Archaic school uniform rules

[Nannyof2boys]

Hi all what are your thoughts on school uniform in secondary school as in blazer button up shirt tie jumper etc?
Why not just have plain black trousers with polo top of the school and maybe an outer jacket with school logo? Surely in today's climate its cruel expecting kids to wear all that and not just the weather the cost?

And yes, I dislike the need to get branded items. Our school also have a supplier that is over an hour away to visit the shop so you have to order online and the delivery fee isn’t cheap 😤

There's a few hot days a year. Most of the time in uk it is cold, wet and miserable.

I have never understood girls wearing ties. I never wore one. Very very few female jobs require one. (The police maybe?) Girls uniform for me was a blouse cut to a female figure with a v neck which was pared with a v-neck jumper. Smart and functional.

personally never wore a blazer either as the uniform looked super smart without it.

it is tricky now with boys. So very few work environments require a tie now. Even my family members who work in finance jobs in the city wear chinos and a just a shirt. No smart suits anymore unless something formal. So the excuse uniform is preparing kids for the work of work doesn’t really hang true anymore.

I do believe in uniform and don’t like the idea of super casual uniform but I do think there is a meet in the middle zone now.

I think school uniforms are ridiculously outdated, people don't wear pleated skirts and wool jumpers anymore, certainly not young people. However I think if people choose a school that has a strict uniform policy they should stick to the rules without complaint, whether the issue is make up, hairstyles or the actual uniform itself.

Blazers are a wash out in Scotland as weather so damp and wet

It is interesting that so many people say their kids like blazers. They became optional at my DDs school (now it is blazer or logoed jumper) and 90% of kids dropped the blazer. There is also a choice of logoed polo or shirt & tie and lots stuck with the tie (50/50ish). That might be a cost thing though as parents dont want to buy multiple polos.
Im ambivalent about uniform, but i think if it is implemented it should just be one logoed item required (tie or jumper or blazer or polo). I cant think of any sensible argument for requiring more than one. Although ties seem an odd option (few men wear them now& practically no women) they are the cheapest logoed choice. You only need to buy one for the whole time at school everything else could come from a supermarket.
When i went to high school (80s/90s) the tie was the only logoed requirement. It was the tie & school uniform clothes in school colour scheme. This was really common then (it tended to be private or religous schools that had more exacting requirements). The requirement for multiple logoed options in state school seems much more common in recent years. I really dont see what it achieves.

They’re part of our culture as a country. They’re a point of pride and neatness and distinction, school identity and self esteem. I think this kind of laziness is what leads to grown men wearing tracksuits everywhere and everyone looking sloppy and unkempt.

Also although im ambivalent about uniform and comply with it, i dont get the you choose the school dont make suggestions for change. I didnt choose my DDs school in any real sense. There was only one viable option she would be allocated and could get to. This is the same for many families. Having multiple viable options often isnt the case.

I don’t see why school uniform couldn’t just be the PE kit, as many schools allow pupils to wear this during heatwaves. It’s warm in winter and cool in summer, and makes it easier to be active and to cycle to school.

Workplaces are increasingly informal yet we persist in making children wear blazers and ties.

My DS is another one who likes the blazer as it has a zillion pockets. He also wouldn't like to swap for a jumper as needs both in winter because he's school is an old Victorian building that they can't afford to heat properly.
His school is at least sensible and says they don't have to wear the blazer or tie and can wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt from May half term (or earlier if the headteacher says).

My DD used to say she loved the blazer pockets (it was amazing what she could cram in them), but she didnt like how it looked. Being a typical teen girl when the option to drop it came along look won ever practicality.

Schools should have a selection of different items and students can pick and choose.
So if one wants to wear a blazer, shirt and tie they can.
If one wants to wear a polo and sweatshirt they can.
If one wants to wear a polo and blazer they can.
If one wants to wear a shirt and tie with a sweatshirt they can.
Trousers, shorts, skorts, culottes, skirts - whatever they prefer just in a specific colour. Skirts should be worn at a decent length.
No kilts.
No logos.
Only identifying thing would be the tie if they choose to wear one.
Mix and match.
Students can choose what they prefer, what styles suit them better and what they are comfortable in.

