Uniforms

[Haberdashery]

I'm curious to know what others think of uniforms for primary school children. Does it make your life easier? Do your children like wearing a uniform? Is there a downside? Has it proved expensive for you? And how strictly is your school uniform enforced? Or do your children attend a school without a uniform?

The reason I ask is that our local school which has always been non-uniform is thinking of introducing one and I am quite against it (it's one of the reasons I picked this school).

It seems to me that lots of countries get by fine without uniforms and there doesn't seem to be any sensible evidence that they improve academic outcomes (which I think may be where the school is coming from). I also think that it's nice for children to wear their own comfortable and colourful clothes at school.

But I'm interested to hear from other parents as I've never had a child at a school with a uniform so I don't know what the reality of it is like.

I love School Uniform! Makes life so much easier.

Can't stand these whingers I read on here going on about how "horrible" or "cheap looking" the sweatshirt cardigans are or how they wish they could send their kids in kooky little outfits every day! Who the hell has got the timefor that? And really don't they have enough parenting decisions to make without obssessing about their childs fashion profile?

Definatly pro uniform. Don't havetime or energy in the morning to argue with 2 children about what they want to wear. PLus they look smarter. Mind you I live in a fairly 'poor' area (apparently) and when all the children are dressed alike, none of them can tell that their parents have more/less money than anyothers iyswim. PLus, DS2, who started reception this year looks so damn cute in his shirt and tie!! IMO the school isnt strict enough, ie they can wear shirts, plain polo shirts or polo shirts with school logo on, shirts can be blue or white, jumpers can be plain or logoed.I prefer shirts, not polos as uniform. Just the way I am :)

I have seen both sides of this coin in primary. My dd had no uniform in her primary until Y6 when a new head brought it in.
There were never behaviour problems in the days of no uniform, no inappropriate dressing and no competitiveness about clothing either. No uniform was great.

Uniform was unecessary and depressing. Other countries don't find it necessary to dress their young children in quasi military uniform, why on earth do we?

Uniform is not the appropriate answer to problems parents may have in getting their children dressed in the morning. This is the fault of lazy or inadequate parenting. Part of growing up is being able to select what to wear on your own.

uniforms are a part of life though arent they? I have to wear a uniform for work and have done in all the places Ive worked over the years. I think having to wear a school uniform can prepare a child for adult life, you know, going to work etc. All this bollocks about stifling individuality etc, I would be sacked if i refused to wear a uniform.

Looks neater anyway, Some kids look awful on non uniform days (mine included) cant always afford the latest fashions for them, uniform is much cheaper

I've never had to wear a uniform anywhere I've worked. In fact, I've never had to even wear anything particularly smart. I've always just been able to wear whatever was comfortable for me to work in (within obvious constraints, I mean I wouldn't wear a bikini, for instance). So uniforms haven't been a part of my life at all, since the age of 11. I wonder if not wearing one at secondary school had some kind of effect on my future choices!

Also, I've been looking at local children in their uniforms over the past couple of days, since I started wondering if we would have to have one at our school, and honestly I don't think they look terribly smart at all. The private schools look pretty smart with their shirts and ties and blazers (but I'd hate that kind of uniform for reasons of comfort and practicality, esp for very small children) but tbh the polo shirt and sweatshirt type of uniform doesn't look at all smart to me, though it does look reasonably comfortable.

For me, smart is not the point for primary school children.

It is ensuring that all children come to school in decent, comfortable, appropriate, warm clothes that do not mark out the 'cool' from the 'uncool' or the poor from the rich, and which are cheap enough to be accessible for all families. It is about giving a feeling of belonging - not important in schools with stable populations, perhaps, but when a large proportion of children are transient members of the school it is critical.

well I work in retail so no choice there. Police, firemen/women, nurses, paramedics, manufacturing, retail all wear some kind of uniform. My mum works for the police (not an officer though support staff) and doesnt wear a uniform but wishes they did as she is in her early 60's and is competing with a lot of other bitches in her office who slag each other off for wearing unfashionable clothes

I was terribly bullied in school for wearing awful clothes on non uniform days as my parents didnt have a clue about fashion

exactly teacher.. thats the point i'm trying to make

oh gosh yes a uniform. Cuts out the stress/discussions about what to wear each day, saves their normal clothes for decent, no/limited competitiveness with what each other is wearing (or between some parents), keeps the haves/have nots from all being highlighted.

teaches children a certain level of pride in appearance and presentation.

I think it is a great leveller - also no arguments about what is worn!

For me personally it was probably a good thing when I was growing up

I like our primary uniform - bog standard supermarket polos/trousers/shorts/skirts/dresses. There are school logo'd sweatshirt/fleeces and cardies. Yes to having more laundry in the holidays.

I definitely don't see it stifling any child's individuality, I am reminded of a Thelwell cartoon of a bunch of school girls, different heights and sizes, wearing their skirts at different heights and also their ties in different ways "I hate how school uniform makes us all look the same".

I find uniforms a real pain, they are not easy to buy the skirts are to short and the triusers are way to big in the waist, they look awful and are in drab colours.

Then lot of letters home about the uniform all the time, this isn't right or that isn't right and they send home the letters to all the dc in the school, ties not being worn properly or skirts to short or tights the wrong colour.

Such a waste of time and paper.

I am sure that in France, Nederlands and Germany and most of the rest of Europe the children don't try on lots of outfits every day - they just put on their clothes and go to school

hate hate hate school uniforms, but from a country where none of the school children wear school uniforms.

our primary voted for uniform a few years ago - i was so pleased. When my dd was there the teasing she endured through not wearing all the trendy sketchers trainers and all gap and next clothes made her really self conscious. It's sooo much easier in the mornings and safer out on school trips

Reminds me of a story I read, written by/ about some schoolchildren from my country who were all in favour of schooluniforms "like in the UK". They quickly changed their mind after visiting some states school in London.

