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Secondary education

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Original poster

If it was down to you, would you want your child to wear a blazer?

275 replies

MrsJamin · 22/12/2013 14:37

I personally don't like them at all but am interested what others think as I'm on a group deciding school uniform for a Secondary school. Are there any manufacturers that make comfortable ones? Would it put you off a school or make you excited if they didn't have a blazer?

OP posts:
Oakmaiden · 22/12/2013 20:07

The first school my daughter went to had a school cloak - which, in fairness was worn over the blazer....

Whilst my son's current school (and most of the schools in this area, actually) has a "school hoodie" which I am decidedly "meh" about...

sadsqueaker · 22/12/2013 20:19

Oakmaiden, are you Hermione Grainger's mum? Grin
I'm not looking forward to the polyester blazer years.

Oakmaiden · 22/12/2013 20:21

Nope - although dd would like to be Hermione Granger!

The teachers hated the cloaks- - they were stupid things. The children (and they were worn from Kindergarten through to Y6) would run around in the playground with their arms tucked inside their cloaks, and when they fell (as they inevitably did) they couldn't get their arms out to protect themselves. Dd thought she was the bees knees in it though (and she did look very cute).

Kelly1814 · 22/12/2013 20:24

I used to wear one and would love my DD to.

BananaNotPeelingWell · 22/12/2013 20:36

Love my dc's uniforms: Blazers and ties. Smart and easy to wash. I wouldnt change them at all.

BananaNotPeelingWell · 22/12/2013 20:39

Coat fits over the top no problem. Well I say no problem, dd 1 (15) can hardly be persuaded to wear a coat but that's not the school or uniforms fault.

Bunbaker · 22/12/2013 20:41

PointyChristmasFairyWand Do you have a teenage daughter?

curlew · 22/12/2013 20:44

Please tell me why they have to "look smart"?

Original poster
MrsJamin · 22/12/2013 20:51

Well that's as clear as mud! One thing I have a thing about is girls dressed in clothes looking like they are intended for boys. I really hated a tie- when do women ever have to wear ties?! It makes it look like education is predominantly for boys and we will stipulate that girls have to wear as close to what suits boys as possible. It does seem as though if we do have a blazer, it should be available from several different suppliers, keep costs down and make sure it's washable. I have heard of a wave of blazering going through towns before- sounds like they are doing it for mythical reasons rather than absolute ones?

OP posts:
PointyChristmasFairyWand · 22/12/2013 20:51

bunbaker yes, I do. She has to wear a blazer because her school demands it of her. I have chosen to live in the UK so I abide by the rules. Doesn't mean I have to like it though.

She would far rather wear a polo shirt and sweatshirt, or no uniform at all.
And she most certainly does not take ages to get herself dressed on weekends and holidays. Neither did I, when I was her age. She just decides the night before what she is going to wear and lays it out - this is called common sense, and teenagers are actually capable of it.

Bunbaker · 22/12/2013 20:51

In DD's case it is because her headteacher has a "thing" about it. That said, people in the local area who have nothing to do with the school have been very positive about the way the pupils look. Previously the school did have a poor image so the new uniform has been good PR for the school.

The head teacher isn't making uniform a priority though. The school has improved in leaps and bounds since DD started there. They had the best ever GCSE results this year and have moved up from satisfactory to good and aim to be outstanding by the next ofsted visit.

I think the uniform thing is more about teaching the pupils that most places of work have dress codes that have to be observed and it is never too early to learn.

PointyChristmasFairyWand · 22/12/2013 20:53

MrsJamin the alternatives to ties for girls are unbelievably hideous though... We have a Free School in the next town which has the boys wear ties, the girls have to wear an utterly foul scarf. They look like cabin crew on a particularly naff airline, I feel for them.

I actually would not have a problem with dress codes to avoid the worst excesses of sexualised clothing, but the fetish for school uniform in the UK still leaves me bemused.

