School uniforms

My 3yr old grandson attends the school nursery and has to wear the school uniform complete with logo on polo shirts and sweat shirts.

He loves his uniform he says 'it makes him feel like a big boy.

Unfortunately as others have said it is expensive and is purchased via the school (nursery) '

My school wasn't unduly prescriptive about uniform. Most of us wore blazers on which we pinned house and prefects' badges. And if we were in the first XI or XV, we sewed silver cord round them. Prefects had gold cord. Apart from that, we could wear any skirt or top we liked, though many of us stuck with school ties and white shirts. In those days we had 'best' clothes for weekends and very best for Sundays.

uniform for nursery is just

I wouldn't wear green either - sensible child!

I talked this over with my DH and he said the Germans have had enough of wearing uniforms!
They wear them in the police and in hospitals, but at schools you are free to wear what shoes and jeans you like and occasionally girls have been told to cover up more in summer.
It has absolutely nothing to to with school achievements or how good the school is- In some primary schools they do have same colour tee shirts but not after 11 years old.

I hated school uniform at grammar school and think that at least after the age of 16 the school should have nothing to say about what you wear.

The country ranks way above the UK in its education system.

Perhaps.
I would like to see a chart of the correlation between those countries where pupils wear or do not wear school uniform and their world ranking in the education system.

I'm sure I could sit and work it all out if I could be bothered.

I remember when my colleague took her little daughter (3.5 years old) along to sign up for Nursery School. All went well until the Head Teacher showed them the bottle green sweatshirts with a gold logo whereupon the little one told her ' No thank you, I can't wear that, I always wear pink, that is my colour'. Teacher said, " But all the other boys and girls wear these, you will want to wear the same uniform". To which Little Miss replied "Precisely, I don't want to look like everybody else".

She did, in fact wear a pink sweatshirt, every day throughout her time at nursery. and started a fashion among the others to wear a colour of their choice. It transpired that the LA run Nursery School had no authority to insist on a particular uniform.

I bet their second-hand sale was a good one!

My daughter went to a school in Europe that only wore uniform for special occasions or trips outside of school.
So you had to buy a uniform just for high days and trips?

The UK is not the only country to have school uniform in many of its schools.

My daughter went to a school in Europe that only wore uniform for special occasions or trips outside of school.

The families and girls would laugh at your statements. My daughter likes shopping and wearing nice clothes for school she knew she had to make sensible choices. H&M have loads of fashionable clothes reasonably priced for school.

Indoor shoes were worn so parents never had to spend a fortune on shoes only worn at school.

The country ranks way above the UK in its education system.

Its much like wearing a uniform to work.
I miss that, because now I have to constantly worry about what to wear.
I could do without it.
I'm sure it must actually give the children peace of mind.

I think this idea that if children are free to choose, life will be a constant competition.
I think that even primary age children (girls) can start a heated debate at 6.30am about what they want to wear to school which can be very wearing to the parents. Having a reasonably priced uniform of trousers/skirts, polo shirts and sweatshirts or cardigans + plain shoes, which they know they have to wear, avoids unnecessary arguments.

I think this idea that if children are free to choose, life will be a constant competition. No matter how prescriptive the uniform this always happens anyway. Poor children are excluded or very recogniseable because their uniform is second hand and oftn worn or a bit small, and they will be wearing very cheap shoes. They will also see and socialise with fellow pupils outside school where these differences will be even more obvious.

My children's primary school had rules (no jeans, no track shoes, no t shirts with pictures or slogans) but otherwise wear what you like. It worked very well but in the end they had to have a uniform because parents judged whether a school was good, not on the schools achievements, but whether it had a uniform or not.

Well said Melanie.
I agree with the concept of uniform but policies are often inflexible e.g. socks must be knee length and blue not black, (we cant find any for our dgd adult size 7 shoe), it's laughable.
I think uniform can be unaffordable for many families when too prescriptive, e.g. it must have the school badge, what do they do then? ( Not funny).
Children grow so quickly too and by Christmas they often need a new things. Grans are helping out when they can, I know I am.
The Archers did a story line about school shoes with the dad in an absolute panic.

I really wanted to have a good old rummage in the schools lost property sale, but I was too embarrassed.
I seem to remember it was a bit more 'cloak and dagger' years ago.

My goodness, a sensible debate about school uniform!

Perhaps they should all wear onesies.