I hate uniforms, and IMO none of the arguments in favour stack up:

It's a leveller and prevents bullying - nonsense, bullies will always find a reason to bully, and financial differences will express themselves in who has the better shoes, bag, mobile etc.

It improves behaviour - no evidence for this, and I don't see hordes of feral school age kids running around in countries where there is no uniform

It prepares them for the world of work - really? Many 6th form colleges have no uniform. Universities certainly don't. So they spend umpteen years being 'prepared for the world of work' and then spend 5 years having all that undermined... Do we really think that young adults entering the workplace are all stupid enough to think they can turn up in the workplace in full Emo gear?

And don't even get me started on school sole suppliers - rip-off merchants selling polyester crap for ridiculous prices. If you must have school uniform, it should be along the lines of a dress code - set the colours to be worn, but keep away from logos.

I'm finding this thread really encouraging though - I started a thread on the way DD1's school is introducing blazers next year and the blazer lovers' brigade came out in force. Why can't we let children be children? At least there are some sane people on here. It's a shame we aren't all in the same area, we could set up a free school and Michael Gove would love us - although we would not have uniform.

Definitely a fan here. By year 5 believe me, school will be a fashion parade for some of the girls. My niece in particular I'm afraid is of the " got to have the right shoes and do my hair like the other girls say" (she's year7 now and at middle school so I think it started with wanting to win the approval of the big girls when she started there) .

Uniform based on supermarket type clothes is cheap and very practical. I think it's worth including shoes not trainers or boots as DH worked in a primary that didn't specify and he had some awful footwear that was sent as "suitable".

Boys actually like blazers , though of course they couldn't be required at state primaries. All those pockets for all the ephemera of boyhood.

I never thought I'd say this, because I always thought I was anti-uniform, but it does make my life easier. My dd couldn't wait to get a uniform and she loves wearing it, so there is no debate about what she wears in the morning. I've also found uniform much cheaper than buying ordinary clothes as I used to spend a forture on them, many of which never got worn because dd decided she didn't want to wear dresses etc.

yes it makes life easier esp in the ams , helps them to feel on an equal footing

but it is expensive.
and 4 year olds look so corporate somehow

but yes i am pro uniform

Haberdashery: I went to a secondary school without uniform and never noticed/experienced any disparaging of anyone's clothes based on brand or price (and this was a super-expensive selective girls' school).

On the other hand, I went to a selective, but not private, secondary school. There was uniform through the lower years but once into the higher reaches of the school you could wear your own stuff. And it was hell on earth for those who didn't really follow fashion and never quite got it right. I do wonder whether you are right and if there had never been uniform, no-one would have minded. However, maybe we just had bad luck (and a nasty set of girls with nothing else to worry about) - if you wore your uniform a bit 'wrong' they could be spiteful about that, so I think uniform saved many years of aggravation. This was secondary though, not primary.
I have no issues with uniform, even for primary. As someone who works with kids on school visits at tourist attractions, and therefore doesn't know the class, they are a life saver when you are trying to manage the group in a busy place - look for the right coloured jumper. Obv the teacher is there as the priniciple person to do that but I like to be involved and earn my money and it helps to know which children I'm supposed to be chasinghelping with their work. Have had a number of embarrassing incidents now where I have accosted a non-uniformed child who I thought I recognised about where their clipboard/partner/group is, or have they got the answer to this question as they are in the right place to find the answer, only to be told by a parent that the child is NOT with a school but on holiday (so leave them alone, you weirdo!).

DS is at a school with a simple uniform. there is school logo sweat shirt etc but they can wear plain navy and plain white or blue polo/ shirts.

I have not yet bought him a brand new pair of trousers or shorts or sweatshirt, all have been hand me downs or charity shop.

I like uniform, ease of getting same clothes out each morning and no arguments about what he is wearing. Grey shorts and navy sweatshirts seem to shrug off the dirt of the playground and park too which is handy. School are quite relaxed about it so there is plenty of variation in exactly what each child is wearing they are not little clones.

I never had a uniform growing up and always hated them in principle. I don't like how it makes me think they all look like sheeple, - with a look-alike, think-alike attitude.

DD is now in Reception class with a fairly formal uniform (winter uniform is grey pinafore/skirt with white shirt and a neck bow - straight proper tie for boys) and I'm okay with it on the practicality grounds.

What I like:

1. She looks so CUTE in the uniform! Superficial, but I like it.
2. It has saved a lot of hassle of what she's going to wear every day. A lot, as DD of age 4 has Carrie Bradshaw outfit tendencies. "No, not the pink skirt, the one with the pink dots!" This point can't be underestimated.
3. Despite a fairly formal uniform, there's enough variety to provide at least some change, so it's not too boring, wearing exactly the same thing every day.

What I don't like:

1. I still have a bit of sheeple thing about uniforms.
2. I spent around £150 on uniform & shoe bits, and this was buying the things I could at Asda, Tesco, etc. There's no way I would have spent that much on her clothes this year otherwise, as we have loads of handmedowns from her cousin. We aren't hard up, but it still grates.
3. I don't see why the teachers don't have to wear a uniform. Japanese companies where the people wear uniforms, the bosses wear them too. Are they not part of the school team, working together with the children?

Some of DSs school teachers DO wear uniform, at least on PE days when they wear a school logo T-shirt and tracksuit trews.