School Uniform - Love it or hate it.

[GrumpyOldHorsewoman]

Personally loathe uniform, probably because I always had to wear one, even in sixth form. My reasons are this:

1. Strips you of every individuality. Remonds me of old images of communist China - everyone the same.

1. When you realise at 10pm on Sunday evening that DCs have not put their uniform in the washing basket on Friday and you have to stay up late to get it washed (they can't wear it in it's disgusting food-drenched state.

1. Paying £14 (I kid you not) for DD2's logoed school polo shirt (she is in NURSERY school) and £15 for a cardigan made of sweatshirt material.

1. It's always polyester, and girls' school trousers are fucking hideous.

I don't buy that crap about not being able to differentiate between the haves and have nots if they all have to wear the same. Social divide is just as easy to spot in school uniform, and wearing the right trainers/shoes/jacket/bag is an issue even when the rest of them is clad in black and white polyester, so what's the excuse? And what has happened to non-uniform schools - where have they gone? Even all the nursery schools around here have uniforms. Urgh. Hate it.

peegeeweegee - have to agree with you there, I'm afraid. The results of the UNICEF survey certainly don't affect my children - they have a very happy childhood - but I hate seeing the way some people treat their kids. Equally bad imo is the way some parents act as though the child can do no wrong - turning them into aggressive, self centred thugs.
One of the things I like best about my own children is that they have great regard for other people. A couple of weeks ago a boy in ds2's class had a full blown epileptic fit. ds2 (age 11) was horrified and scared, but he said that everyone else was sitting just staring so he jumped up and held the boy round the shoulders and eased him down to the floor so that he didn't bang his head as he fell from his chair. Luckily one other child helped him. I was so proud of him - he felt like running away but overcame his fear because he knew that the other child needed help.

I love it. Removes all requirement for thought. No clothes battles, no worrying about inappropriate clothing, no stress about someone else having better stuff.
Call me lazy, but it does keep life simple.

love it, removes the capitalist competitiveness down to shoes and trainers only.

which is quite a burden off a person who has 3 teenagers i can tell you

I think uniforms are great as long as every piece doesn't have to come from Schoolkit or wherever.
My kids aren't old enough yet but I can only imagine what a PITA it is getting your kids ready in the morning if they're fannying about deciding what to wear or you're having to fight with them to abandon some utterly inappropriate choice.

love it for the convenience, but don't buy the polyestery stuff - the girls wear boys' cords etc. (agree about dreadful girls' uniform trousers - the skinny bootcuts don't fit my children, and they wouldn't keep anyone warm in winter), and cotton polo shirts with cotton or wool cardies.
They don't need clothes to be individuals.

Hate school uniforms. They stifle creativity, individuality and frankly make kids look awful there is nothing smart about them. When there are days at school for kids to wear what they want they look so much better and actually smarter. Also I cant tell the difference between them when they are out of uniform but in it I can.

I went to what was considered a 'posh' school. It wasn't - it was a state comprehensive that got good results but, being in London it was surrounded by other schools of a lesser calibre whose pupils practically sought us out as targets, which was pretty easy in our uniform. DD has just experienced her first taste of such in secondary school, where a gang of kids from the other secondary school have set about some boys from her school. They are easy targets once they leave the school premises, easily identifiable by their uniform. Uniform may solve one problem, but it creates another - it's almost as good as whether your bandana is red or blue in LA by letting everyone know where you belong.

"They stifle creativity, individuality"

In what way? Do you have examples of how you mean?

I ask this because I was a teacher for 9 years working in schools with uniforms, and saw NO stifling of creativity and indivudality. Am genuinely interested in why people think this is the case. Also, does this then also apply to adults working in jobs with uniforms and dress codes - does it supress them in the same way?

actually, I think they do the opposite. My children couldn't give a monkey's about smearing paint all over their uniform, whereas dd1 in particular might feel differently about a cherished dress. I think uniforms positively encourage creativity.

there are the odd parents who genuinley think that their child would be immune to the "everyones got one and i haven't" whinge/ bullying.

yes manipulationby child who professes to be social pariah beucase they dont have the latest......xxxxx

some parents genuinley believe that their children wouldnt be involved in this

they probably wouldnt as the parent wouldnt entertain the childrens pleas - making said creative children that 'odd' kid

either that or the parent does give in - and there follows another type of uniform - the brand

Love it - DD is a complete pain in the arse when it comes to getting dressed and taking the choice out of it fior her can be nothing but a god send.