I have never understood the British obsession with school uniform. My experience is that the more prescriptive the uniform, the more ingenious the pupils in finding ways to look as scruffy as possible. I was extremely good at doing it
- and staying within the rules, DD likewise.

DS didn't as his (private) school had a more relaxed attitude, grey trousers, pastel or white shirt, blazer, bought from wherever we wanted. Only the school tie and blazer badge needed to be got from a specific uniform supplier. I think all school uniforms should work like this.

What's wrong with a pair of jeans/jogging bottoms, plain trainers and a T shirt, plus sweat shirt. Nothing is wrong with it and it's inexpensive and easy to replace when the little ** lose it.
I think the problem arises when there is no uniform and some of the pupils (girls especially) try to outdo each other and it becomes even more marked who are the 'haves' and who are the 'have nots'.
Some will be wearing very cheap jeans and others wearing designer ones - and that can and does give rise to bullying.

I take the point about expensive uniforms and there does seem to be a trend, not just in academies, for state schools to opt for more expensive uniforms. However, a sensible uniform with reasonable rules about skirt lengths, shoes not plimsolls , etc is more of a leveller imo.

Often it is the wealthier parents who will buy uniforms from the the second-hand shop whereas those on lower incomes will not.

We have a friend who is having to buy three lots of uniform at about £350 - £400 each for the start of this year (a state comprehensive). There is no second-hand option as yet as the uniform has just changed.

I support the uniform idea, but think a sweatshirt is a sweatshirt; as long as its plain and the right colour.
Sainsburys are selling a pack of two in my grandsons colour, for less than the cost of one with the logo.

I can remember fluking the 11+ years ago (early 1960s) and getting a scholarship to the convent grammar school. My Grandma bought my school uniform (from the specific supplier of course) as there was no way Mum could afford it. Thankfully she didn't have this problem until beyond primary school.
I totally agree with a uniform policy as it is a leveller.
However, a couple of years ago we kitted out both our little granddaughters from a local supermarket!
Pinafore dresses, polo shirts, red cardigans; plus shorts and T-shirts for PE, white socks, tights and even shoes - paying a total of about £40 per child!
Most of those clothes came in packs of two or more (polo shirts etc.) so each girl had 'spares' too.
Last year their primary school became an academy.
Now supermarket clothes are banned - replaced by cardigans/sweatshirts emblazoned with the embroidered school badge at £23 each for starters.
Our son and daughter-in-law both work really hard, doing shift work. No Disney holidays or the like for them.
Without the help of us all, they could not do their jobs, and would stand no chance of ever escaping the 'rented accommodation trap' which is their aim, but how on earth do young families deal with these extortionate costs?

I agree Iam64 I think uniform is totally unnecessary. My children went through their whole school life without wearing uniform. There was no bullying about clothes and the children themselves learnt about what were the best type of clothes to wear for different situations. In work unless you are a nurse, police officer etc we aren't told what colour socks or type of shoes to wear.

Without a uniform my children's school was able to focus on what really mattered IE teaching and behaviour as a result the school was a very happy place with few disciplinary issues because the children didn't feel the rules were pointless.
I don't understand the obsession with uniform these days it's as if some schools see them as a sign of a good quality school which they really are not!

In general terms, I like the idea of uniform but I do not think it should be as rigid or expensive as described above.

I think it has got worse since the privatisation of state schools into academy chains, with them trying to emulate posh public schools into which one has the most elaborate uniform. I’m sure it doesn’t make the kids behave better, just makes money for the private companies which run the schools. It’s all a complete racket. In countries where the kids wear what they like it tends to be jeans and t shirts, and doesn’t impact on achievement.

That's woollen socks ?

Hasn't it always been so? My grammar school uniform all had to be bought from John Lewis in Oxford Street in 1967 and apparently almost cleaned out my policeman dad's savings. Not only the usual blazer, gabardine mac, skirt, shirts, tie, complete PE kit, science overall, wooden socks and garters, indoor shoes to protect the parquet floors, outdoor shoes etc. but to add insult to injury the 'third form' (starters) had a different style felt hat to identify them as first years (although the same navy straw boater for the summer). Then add a tennis racquet, lacrosse stick, bible, book of common prayer, hymn book - I remember the arguments between my parents to this day ?
Sadly by the time my sister passed her 11 plus, they were divorced and my mum's second marriage was a poor one - she had to go to the local secondary modern in a different area where they had relocated, for which she never forgave my mum.
Not saying it's right, just that this uniform expense is nothing new. I actually like school uniforms but I think they could be a little less rigid in some cases.