It is one consequence of academies. I think without them what is now required for school uniform would be less.

My opinion given the cost of uniform is that it should be replaced by a what is and what is not acceptable to wear, and the only uniform of sorts be sports kit.

My DDs just wear polo shirt, sweatshirt (both need to be with school logo), plain black trousers or skirt and that’s it. They’re allowed to wear plain black trainers too, and shorts after May half term (school PE ones or plain black).
I think it’s much better, still looks smart but they’re comfortable and it’s cheaper for parents too and makes laundry easier.

I think some school uniform rules are ridiculous, children are there to learn not look smart.

Yes, indeed - imagine giving your reasons for wanting a certain school in your application because their uniform would work out cheaper! Only to then get the closest school that was obviously always going to be the one that you would get.

We don't live in an especially rural area, but when we applied for our DS's high school, we supposedly had three options and were encouraged to use them all, but there were only ever two realistic contenders and the other one would have been ridiculously far from where we (and everybody else in our part of the town) live.

I think "they" should get rid of the school logos on uniforms. I never understood the point of it. The kids know which school they go to, the parents know which school their kids go to but, hey, lets just make some random aware of which school a child goes to. Surely that's a safeguarding measure, a dubious character sees a young teenage girl in her uniform and knows exactly which school gates to hang around at the end of the day.

Really! It cost my daughter £450 to kit my granddaughter out for secondary school.

I don't understand it either about logos.
If a student is representing their school in a team event or something they could have a badge/t-shirt available that they can wear but when in public why do they need to be advertising which school they attend.

Both of my run hot children are hating blazers (blazers are polyester) they got hot sweaty and uncomfortable quickly. My oldest who struggles any way also hates the restricted nature of the blazer. He has trouble with handwriting and uses his shoulders a lot so really noticed.
But he accepts it what school has asked for although has made valid point that all secondary schools he could go to have blazers so he actually doesn't have a choice.

There’s a school in the next city to us that just has a dress code and it seems to work really well. I think it must be so much easier.

Our school is polo and sweatshirt. They’ve done several surveys asking if students and parents would like a change and it’s always a resounding no

I’m increasingly of the view that it’s completely pointless. My children manage to go to holiday camps in appropriate clothing so could equally manage that at school as could most children. I suspect a lot of children would actually do much better in their own clothes and I think in primary you’d see more girls in shorts and leggings rather than dresses. Trainers would also be more sensible for young children than school shoes.

Teens getting sent home from school for having a skirt 2cm too short or a shirt untucked is also a scenario that seems crazy. Schools should be there to educate and not go completely crazy over dress code. Now obviously if someone is totally taking the piss then fine but there is so much that is absolutely anal. I’ve always thought the ‘preparing for work’ argument was stupid. Many of them will be off to university before formal work when for at least 3 years they will have no dress code at all. Did their uniform at 12 really prepare them for the workplace? Absolutely bloody not.

I didn’t grow up with school uniforms. And I’m quite happy with them. Although having just started secondary my son is swimming in his blazer as they didn’t have his size in stock.

I hardly need to buy him clothes because he wears the uniform Monday to Friday. The initial outlay stings but over the years it is super economical.

I do think it diminishes a lot of the bias based on fashion. Sure cliques and biases still form but they require more than superficial judgements.

it’s weird seeing the kids out of uniform in their own clothes. Particularly after year 6. They look so much older (but not always wiser).

Thank you 😊 I can't believe the crazy people who must have more money than sense to want to make the kids wear blazers etc. I said exactly this to my oh the other day, adults don't dress in ties & blazers so why make kids do it. If the kids were more comfortable in their uniform and not terrified of sanctions for forgetting their tie or something maybe they'd be more productive at school. My colleague told me that his boy at Whitchurch high in Cardiff got detention for forgetting his tie! Detention! No wonder kids get anxiety. School should focus on useful skills rather than pointless clothing items

Bloody hell that's ludicrous! I think if a kid has absolutely no interest in sport etc then don't make them do pe. If there's an obvious health issue and the kid needs a little exercise then there's other ways to address it than forcing pe on them. I had 0 interest in pe at school and bunked off on those days. Instead of the school letting kids focus on what interests them they do a 1 size fits all