School Uniforms - Good or Bad??

filigree_2

I remember the fuss in the papers when Prince William started at Eton. They listed the phenomenal number of socks he would need for every kind of sport, amongst other things. Of course, Eton parents can afford all this!

I wonder if these schools who introduce pricey uniforms from exclusive suppliers are practising a kind of snobbery? Mr Filigree went to a very minor public school who also demanded 20 different kinds of socks for all occasions. I think some school heads or governors are trying to pretend the school is better than it would appear, by forcing "posh" uniform rules on ordinary families.

Another point is that some parents equate formal uniform with strict discipline and good standards. Schools have to advertise themselves to keep their classes full, and smart uniforms attract new parents.

There is one benefit of uniforms that hasn't been mentioned, and it's depressing I'm afraid. There is one school in this area that is notorious for bad behaviour, shoplifting etc and the children have been banned from most local shops. Their distinctive uniform makes it easier to identify them so they can be thrown out. Luckily my son passed the entrance exam for a far nicer school, yay!

Prudent

As a parent I think uniform is great. Mostly easy to wash and last for ages. When my daughter went to High school last summer the school were having a big push on blazers, although they were offering the choice of a black zipper cardigan. I work in schools and have seen pupils stuffing blazers in school bags because they don't like them. My daughter didn't want a blazer though most of her friends (on the insistence of parents) got them. Within a few weeks her friends rarely wore the blazers. They cost £40. I got her black zippers for very little by using the Laredoute bargains that were posted on the site last summer. I am glad I didn't buy a blazer because I do have a tight budget and £40 would be a lot to waste.

If your child is lossing uniform (as they do!) do put on a name label. When my daughter was in early primary I bought some with a horse embroidered on one end. Children are often in a rush after gym or getting ready to go home. A picture helps them to pick out their clothes easily and quickly. At the time the Redhouse book company were doing these labels. There was a good choice of pictures and colours. I bought a bulk lot and they were only a few pence more than normal labels. Surprisingly my daughter still likes the horse picture! When she went to secondary I was going to cut off the pictures, but she wanted to keep them on.

jellyhead

my sons labels have a little train on them but he wanted the trains cut off when he was around 6 years old lol!