Uniform debate - please help with your ideas and experience

[BonsoirAnna]

There is currently a debate going on at my DD's school about the introduction of full uniform, as opposed to current dress/colour code.

Could you please help me draw up a document for the Parents Association by giving your views on the advantages and disadvantages of school uniform? Thank you

[oggsdog]

On the plus side you don't have to think/argue about what to wear.

If I'd had a say in uniform though I would definitely not have gone for white shirt - it's a bugger to keep clean.

[Blu]

Since DS goes to a school with no uniform, and unlike tha majority of MNers I prefer this, I will give you some advantages of not introducing a uniform:

Having the choice of clothes enables you to:
have more flexibility to dress the child for changing weather conditions and comfort - e.g very lightweight trousers and long-sleeved tops which preclude the need of sun screen.

Clothes get more wear before they grow out of them - you can use the child's regular cloths rather than buy special uniform

Less pressure to have the right number of tops cleaned and ironed every morning.

Children quickly get used to making decisions about clothing and not making a big deal about it.

Parents can have a wider choice of fabrics and quality, to suit budget, laundering process, and prefernces of thier child.

There is no discernible lack of discipline or identity and loyalty to the school because of lack of uniform, and because they have always done it and it is not a novelty, there is no status issue in DS's school about clothing. A very wide range of individual chpice and style is accepted amongst the children - they get to see different people's choices.

[lucyec]

Advantages:

• Quicker and easier getting ready in the mornings (no arguments about what to wear that day!)
• Helps instill order/discipline
• Less scope for children to be made fun of when they don't have the latest designer trainers or whatever; thus helping all children to 'fit in' rather than there being an obvious divide between the well-off and less well-off families.
• Usually more cost effective
• Prevents the use of inappropriate (provocative, impractical) clothing/footwear

Disadvantages:

• Some may say that it limits a child's self expression and individuality
• Can be embarrassing or uncomfortable (depending on the chosen uniform)
• Can be expensive if schools choose a uniform that is not a widely available colour/pattern or has a specific requirement item ie a blazer

I personally am pro-uniform

Good luck!

[Blu]

You see, I think most of the advantages listed by Lucy are spurious!

[BonsoirAnna]

Thank you very much . Anyone else? Has anyone experienced a change either way from uniform to free dress and noticed any significant changes in the school that can be attributed to the change of clothing?

[islandofsodor]

I'm very pro uniform.

a. It looks smart and gives a sense of belonging.

b. It makes the teacher's life easier when out on trips

c. No arguments over inapropriate clothing. It creates a level playing field, you can't really tell between Asda and M & S

I went to a school that had no uniform just a dress code and it was not good. We looked awful, there was so much competition (I didn't have desgner clothes, others did) in my final year a uniform was introduced and we looked so much smarter and it was much easier.

[islandofsodor]

On home clothes days at my dc's school there are often children in very inappropriate clohting. Strappy sandals they can't walk in or party type dresses that either get messed up or are too cold or that you can't move properly in.

[lucyec]

Blu, why are they spurious?! Just offering my opinion!

I find it a lot easier that my DD has a uniform for all the reasons I mentioned. At 7, she can get herself dressed in the morning and be smart every day, without either of us having to worry about possible arguments over inappropriate clothing for school. Plus it's much more fun wearing and choosing 'own clothes' on a non-uniform day, and at home on the weekends/holidays.

[BonsoirAnna]

lucy - I agree with you that uniform can limit a child's self-expression and individuality.

[BonsoirAnna]

lucy - I agree with you that uniform can limit a child's self-expression and individuality.

[McDreamy]

I was pro uniform until now. DD goes to school in a very smart uniform, easily available from school and the local shops, looks very smart, no arguements int he morning etc etc.

However DS is to start school in September and he is very small. Just going into aged 2 clothes - the school jumpers swamp him, have found black trousers aged 2 but not grey so either he s going to have to have a major growth spurt between now and Sept or we are a bit stumped - poor wee lad

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

As a parent I am not particularly pro-uniform, but there are huge advantages from a school's point of view. Imagine being a teacher having to deal with a class of 30 children every morning up to 10 of whom have come in in clothing wildly inappropriate for the school environment. It's just an extra burden on the teacher that impacts on them actually being able to do their job.