Luckily at the preschool nursery they have just bought in uniform too and so DS who at 2 now tells me that he won't wear certainthings will have no choice but to do as he is told too!!

I don't not having uniform increases creativity - I'm always seeing groups of pubescent girls in town at weekends in identical outfits. Truly creative types are generally odd anyway, if you had one you'd probably worry about them not fitting in - as a parent you cannot win so go for the cheapest option!

fortyplus - your ds sounds great!

I can't quite get my head around the 'uniforms stifle originality' idea.

My ds is only 7 and in year 3. All the children in his school (in a relatively affluent area) express originality through their hair some have short, some like my ds longer, the girls use alicebands/hairclips/hairbands/bandannas etc, they express originality through the things they take to school - the majority take shoot-outs, my ds and his friend took a joke book and mouth organs!!

On non-uniform days the majority of children wear nice, well fitting, clean clothes. But a small minority turn up in dirty, ill fitting clothes, and they stand out like a sore thumb. At least having a (simple) uniform protects them from this.

I went into our local town at the weekend. There was a huge group of goths/emos there, all wearing the same type of clothes, and the same checkerboard pattern plimsolls. They seek out some sort of uniform to 'belong' to a group.
To me school uniform does just that - it 'unifies'! [cheesy grin]

peegeeweegee - You won't be surprised to hear that most of the kids at my sons' school have short, gelled hair, but mine have grown theirs past their collars!
ds2 came home the other day saying 'The girls in my class love my hair - they were combing it, stroking it and putting it in bunches today!'.
He wears a uniform but he's an individual!

forty - my ds is just the same!! He has his hear nearly to his collar (the longest in the class) and has the girls clamouring to be his 'girlfriend' as they love his hair (and his non-football personality - he stands out, and at the moment that is a positive thing)

hair, not hear

He'll go far

I well remember a lovely girl in year 11 complaining that 'I can't concentrate in uniform , miss. It is impossible to concentrate on stuff if you have to wear a uniform. We would work harder if we could wear when we liked'

I told her 'I must tell my husbad that. How on eart does he manage to concentrate enough to fly an aircraft costing £100million'

She thought for a bit and then burst out laughing! 'You git me , miss'

It really doesn't stiffle creativity or individuality. I must have now taught over a 1000 teenagers (gasp!) and they have all been individuals

I love it - ds1 looks smart and gorgeous in his - all the kids do. Frankly he doens't give a monkey's what he's wearing so it certainly doesn't affect his ability to be individual or creative.

And how on earth do you realise at 10pm on Sunday night that you haven't sorted uniform out?! Blimey! People just need to get organised!

I love school uniforms (dd doesn't start school til Sept but both of the two possible schools have uniforms)

My school had a really good second hand shop I used to get all the expensive things eg blazer, coat, skirts there. Surely schools still do this?

Oooh, no, dear God, not man made fibres?! How will our little darlings cope?

Bloody hell, who cares?! God, parents really can find the smallest thing to moan about can't they, when it comes to school? Nothing is ever right - it gets on my bloody nerves.

It's not really going to kill them or affect their education is it? Blimey.

Man made fibres... yes a polyester blazer looks horrible, but my 2 get so sweaty lugging all their stuff home from school that I'm just pleased I can throw the blazers in the wash on Friday otherwise they would stink!

Ds's uniform is a nightmare, though very smart. Its the pe kit that is the biggest trauma, rugby kt+ boots, indoor pe vest and shorts+trainers, Outdoor trainers+ tracksuit. costs a small fortune, only available from school shop, always getting lost. Honestly you would think he was in the army. Hes only 9.We send him privately, so its our own silly fault, but its the thing i like least about the school. His kit gets sent home every Friday for washing - when i was at school it was once a term! this was a little manky though...

moopymoo - we only get DD's lunch apron sent home weekly. PE kit, ballet outfit and art apron gets sent home at the end of each half term. But not really dirty anyway - no rugby for DD!