Calling all anti school uniform people! Help me stop my primary school making uniform compulsory!

[mousiemousie]

My dd's primary have optional uniform which almost nobody wears. A few wear the school sweatshirt sometimes. The chairman of the governors is pro uniform and wants to make it compulsory.

I am anti uniform and do not want other parents to dictate that how I spend my money and clothe my child. They are free to put their child in uniform now if they want to.

Can anyone advise me how to avoid the uniform being made compulsory?

I was supposed to have fled from this scene in my first post.

Will flee again.

Caligual - I am very confused about your DS's underpants - why he has 30, you have never bought any, but they are not 2ndhand?

30??

She's not answering you blu. She's pretending not to be here.

Could you explain her DS's pants to me then, do you think?

I won't be able to sleep otherwise.

maybe he steals them? or she steals them?

LOL. Come back to answer pants queries. My mum and aunt buy all his pants. Don't ask me why. They find themselves in the pants department of M&S and can't stop themselves buying him some.

And my aunt buys all my DD's pants as well - all Barbie and Cinderella ones.

Both buy nearly all their new clothes. And then someone gives me a sackful of clothes every 3 months or so as well.

I never buy my kids' clothes. Never need to. Except bloody school uniform!

Thank you Caligual.

LOL at your Mum and Aunt and their compulsive pant purchasing.

Pants aside, what about the fact that as far as I was aware uniform is about showing what school you belong to and take pride in that fact??

I grew up in Europe, and can say for a fact that I (nor anyone I knew) ever laughed at the British for putting primary school children in uniform. In fact we assumed it was one of the reasons the british schools were so good. Proud to be a part of the school, willing to do well because you belonged somewhere...

Forgive me if I am talking out of my pants, it is late...

I have been reading this thread with interest. As a mother of a DS who likes nothing less than to play football in break and lunch times, I thank the Lord for his school uniform. In reality it does not cost as much as if I had to replace his "home clothes" if he had as yesterday tore the knee in his school trousers. £4-5 for a replacement pair of grey school trousers vs £10-20 for his home trousers - a no brainer for me really. He himself likes his school uniform and I do believe for most children it creates a sense of belonging, like the same football strips, etc and it cuts out the teasing and bullying because a child does not have great clothes.

I probably spend £40-50 per year on DS school uniform, but a hell of a lot more on home clothes, so the economics of it all states uniform is more cost effective. The child is always coming home with mud, paint, white board markers on his clothes - I'd be very cross if he came home like this in his more expensive clothes he wears at home.

I cannot see what all the fuss is about.

Teachers at my DD's school have always said that behaviour deteriorates on mufti-days.

Sandyballs - I heard that too! (although part of it must be the excitement of having a day that is 'different' from any other...)

I grew up in Europe and was bullied because of my hand-me-down horribly old fashioned, desperately non-trendy clothes. This started as early as age 9.

Kids nowadays are even more brand-aware then I was growing up in the 70's, so for me the uniform is a safe haven.

In response to the OP - see if you can have an honest poll arranged, which reflects the opinion of the majority of the parents. If they are indeed pro-uniform than I think there is not a lot you can do. If like you they are against the uniform then some meetings between parents and head teacher must be arranged.

Hippopotami, the UK's in Europe!

DD1 has gone to school today in a bright pink cotton skirt with butterflies on it(hand me down from Tamum's DD, originally from Monsoon), stripy red and pink tights, an orange H&M fluffy cardie and a pink Sainsbury's T-shirt with a flower on it. And pink trainers.

That's about as designer as she gets - most days it's ragged and slightly mudstained jeans.

She is extremely proud of her school, really very well behaved considering she is a bouncy six year old, takes great pleasure in being part of the Skool Community, and comes top of her class.

I love uniforms for kids for many of the reasons mentioneed, but Mousie, if you want to resist it, I think you'll have to get a petition going, or get a meeting of the parents or some such.

Do you have a parents' council?

MM - would it help if you were to organise a parent questionnaire asking whether all the parents who pass through the school gates each morning are for or against uniform?

The results of your questionnaire could then be forwarded to the head, chair of governers and any other interested parties in the school (teachers, other parents who are against the uniform idea)

Then you could arrange a meeting with head, governors etc to discuss your reasons.

A lot of what has been said in these posts will probably come up in a meeting as to why you are against it, and if you have prepared yourself well, then you will be able to answer all that is thrown at you.

I personally agree with uniform. In our area all schools have uniform and it has been shown to improve behaviour of the children in and out of school as they are 'proud' of the school they attend.

Uniform doesnt have to be about boaters, blazers and ties, nor does it have to be polyester!!

My sons uniform is black or grey trousers, white polo shirt, which is 100% cotton and is of a decent thick comfy quality and a red sweatshirt which ha the school logo on it, this is also cotton. The girls wear a black or grey skirt and in the winter can choose to wear trousers.