KrabbyPatty · 22/12/2013 20:53

I love my ds' blazers. They cost less than £30 and look really smart.

Bunbaker · 22/12/2013 20:54

Pointy I don't think your daughter is typical of most teenage girls. I can ask/tell/demand that DD gets organised until I am blue in the face but it does not work. She takes after her father.

finallydelurking · 22/12/2013 20:55

bunbaker I have teenager daughters and I HATE uniforms! It would be cheaper to kit them out with Hollister than the extortionate polyester I'm forced to buy from their school

PointyChristmasFairyWand · 22/12/2013 20:56

I think the uniform thing is more about teaching the pupils that most places of work have dress codes that have to be observed and it is never too early to learn

Bunbaker that is just a daft argument, I'm afraid. Hordes of teenagers in countries without school uniform seem to manage this transition just fine. Are children in the UK so dim that they need to start learning it at age 5? I think that's doing our young people down.

Bunbaker · 22/12/2013 20:58

"but the fetish for school uniform in the UK still leaves me bemused."

I think you underestimate British teenage peer pressure, and pressure from the media with regard to appearance. School uniform makes life so much easier.

Surely you must notice how many young teenage girls want to look (for want of a better phrase) trampy (DD's friends' term, not mine)

PointyChristmasFairyWand · 22/12/2013 20:59

Well, if my DD ever decides to get disorganised, then she will be facing the consequences of being disorganised and I won't be bailing her out. Tough love here, I'm afraid.

I don't know about typical teenage girls though, the lot my DD hangs out with are probably not typical at all - they're a self-selected little group of oddballs, they're all very academic and very sporty and remarkably confident about not fitting in. There are about 10 of them and they all support each other. I know DD has been very lucky to end up in a peer group like hers.

Bunbaker · 22/12/2013 21:00

"bunbaker I have teenager daughters and I HATE uniforms! It would be cheaper to kit them out with Hollister than the extortionate polyester I'm forced to buy from their school"

DD's blazer costs £30, £20 cheaper than a Hollister hoodie. I can buy black skirts and white shirts from anywhere. So for me uniform is cheaper.

PointyChristmasFairyWand · 22/12/2013 21:08

Bunbaker I don't actually see the difference between how British teens dress when they're off duty and how Dutch teens dress (this is my nearest basis for comparison as I am there most often). We had an exchange with a German school in September - a very naice, middle class and affluent German school, whereas DD's school has a much more mixed catchment. You honestly couldn't tell the German girls from the British girls by the way they dressed. Yes, it can be a bit trampy and I don't like it much, but teenage rebelliousness is just a part of life. I think the Brits need to lighten up about matters of appearance.

finallydelurking · 22/12/2013 21:13

If I could buy tops and shirts from anywhere in the assigned colour I'd be happier. It's the having to buy more expensive, worse quality than my kids would choose for themselves that gets me. That and minority of teachers who are obsessed with non-existent infringements. They're there to teach my kids not satisfy their need fo

finallydelurking · 22/12/2013 21:14

I'm UK born and bred, but agree with pointy the uniform fetish in this country is nothing short of bizarre

heronsfly · 22/12/2013 21:16

My dcs have all worn shirts ties and blazers, I like the blazers, never buy the school ones though, always Tesco or Asda and sew badge on.

PointyChristmasFairyWand · 22/12/2013 21:16

Yes, finally my biggest resentment is against the cartels in school uniform which have been allowed to develop. Don't tell me schools don't get kickbacks from selling their overpriced polyester ill-fitting crap. DD1's current uniform is almost bearable - very little compulsory logo'd stuff, it's affordable and washes well. Her previous school was much worse.

We're supposed to have a free market economy in the UK, so why are schools and uniform manufacturers allowed to get away with this?

Utterly · 22/12/2013 21:17

I like them. I know of one school that makes children wear them all the time though - even in the height of summer and I don't agree with that.