Tracksuits To Become Standard School Uniform?

Oreo

ViceVersa

That's an appalling comment. I honestly thought we'd moved on from the mentality that women and girls deserved unwanted attention - or worse - just because of what they were wearing.

It doesn’t matter if they deserve unwanted attention or not, they’ll get it dressed in a certain way, won’t they?.
Who says it’s unwanted attention anyway?

That is precisely why some schools have banned skirts for girls. They all wear trousers.

Upskirting.

There are some vile online influencers which teenage boys are following, sadly.

ViceVersa

That's an appalling comment. I honestly thought we'd moved on from the mentality that women and girls deserved unwanted attention - or worse - just because of what they were wearing.

We may have.

Not all men and boys have, unfortunately.

Mollygo

One problem we came across was that sweatshirts and tracksuits faded with washing, more quickly than jumpers and skirts/trousers, especially with the cheaper brands. e.g. Asda red, Sainsbury’s green.

Everyone wants tracksuits to be a cheap option for parents, but cheap tracksuits are going to turn into a baggy shapeless mess very quickly. As I said, will girls want to be slouching around in baggy old tracksuit trousers looking like a sack of potatoes?

Much better to have them all wearing black trousers in a material which will hold its shape.

Allira

ViceVersa

That's an appalling comment. I honestly thought we'd moved on from the mentality that women and girls deserved unwanted attention - or worse - just because of what they were wearing.

We may have.

Not all men and boys have, unfortunately.

And yet that's still not the fault of women and girls - yet we are the ones who always have to adjust and alter our behaviour to accommodate the failings of the male of the species.

Personally the only difficulty I had with going to the toilet in infants school was because the toilets were outside and across the other side of the playground, and the teachers used to make pupils wait.
I don’t recall my clothing affecting me to that extent because like most children we were well trained in dealing with our bodily functions at an early age.

I think school uniforms are there to reflect whatever current ethos a particular school holds dear. It can turn on a sixpence

One of my grandkids school gives out detentions for mislaying their schools’ (clip-on) tie….but then they also get “punished” for not keeping to the left on corridors!

I’m sure everyone on Gransnet will agree that keeping left is a invaluable life skill 🙄(sarcasm)

Anything with shirts and ties, wool blazers, even some caps and hats oh and pleated skirts! Just get rid.

They add nothing to the value of education imo and are used as a proxy for providing a good all round education.

I’ll admit that they do look impressive on school photos but that’s all.

ViceVersa

Allira

ViceVersa

That's an appalling comment. I honestly thought we'd moved on from the mentality that women and girls deserved unwanted attention - or worse - just because of what they were wearing.

We may have.

Not all men and boys have, unfortunately.

And yet that's still not the fault of women and girls - yet we are the ones who always have to adjust and alter our behaviour to accommodate the failings of the male of the species.

Point taken but it's a fact.

These websites need to be shut down. Boys need to be educated and have better role models.

I would not disagree with you on that, Allira.

Granmarderby10

Personally the only difficulty I had with going to the toilet in infants school was because the toilets were outside and across the other side of the playground, and the teachers used to make pupils wait.
I don’t recall my clothing affecting me to that extent because like most children we were well trained in dealing with our bodily functions at an early age.

I think school uniforms are there to reflect whatever current ethos a particular school holds dear. It can turn on a sixpence

One of my grandkids school gives out detentions for mislaying their schools’ (clip-on) tie….but then they also get “punished” for not keeping to the left on corridors!

I’m sure everyone on Gransnet will agree that keeping left is a invaluable life skill 🙄(sarcasm)

Anything with shirts and ties, wool blazers, even some caps and hats oh and pleated skirts! Just get rid.

They add nothing to the value of education imo and are used as a proxy for providing a good all round education.

I’ll admit that they do look impressive on school photos but that’s all.

If you've got 2000 children moving round the school with a short time between lessons then keeping left is probably very useful. There were only about 700 at my school back in the 60s but it still helped particularly on the stairs.

Granmarderby10

I’m sure everyone on Gransnet will agree that keeping left is a invaluable life skill 🙄
(sarcasm)

It is for anyone who drives in the UK. Maybe not so valuable on the continent though.😄

theworriedwell
If you've got 2000 children moving round the school with a short time between lessons then keeping left is probably very useful. There were only about 700 at my school back in the 60s but it still helped particularly on the stairs.

Likewise at our school. There were 9 forms in each year group from Y7 to Y11, though fewer forms in A level classes. My school was a mass of long corridors and flights of stairs. Keeping left was essential. (Helped with driving too. 😄)

Mollygo

theworriedwell
If you've got 2000 children moving round the school with a short time between lessons then keeping left is probably very useful. There were only about 700 at my school back in the 60s but it still helped particularly on the stairs.

Likewise at our school. There were 9 forms in each year group from Y7 to Y11, though fewer forms in A level classes. My school was a mass of long corridors and flights of stairs. Keeping left was essential. (Helped with driving too. 😄)

I'm trying to picture the chaos if they weren't keeping left in the school or on the road. Of course keeping right would work equally well in the right location.