[BonsoirAnna]

Dress codes (which is the current situation in our school) deal with the issue of appropriate clothing very effectively. In fact, dress codes make dressing appropriately for the weather easier for the family (and easier to enforce for the school IMO).

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

That's true Anna, if you have already got a well-enforced dress code in place then I can't see any particular advantage in having a uniform other than to make the pupils easily identifiable when out and about.
'Oh look, there is a pupil from St Custard's. They are always so smart and well-turned out in their pale yellow blazers, and so well-mannered too.'

[BonsoirAnna]

The children have to wear a navy blue winter coat, mac or padded jacket (no logos allowed) so are quite smart generally. And in the park the littlest children wear satin sashes (one colour per class) to make identification even easier.

Personally I think that the owner of the school has a bee in his bonnet about uniform and is trying to lead a personal crusade for the re-introduction of uniform in French schools

[islandofsodor]

BonsoirAnna, specifying a navy coat sounds like a uniform to me.

You also talk about a colour code. In primary schools that is all uniform is really, a colour code

eg.

School colours are red & grey = Grey trousers, pinafore or skirt, white polo shirt or shirt, red jumper or cardigan.

Red gingham or striped dress in summer.

Ditto blue

Few primary schools specify colours of coats etc. Admittedly my dc's does but it is an independent school.

[islandofsodor]

McDereamy:

M & S age 3 with the waistband pulled in are OK, you may need to shorten them. Adams used to be fine, in fact I had some ADams trousers my mum shortened and I threw them away as I offered them for free on MN and no-one wanted them!!

I have a coupld of pairs of 18 inch waists that are now a bit short if you want to see if they fit.

What colour jumpers is he?

[Grammaticus]

Ooh no, we have a proper uniform: shirt, tie and itchy jumper. (And not private - state school)

[islandofsodor]

In state schools you can get jumpers from asnywhere. They are not allowed to specify a logoes one. You can get pure cotton ones from places like M & S.

[Grammaticus]

It's not logo-ed, just has lines of colour around the v-neck. Like the ones at Hogwarts. Very traditional.

[islandofsodor]

Yes, I've seen them. Some of the schools round here have them too, but htey are not compulsory if you can get plain ones cheaper elsewhere.

[dancingbear]

School uniform is fine and I guess is intended to set a more level playing field. As long as it's widely available from the High St, it might do...but then the school always has to go one step further and get logo'd jumpers and polo shirts etc, which are at least twice as expensive as those available elsewhere - don't wash well and can't be tumble dried and because they were so expensive in the first place, we let the kids wear them till they wash/sun faded and are nearly thread bare - which doesn't look particularly smart either.
In our playground the poor kids stand out because they don't have a logo on their jumper, kind of defeats the purpose of the level playing field argument.
Also not keen on the insistence of having black shoes for school - what's wrong with a pair of trainers?

[BonsoirAnna]

What do you wise MNers think of school sweaters with the school logo embroidered on them? Do both private and state schools do this in the UK?

[WilyWombat]

It looks smart.

It makes the financial differences between the childrens backgrounds less obvious.

They know what they are wearing to school, no discussion, no disagreements and just get on with it.

The school my children go to wear polo shirts rather than shirts - which I much prefer...life is too short to be ironing shirts. Also if possible I would steer them away from white...yes it looks smart when youve just removed it from the wrapper but 6 weeks down the line...not so good!

So we have polo shirts, sweatshirts and trousers. The only thing you need to get from the school is the sweatshirt with the logo on, although they sell badges fairly cheaply as well to put on a jumper/sweatshirt yourself (again life is too short, I just buy their sweatshirt!)

I was actually quite anti before they went to school but am now very pro uniform.

[WilyWombat]

They specify a dark coat...but as he wears that outside school too - im afraid I will buy a coat I like...unless they want to supply it

It "allows them to express their individuality" with funkier, more expensive clothes outside school time.