presume to).

Girls are also left open to having skirts pulled up. Boys, in their trousers, are more physically capable and less vulnerable with their uniforms.

The fact that my three year old boy chooses to wear dresses whenever he can get away with it is a whole 'nother issue.

Spidermama, girls can choose to wear dresses, skirts, pinafores or trousers/shorts at DSs school. No monkey bar problems there Apart from the fact that there are no monkey bars in the playground I guess...

In our secondary girls can wear skirts or trousers. Most choose the latter.

Dd doesn't have the choice, it is only skirts.

pmsl at QofQ with "School stockings turned down and worn with garters"

Spidermama wrote:

Surely this is why it's best for girls to wear skirts to school, because like it or not they do need to learn to sit and act like ladies and not flash their crotches.

Haven't read any posts re. Twig's OP ...
Am very Pro Uniform ... a leveller as Twig says. But I think if uniform is going to work it needs to be just that ... a uniform ...
Everyone needs to wear exactly the same thing or else it looks worse than NO uniform IYSWIM?
In NZ schools vary from no uniform to expensive uniform ...
Some schools merely require the children to wear navy tracksuit pants and a green/red/blue/yellow/whatever logo'd (is that a word) t-shirt and sweatshirt from the same shop (a woolies equivalent). This sort of uniform is the best, especially for the wallet. I would go mad if we had to pick new clothes every day to wear if there was no uniform.
DS' school has a fantastic looking but shockingly expensive uniform - girls' winter tartan pinafores can only be made and cost around $200 with material and making - that is about 70 pounds. They are also dry clean only . Boys shirts (can only get them from one shop - have a compulsory stitched logo on the pocket) cost $54 (that is around 18 pounds .... and you need at least 2 to get through the week (we have 3 because DS is incredibly mucky!) ...

What I love about NZ is High School uniforms - all kids from one school look the same - no competition. Even great burly 17 year old boys have to wear shorts and long socks - they don't mind because they all have to wear it.

The Chinese communist had everyone male and female in the same clothes. It's perhaps the only true feminist clothing. I never wear trousers so I am lost to the femininst cause I suppose.

My daughters' schools had (they are both now at university) skirts only and a uniform. I just bought my twins their first school blazer. It's the first time since daughter 1 was born 22 years ago I have felt able to buy/afford a "new" blazer. I remember with the other 3 children the outings to the second hand uniform sales, taking a whole morning to save £40 or something. The economics are a bit different now and the blazers look smarter than the slightly shiny second hand ones used to look but many many children at their schools had the second hand, parents are sensible so it was never an issue.

The UK Office of Fair Trading is looking at arrangements for school uniforms at the moment because many schools force you to buy from only a few shops. I think Blair has also spoken out about some state schools who want rich middle class children get them by having an expensive uniform, astute as ever in their tactics to select when selection is supposedly banned. That I believe is to stop in the sense that parents won't be told the price of the uniform when selecting the state school.

Sit and act like ladies>?????????

Not in my Inferiority Complex, they won't. I may occasionally point out to DD1 that I can see her pants but I'm bringing up two women, not two ladies.