I think it's a wonderful idea, keeping males and females warm particularly in bad weather; times change. However, my children used to love going to school in tracksuits. Uniforms are boring and uncomfortable, and out of date, and used to be used as a form of control in schools. Those days are gone.

Once the uniform is tracksuits, parents and pupils will complain about those too.
Too hot, not warm enough, too tight, too loose, etc. etc.

Lahlah65

MartavTaurus

I've blown hot and cold on this one for many years.

When I was Headmistress, woe betide any girls who didn't wear their kilts properly, lengthwise!
Now, in the 21st century, provided the tracksuits are school branded, and every one has the same, I think it's a good idea.

Teaching abroad for a while, where pupils don't have school uniforms at all, I can't say I noticed any deterioration in behaviour or discipline.

I am delighted to hear someone with practical experience of this. I really don’t understand why we are so obsessed with school uniform in the UK, unlike our close neighbours in Europe and even in the US. They seem to have overcome all of the problems that British schools claim will arise if there is no school uniform.

Thank you,Lahlah65.
Yes, the country to which I was referring is France, (the home of fashion no less!). It was only two years ago that Brigitte Macron was backing Marine Le Pen's idea to introduce school uniforms in French schools. I think Brigitte said something along the lines of the uniform should be simple, but not drab, in other words, have that certain je ne sais quoi! I wonder what British uniform designers would make of that?!

The je ne sais quoi is added to UK school uniforms by the pupils wearing them.

😂 😂
I guess you could say they're being creative!
Full marks for that!

Mollygo

The je ne sais quoi is added to UK school uniforms by the pupils wearing them.

And how I loved adding them!!

MrsMatt

One of the benefits of a uniform is that all the children/young people look the same. There are no 'designer brand' uniforms. Allowing track suits to be worn is fine, as long as there are certain rules in place. e.g. Designer brands, Adidas, Nike or whatever is the current brand popular at the time should not be allowed.

Gdcs’ school doesn’t allow any brand names. The black PE shorts I bought for elder Gdd recently had to be brand-less.

For younger children they have been for a long time and yes they are definitely easier, no ironing required 😂 I haven't noticed them on secondary school children in this area, definitely a more going back to Blazers , ties in school colours. The thing I will say I sometimes think everyone should wear trousers as some of the skirt lengths are bordering on indecent. I seen a girl yesterday wearing lycra type shorts her sweater was nearly as long as they were short. ( top of thighs) it's February and wet and windy, as our mother's would say " she'll be sorry when she gets older.
I do know some schools now let the children wear "gym" kit on the days they have sport since Covid.

62Granny

For younger children they have been for a long time and yes they are definitely easier, no ironing required 😂 I haven't noticed them on secondary school children in this area, definitely a more going back to Blazers , ties in school colours. The thing I will say I sometimes think everyone should wear trousers as some of the skirt lengths are bordering on indecent. I seen a girl yesterday wearing lycra type shorts her sweater was nearly as long as they were short. ( top of thighs) it's February and wet and windy, as our mother's would say " she'll be sorry when she gets older.
I do know some schools now let the children wear "gym" kit on the days they have sport since Covid.

I was walking behind a girl from a local school her knickers were on full view below her blazer. I thought she's forgotten her skirt but no she turned round and she was wearing a skirt that was like a wide belt. I assume her skirt could be pulled down a bit but I didn't want to see her knickers although another one looked like she didn't have knickers, she was wearing a thong and half her buttocks were visible beneath her blazer.

I wondered if they were just doing it for a laugh to see people's reactions as they did make a bit of a thing about turning round and standing there calling to other girls.

It's the only time I've seen skirts quite that short. Maybe a dare?

Thongs hadn’t become fashionable in my youth, theworriedwell.
Though I do remember my mum telling me off for the shortness of my skirt, and saying “Rolling it over like that will spoil the pleats!”
My grandmother said we’d have two more cheeks to powder if we rolled them over much more!
Of course back then it was old ladies complaining over the wall or on a doorstep chat, whatever the weather.
No luxury of twining from the warmth and comfort of home like we have today.

theworriedwell, Most schools have rules for uniform and rules for how it is worn. But, of course they only have sactionable power on school premises and in school hours.

Once school is out, the children can do what they like with it - and usually do!

School uniforms need to be more practical in secondary and more inclusive to ensure those with sensory issues are allowed to learn without being in huge amounts of discomfort. School uniform in this country needs a massive overhaul.

Sensory issues - will occur whatever the uniform policy is, including adequate clothing for PE.

I’ve met
“ can’t wear polo shirts because of the ridge at the collar”

“Can’t wear fabrics e.g. cotton/wool/polyester because he’s allergic”

My DGS had to have all labels removed and touching corduroy /velvet could bring on a meltdown when he was younger.

“Has to have bare feet because he can’t bear foot coverings.”

The child was carried into school to support this claim. Gradually the desire for play/learning in the outdoor classroom meant he would wear pumps, but any suggestion that he might come to school in pumps was met with opposition from the parents.
By year 1 he realised that no shoes hampered what he could enjoy, but he still wore no socks.

PaperMonster2

School uniforms need to be more practical in secondary and more inclusive to ensure those with sensory issues are allowed to learn without being in huge amounts of discomfort. School uniform in this country needs a massive overhaul.

What would you do?