When the whole school is assembled, such as christmas celebrations, easter etc, the sea of red children looks fantastic. Also when the class are out on a school trip, they are all easily identifiable.

Our school have a non uniform day each term when the child can wear his own clothes for a 50p contribution this always goes to charity.

My son also loves his uniform and now that he is getting older he too recognises the benefits of wearing it. Non uniform days in his class have become fashion shows and if you have the wrong trainers on (for the boys) its so uncool

we have had a few tops spoilt with black marker pens that they use on their individual whiteboards and holes in trousers from footie etc etc, but its not such a big deal as if he had been wearing home clothes and had got a hole in a £20 pair of jeans.

Ive not found that I have had to spend excessive amounts of extra money on home clothes, he has enough for the weekends and school holidays without being stupid and of course with a family of 4 the washing machine is always on anyway!

We have family in France (DH is half french) and they all think the idea of wearing a uniform, however basic is a fantastic idea and a lot have introduced uniform (white v neck shirt, blue v neck sweater and dark skirt or trousers) to prevent fashion items taking over school.

In my own experience I didnt notice what other children were wearing at junior school but by the end of my sixth form used to hate non uniform days as I was always the one with no fashion sense and last seasons shoes etc!

best wishes with your fight!

Yup sorry, I meant the continent....

Yup sorry, I meant the continent....

I said Europe in response to the poster who said Europeans laugh at UK for putting little children in uniform...

As an aside, the place I used to work changed from insisting on smart work dress to wear what you like unless you're going to visit a client. At the time I didn't think it would make any difference to me at all but hey it did.

The days I put on my suit I felt I just worked better. Some of the others in the office still wore their shirts and ties and they said that they liked the feel of getting dressed for work so that when they came home, they could change into their casual stuff and draw a line under the working part of the day.

I am pro uniform. It doesn't have to be crap but hey, if the kids care that much about it then may I suggest that clothing and fashion awareness has been given too much a priority.

As for worrying about the poor little one having to wear nasty teflon trousers!!! FFS, some kids in the world have no clothes to wear.

Perhaps it's just me but on non-uniform day I can't tell the difference between the children. The playground is a seething mass of colour.

On a normal school day in uniform I can identify the children by their faces and voices instead of being distracted by their clothes.

I am completely tied on the uniform issue.

Havind read all of the reasons below why it is a good idea, I do understand..

BUT I still hate the idea of a 5 year old having to conform to wearing what someone else (apart from me) stipulates.

They have years ahead of them having to wear whatever is the correct uniform. AT secondary school, 9th form, and at work (always a uniform in some form). Just let them be children. They look far too grown up at 5.00 in uniform (IMO)

Now having re-read my comments - I think I know what my real issue is

I hate anyone telling ME what to dress my DD in...

There, I think that is why I dislike them..

By the way my DD is only 3, so not actually got to wear a uniform yet!

The reason I am not specially interested in debating pros and cons of uniform here is that I don't think debating will change anybody's mind. I think all parents know how they feel on this subject and at most a tiny minority have views which are uncertain or open to change. So I have no intention of trying to convert anyone either on mumsnet or at my school.

Thanks to all the anti-uniform sympathisers who have posted - also to the anti-uniform people who have been generous enough to share their suggestions on how to avoid compulsory uniform at my school.

And just to confirm, "if some parents have trouble getting their kids dressed why should this mean all parents need to change their lives " does indeed relate to the perceived advantage of uniform which many parents put forward - that arguments over what to wear in the morning can apparently be avoided if there is uniform.

Perhaps teachers and parents should also wear uniform whilst on school premises including for school pick ups and make up and jewellery could also be banned for adults.. This would help to stop parents showing off and feeling jealous and improve their standards of conduct. This would help parents arrive on time in the morning because they wouldn't be wasting time deciding what to wear.

School uniforms look disgusting, come in horrible colours, nasty synthetics and people boast that they buy stuff that is so cheap that it absolutely has to be made by poverty-stricken people in sweatshops.
I have a horrible feeling that the new head of ds's school is about to bow to the vocal pro-uniform lobby.
There is absolutely no culture of showing off about clothes at ds's primary school. Discipline is fine, results are good, children are relaxed and happy. I do not want to have to buy umpteen pairs of horrible teflon trousers or waste my life washing and drying a smaller number.
I think my ds looks lovely in his clothes as he is.

And I don't wear a 'uniform' to work! I work at home, sometimes in my pyjamas. The idea that the quality of my writing would improve if I sat here wearing spike heels and a pencil skirt makes me laugh quite a lot.

I've never noticed a particular improvement in the decorum and/or achievements of those poor kids at DD1's school whose parents do send them in wearing grey Teflon, I should add.