school uniform

I think it's unfair to have such a complicated and expensive school uniform for young children.

When I was at school, there was a suggested school uniform but only two of the (better off) girls in the class wore it - which seemed a bit pointless to me.

I like the idea of a simple, practical secondary school uniform (that doesn't have to be bought from a specialist shop) but I don't really know why because I'm not a great fan of conformity.

DD was at a school where the uniform had to be purchased from John Lewis and she was at the school from 11 to 18. I was amazed to find that the blazer and duffel coat I bought at eleven lasted her the duration of her time there. Horrendously expensive but very good quality plus the fact that she actually got slimmer as she aged was a bonus.

A thought: if secondary schools made denim jeans, trainers and a sweatshirt or t shirt the school uniform, would these items goes out of fashion?

I see no point in uniform. Looking back at my school days I deliberately looked as scruffy as I could without actually breaking any uniform rules. My speciality was having obviously worn out but very obviously repaired school uniform. For some reasons our head mistress had an obsession with children not being extravagant and putting their parents to unnecessary expense and I was thus neatly able to turn her own recommendation into a form of rebellion.

DC's primary school did not have uniform but it did have rules governing what the children could wear at school, plain T shirts, and, 40 years ago, no jeans and no trainers. DS's secondary school was similar; dark trousers, white or pastel shirt, dark sweater and school tie.

I think this approach is much better. When children leave school and go out to work they will need to know how to dress appropriately for interviews, for work and for all the other occasions in life when event specific clothing is required. As for the fashion/competing argument. They are going to do this anyway. Children socialise outside school, in school they will compete with technology; mobile phones, tablets etc etc. It is a nice idea that uniform makes children uniform but it doesn't.

I didn't see the point off school uniform for little ones when I was a reception teacher. (Although it did help on school trips.). However, I think at secondary school it gives children something harmless to get indignant about. Teenagers love to object to things!

Good point rockgran, about teenagers and harmless rebellions. At my secondary school we wore navy berets, and like Aka, we all subverted this. I used to fold mine into a long, thin shape, and fix it on the back of my head with kirby grips. The next trick was to backcomb my hair, so it largely covered the beret. Result - and we didn't get detention for that either.

The only reason I can see for uniforms at primary school particularly, is to make life easier for all concerned. The notion of expensive private school type skirts and blazers makes me cross. It ought to be possible for all school clothes to be bought locally, from a supermarket, or market stall - cheap and cheerful

I know when I go to pick up my twin grandsons at school today, there will be the usual confusion about whose jumper they've got, where ties have gone, how come they've got the wrong school bag again. So many parents don't label the uniforms and will grab whatever suits when they pick their children up, labelled or not. The ones who go to after-school club get what's left. My daughter will wash what's brought home, then they'll be sorted out again in the morning in the cloakroom. Hopefully, they'll learn to hang on to their own clothes this year.

Both my sons went to schools - primary and secondary - without uniform. I much preferred it and didn't find any problems with clothes competitiveness. They all wore jeans and tshirts/sweatshirts and the staff didn't spent hours quibbling about tie lengths with a stroppy adolescent.

Our school "hat" was a bottle green beret, and the punishment for being caught not wearing it by a teacher, or prefect, was, on the way to school, wear it in school all day, on the way home, wear it all the following day.

My DD started secondary school in 1980 and the uniform list, to take to John Lewis, was about two pages long. I even had to buy the briefs at JL, DD was less than enchanted as they were brown and looked like something a nana would wear. the cost was phenomenal. DS's school also used John Lewis and we had to add athletics and rugby kit with House colours, cricket whites and shoes. When you added racquets, hockey sticks and sundry other sports things I felt as if I was keeping JL in business single handed.

My sons' primary school didn't specify any uniform. They could wear anything. Imagine my embarrassment when DS2 came home with a silver trophy for effort from the school prizegiving of which no-one had notified me (or the letter was in the bottom of his school bag), wearing his scruffy denim shorts and polo shirt. I was always puzzled about when he had made his efforts!

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That one sneaked in under the radar

Oh dear white shirts and ties for primary pupils. My sympathies are with the reception/early years staff who will have 30 lots of buttons to check and help with after PE. I hope the ties are clip ons- health and safety you know! Seriously if there has to be a uniform it should be simple to put on, reasonably priced and available anywhere, anything else is just stupid.

My 6-y-o grandson's school has just changed from polo shirts to formal shirts & ties, which seems ridiculous to me. I agree with trisher - uniform makes sense but it should be sensible for the age of the child, and readily available at a reasonable cost

In some schools in Europe, particularly Italy, all the primary school children wear an overall over normal clothing. In Italy, it's called a 'grimbiule' and it is machine washable cotton, usually in a sensible colour like navy or red, though you sometimes see pink and pale blue. Schools sometimes have a badge on it. They completely cover the kid, from neck to knees, and can be worn over warm clothing in the winter.

They are cheap to buy and hard-wearing.

This seems to me to be a sensible solution - it's low cost, practical, gives a sense of identity and belonging, and there is absolutely no fashion statement

Oh....and they have long or short sleeves, too.

What a good idea, elena! I think French children wear smocks as well and my DS both wore smocks in nursery school, with a picture on the pocket matching their peg and tray.

The younger children wear those but when they get to senior school they wear anything they like and some are a right scruffy bunch!!

I forgot to add that some look like adverts for the latest designer gear!!

There was a report on Breakfast TV this morning about a school, I think it was in the SE, where only certain shops could provide the uniform, which was compulsory. And these shops charge exorbitant prices. This is shocking, I can't see how it could be enforced.
I hope there will be some rebellious parents.
Did anyone see it? I might have got it wrong, could hardly believe it.
I think school uniform is a good idea. All mine wore uniform, I used to buy the blazers from a 2nd hand shop, they were v. expensive new.

I'm going to beg to differ here as I don't like school uniforms - the posh ones are too costly for the rough and tumble of children's lives and the supermarket cheap ones are like covering your child in plastic. I appreciate the argument that uniform is a leveller but life is unfair - some can afford designer gear, others can't - and it's a lesson that can be learned early in life. From what I have seen of schools in Spain and other European countries, they don't do uniforms, so why do we? If a school has a strict uniform code then someone has to police it, usually the teachers - is this good use of their time?

At some of the secondary schools here, the school has a stock of uniform items handed in by parents for other parents to buy at a fraction of the cost of new items. Everything is in good condition and the system is very popular.