It's only March, but I've bought the school tie....

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

.... because I know it's going to take me this long ( 5 months ) to teach DS how to tie the bloody thing!

Progress will be slow. Will we ever get there!!
I wish secondary schools did not have ties and if they did they should be like the fire service and clip on ones.

Actually I don't think they really need ties anyway

Am despairing already. Anyone care to join in in despairing?!

I like school ties- maybe I'm used to them as ds wears one already as part of his uniform.
Laces were the buggar in our house- thankfully mastered.
I am tempted to get ds's new secondary uniform at Easter......

come over here

FWIW my yr6 dd has had a tie for years and she still can't do it properly. Worse, she is incompetent at putting her own tights on!

Tights are a blooming nuisance ... That's for sure.

We have mastered laces but DS doesn't actually care if they are done up or not.

I couldn't have lived with a school tie every morning at primary. We'd have had to go elsewhere!!

When ds started at secondary the P.E teacher used to do all the lads ties up after p.e for them.

I had a cunning plan though .....I bought 2 ties and had one already 'tied' resdy to slip over his head after P.E.

I have heard of this sliding up and down of ties but I have a feeling ds will get in a right pickle!

Absolute madness having uniform,never mind ties .
Most jobs don't demand a uniform ,it's an English schools obsession.
Bonkers.

Big bloody bonkers Violet. DH has a v good tie free job.

What I really don't like though is girls in ties. What's that all about?

I'm afraid I see it as a mistaken way of establishing discipline/showing who's boss.
Frankly I think petty rules create an atmosphere of bullying - the children see that those who have power are able to force people to abide by meaningless rules ,simply as a demonstration of power .
I'm sure that there are more important things for teachers to spend their time arguing about than ties.

I think I might dare to disagree .

Uniforms used correctly allow all students regardless of home finances to look smart.

The school has a communal feel about it.

It stops the business of teenagers worrying about clothes.

I think uniforms help 'respect' of school and of your own personal dress.

If I hadnt had a free school uniform and had had to rely on my own wardrobe school would have been a very miserable affair for me.

I think that a school that adopts a strict uniform policy and remains strict can make school days much happier.

Actually I am all there for strong uniform codes, BUT I do question the need for ties especially on girls.

Fortunately DS has just made a half decent attempt at his new tie. So maybe I did buy it too early. I thought it would be a nightmare!

My experience is that many schools don't correctly/sensibly enforce uniform rules .
DC's school ,as one small example ,has a policy which states on the hand that shoes with any logo are not acceptable ,but that Kickers are .
And they are quite happy to put a student in internal exclusion for the day because wearing wrong sort of shoe ,despite note from parent that school pair soaked going home day before .
My experience also that teenagers will still find a way to be competitive about clothes and that it's still possible to pick out the children from low income families ,even though they are in school uniform.
IMO it is not necessary to wear a uniform in order to respect yourself or your school .

Violet queen I well understand what your saying and agree that many schools really do 'overdo' the policy,having 2 teenagers I know that the little nike tick discreetly hidden casts out the 'have-nots' but as a very 'poor' child myself I know how a uniform helped me fit in.

I've seen plenty of primary children learn to tie a perfect double windsor in the first year - so maybe March was a bit early for secondary

ds1 struggles with anything physical. It took him years to learn to do laces. I thought ties would be similar, but he actually caught on very quickly. Mostly he loosens it and slips it over his head, but he could very soon do a tie from scratch very passably in just a couple of minutes. So don't stress about it too much.

dds school don't have ties- they have lovely rever collar blouses, which are very smart over v necked jumpers.
I LOVE uniform!!!

thirtypence - have you met my son????!!!!!!

Cannot believe it but he's got a dirty mark already on the tie