Design & colour of uniform - does it influence your opinion of a school?

[foxtrot]

Just wondering really, especially when choosing a primary school.

A school uniform with a tie for primary age children would put me off somewhere, same as yellow sweatshirts & yellow gingham summer dresses. But not enough to not send my child there if it was where I wanted them to go. DD has the polo shirt and sweatshirt type uniform, and thank goodness for that. She has dyspraxia and if she had to have a tie to contend with and buttons on her cardigan, it would just about finish us off in the mornings.

DS goes to a nursery with a polo shirt and sweatshirt that you can buy if you want to, which is a good compromise to my way of thinking.But my main concern is that I don't need to do any ironing !

clary - are you talking school or nursery uniform - my comment was re nursery uniform - responding to Malory's post

well iota we only had uniform in school so that's what I mean.

But I recently visited a (fab) nursery school where a lot of the children are from ethnic minorities and the teacher explained they wore a uniform so their clothes were more practical - traditional salwar kameez (SP?) and saris not good for runnign about.

I thought they looked good and sensible too.

To answer the OP, no, I don't think it infuenced mine or my dd1's decision as to which secondary school she went to.

She/we chose a school which she found to be exciting and vibrant on visits, that offered a wide range of subjects and that had an open and friendly relationship between the head and pupils but with a strong vein of discipline too, which partly manifested itself in the strong adherence to school uniform policy.

So school uniform was just a part of a part of a reason i suppose.

Boaters would, I'm afraid, have me snorting and sniggering which is not the best start to a school day IMHO.

(Am dying to say 'schooliform' )

dd1s friend goes to private primary

boaters AND regulation navy pants

I think utterly riduculous and laughable

purely done so parents think they are getting something special for their money

I like uniform, as long as it's cheap and easy to care for. It stops arguments, means no decisons have to be made in the mornings and allows children to be identified easily.

In fact, thinking about it, I can't recall a single school in the three areas of Scotland we've lived in which doesn't have a uniform.

dd1 still finds buttons and things hard work
and she finds making decisions pure torture

no uniform, or a tie and shirt uniform would be hellish for her

It does influence me, I guess I must be shallow.

DS starts in private nursery in Jan at the school where DD goes, he is 3 and will be kitted out in full uniform including blazer and hat. At least EVERYONE is the same which at DD's state primary was hell as the richer parent's bought their kid's uniform from M&S and NEXT whilst mine came from Asda!

(and for those that are wondering how she is now at private, she has a nearly full music scholarship

I didn't think they would influence me, but I have just googled and have realised that it certainly does..

no way could I send DD here she would hate me forever.....

Now I will have to go and look at what uniform DD potential schools have (we will be moving 3 hrs away, so don't know the uniforms)... and that was the last thing on my mind before reading this....

Oh XENIAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where AAAAAARE you?

I know you'll have something to say on this one...

...can't wait to read everyone else's responses!

blazer and hat at 3!

full music scholarship at 3?

they are ripping you off wangle

its a money making exercise pure and simple

M&S, Next Asda Tesco....they really all look the same tho when kids are running around in the playground or in class...

yes - they must look funky and trendy - forget the 3 R's

Enid, your friend's involved in a school that has "boaters AND regulation navy pants" The pants are probably so they just have to remove outer clothes for PE without having to put on shorts and t-shirts or leotards.

I don't get the British obsession with uniforms, TBH, esp the way kids have to wear them for sports, dance, hobbies, etc. My comp had uniform colours rather than clothes and the result was about 30 horrid shades of green, ranging from olive to bottle. Gross, and pointless - you knew whose clothes came from the market, and whose were from M and S. DD's school is 50/50, and I opted for none, then got her a couple of grey pinafores as they're easy care and look neat. I'd rather she learned lots and was happy - it doesn't matter what she wears on her back to do that.

no the regulation pants are for sitting on the stage in assembly

fgs

we had to do gym in our disgusting big cotton industrial strength knickers ( we used to keep them in our PE bags and just put them on for gym)

No, not full music scholarship at 3. Believe it or not their nursery works out cheaper than the nursery DS was in. I wouldn't be changing him but his current nursery doesn't have the days I need from January.

And yes blazer and hat at 3 and they look darn cute

I wore school uniform from aged 4 to 16, I loathed it from senior school onwards and always did my best to make it look scruffier. I'd always get into trouble with the Nuns. I once accidently smahed my boater in half as I got into my fathers' car! I have always had a thing about wearing good clothes for "best" and wear my "uniform" of different T-shirts and jeans nowadays. I'm sure it stems from being in a uniform for 5 days a week even after school!. Here in France we don't have uniforms, my children all go to school in their own clothes, which can be a pain as I always seem to be washing their clothing, but I do think it gives them individuality and they look much better in their school photos than I ever did! I think in later years there can be problems with the kids wearing "named" brands in order to be cool but then there are always problems, uniform or not. If I lived in the UK, I would hesitate to send my children to a school with a revolting uniform/colour/design etc.

Although I wouldn't mind much the appearance of a uniform as long as the school is good, not having a uniform was one point against my local primary school. I agree with the advantages of the uniform as a leveller. Everyone is valued for what she/he is rather than what they wear.

Don't forget that may private schools with these full formal uniforms have smaller class sizes, so the teachers and TA are more able to help with dressing after PE, etc.

DD has full uniform complete with hat and coat (blazer and boater in summer), as many have seen,. The can't yet tie her tie but can undo it. She can do all the buttons, bar her top button - the girls help each other. She can just about manage tights, but the crotch always ends up a bit low when she doesn't get a bit of help hutching them up. Yes, it was expensive but it is good quality - you know this when you see how good a quality the second hand shop's clothes still are. Only part that is not great is the cardigan - no matter how much it is washed it is still itchy!

But we knew this was the case (cost, etc) when she went to the school - we chose the school for far more important reasons!

LOL at regulation pants My mum's grammar school when she went between 11 and 17 had bottle green pants as part of the uniform

Pants is the one part of DD's unifrm she can chose - and the fancier the better if she has her way.