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 they wonder why kids get anxiety

You take your bag! What a ludicrous argument for blazers! We didn't wear blazers we took our bag to the bog. But answer me something, is it OK for ads for period products in graphic red liquid pouring onto the pad or women covering their arse because of oh my gush, yet a girl at school can't just grab a pad & go to the loo? Anyway most government job loos these days supply pads for free don't they? And private sector.

5 days 5 school years
That's what we did in our comp in the 80s
2 pitches for rugby & football netball & hockey etc
Anyway when we got to 4th year in comp we could ditch pe & games but now all kids are made to do it wether they want to or not.
The only compulsory subjects after options are chosen should be maths & English. I don't even think science should be compulsory if you have no interest or intention of using it.
We had 3 compulsory subjects English maths & re because was a church school then we chose 5 options of things we wanted to study and were interested in. Nowadays it's the reverse and only 3 options. My oldest has not used science of any sort to this day and neither of my kids used any form of sports

Actually the last time I worked somewhere with a uniform ( admittedly 25 years ago and in a different country, which interestingly didn’t have school uniforms) they provided the basic uniform but if you wanted a jumper, waterproofs or anything you had to wear the ones with the company logo ( and buy them yourself). This was not great as it was a minimum wage job working outside.

Excuse me but my oh wears a shirt & trousers to work and looks smart without a tie, they used to wear one but the company dropped the requirement. I work at a University and I don't think I see any lecturers wearing ties in fact I don't see any of them in shirt & trousers either its all jeans etc. My boss wears jeans & shirt no tie. A tie has a place nowadays like a formal occasion.
And no most men don't wear tracksuits looking unkempt well not where I live

Who is doing that? Name and shame - because that is not what school uniform guidance or cost of uniform documents. Unless it's one of the 4 compulsory branded items required. And then there should be second hand uniform sales on a regular basis.

Mine went to schools that had no uniforms but seemed to have an unofficial uniform of jeans, t shirt, hoodie and converse. I much preferred it to the brief time in primary when they had a uniform, as we never seemed to have enough of anything clean!

I'm all for recycling etc but second hand uniform is just another way to cause division isn't it? Why should kids have to have 2nd hand stuff shouldn't the uniform be affordable in the 1st place? I'd rather buy new & get the wear from it. 2nd hand kids clothes have been through the rough & tumble and don't look new no matter what. I used to buy a size up & they got 2yrs from it if didn't go missing. When they grew out of uniform I gave it to the school for spares

It doesn't work like that, you go where you live in the catchment area or are you one that lies about your address or moves to where it suits you? Not everyone has that luxury

How on earth is limiting branded items where there is zero flex on price discriminating against poorest families?! It’s doing the opposite! It means you can 3 shirts for £6 in ASDA instead of £15-20 per branded shirt in the school shop.

@BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrowsthe kid who has no sweatshirt is getting no sweatshirt either way. And if it was part of formal uniform and missing they would be in detention becuse their parent is poor

Heat wise our school just offers PE kit once a certain temperature is forecast to hit. Works well.
Only 2 branded items needed-blazer and PE top. Loads of free second hand uniform held. Again, feels reasonable.

I think a lot of posters live in London where catchment areas don’t really exist. It’s much more complex as there are so many schools

Have you forgotten what it’s like to be a teenage girl? They are still mortified by periods - in a way that adults (surprise surprise) fully grow out of.

I like them. No one complained years ago about them. I'd hate to see kids wearing joggers to school.

School uniform in its current form is insane. The British are weirdly obsessed with it and I think it's to do with the old class system/trying to emulate traditional old private schools. I absolutely hate it.

Never again in their life especially will most girls wear ties, why make them? My husband earns well and is successful and I have never seen him in a bloody tie. Formal dress to learn the basics is so weird. I agree uniform is a leveller and I don't disagree with that on principle but no need for it to be blazers, shirt and tie etc. An ideal uniform would include comfort and a pair of trainers not formal shoes which are actually bad for feet- ask a podiatrist.

If I were redesigning it then it would be inclusive- comfortable for SEN kids, unisex- no skirts just standard comfy trousers, and easy to move in for an increased curriculum of physical activity which would benefit mental health.

It never fails to amaze me how many people are for rigid, formal and frankly ridiculous uniforms that make all the kids look like concierges in hotels. It's bloody ridiculous.

And yet when I went to school in the 70s we all wore uniform (including uniform socks!) and I never heard of a kid having "anxiety".

However where I live - not the UK - schools have summer and winter uniforms and none of these ridiculous rules about having to wear blazers on hot days.

I think kids look really nice in school uniforms (although having said that some UK uniforms I've seen are horrible, why so much grey?) and I was always proud to wear mine.

My kids have always had second hand where I can (branded items) - half of uniform sold on school second hand sales are lost unmarked unclaimed items - some are practically brand new.
I buy from Facebook market place too locally. And on parent groups. It doesn't cause division because how do other kids know if it was brand new when my kids got it or if they had had it for a while.
I also have 3 kids so there are lots of hand me downs.
I also give away old uniform if it's still in good condition. Either through school or via facebook or to friends.

What do they do in London?

Because back then it was simple and no shop had a monopoly on the uniform

You get 6 choices and hope one of your 6 is the school you get.
If you don't get any of your 6 you get allocated a school where there is space - usually within your borough but sometimes it can even be out of the borough.
Even with all the choices the school your child ends up at isn't actually your choice (although most will get one of the 6).

I took my bag to the loo! Are you trying to say that every teenage girl gets her period in the middle of a lesson every day every school etc? Answer the question is it ok to show graphic ads for period products on tv when kids are watching who then ask what it's all about but a teenage girl can't just discreetly grab her bag & go to the loo?

I think the idea of ties has just persisted for a very long time and people have only recently woken up to the fact that it isn't 'because it look smart'; but it's basically 'because that's what we've always done without questioning it'.

Thankfully, it's gone/going the same way as things like women being expected to keep a sparklingly clean front doorstep at all times - we've realised that something that's made of dull stone and designed to be stepped on is absolutely fine if it looks like dull stone that's been stepped on, as long as it isn't smeared with dog poo or whatever!

It reminds me of the old Enid Blyton books where children call their own fathers 'Sir'. So pointlessly formal and silly. Have we really seen children turn feral over the last decades as a direct result of calling him 'Dad' instead?!

I've heard of several schools near us that do it. They know what the law is, so this is their way of totally ignoring the spirit of it and technically keeping in line with it.

It’s really not cruel. What a ridiculous thing to say.
My DS’s school are very strict on uniform and I fully support it. It sets a clear baseline for expectations which link to behaviour.
They have to wear a shirt, tie, jumper and blazer but teachers will allow them to remove their blazer when it’s warm. Kids don’t really complain tbh. They know what’s expected.

A school locally is nowhere near as strict and the kids look scruffy with untucked shirts and top buttons open.