School to become an academy - unfair uniform pricing

dizziblonde

partialycloudy wrote: »

My old uniform was Brown and Yellow! We were only allowed to wear brown or beige coats - not black- and no logos. Girls had to wear socks or tights, socks had to be showing. And hair bands had to be brown or beige also.....boys could not have skin heads or long hair.

I used to work at a school that had a brown and yellow uniform - gawd it was vile! Was a private school - I always had this theory that the higher the fees, the viler and more ridiculously coloured the uniform.

My old school, the one I mentioned as having a uniform is consistently top of the league table, has a shared class arrangement (so they can offer more subjects - one school offers some, the other offers others when it gets to 6th form) with its partner all-boys school and isn't that much of an earth shattering trauma that when they go across onto each other's sites for A levels only offered by one of the two schools - they just have the two uniforms together in one class.

Mrs_Arcanum

looby75 wrote: »

if the uniform was something pretty plain, such as the uniform my daughter had to wear it could work for both schools (the 6th form uniform is different from the main school uniform so a new one would have to be bought for 6th form here regardless)

We have a sixth form collage and a local collage that both do A-levels that don't have a uniform but they don't get as good results as the school sixth forms. Now I'm not saying that the uniform is the reason the schools get good results (my daughters sixth form is in the top 10 of schools in the country for exam results) but I do think it helps. Its much more formal than the sixth form college and local collage and I think the uniform plays a part in that formality so the students learn better, are in the right frame of mind so to speak.

Thankfully totally impractical here, :rotfl: one is green & yellow with Art speciality (sweatshirts & polo shirts).The other is Blue & red with a language speciality (Shirt, tie & jumper (tie wearing resulting in a particularly scruffy look as they are worn in so many various ways)). About as opposite as possible.

Anyway they only spend half a day at school on lessons with the same amount of study time at home. I cannot see how the uniform makes for better students. Individual attitude and teacher support will make the grades and a school setting will of necessity always be more formal.

DH wears a uniform and has done for most of his working life. This time for practical reasons for his job (provided and paid for by his work place). I haven't worn a uniform since age 15. Still say it would be nice to have a break from compulsory uniform for everyone, even if it is just in sixth form. So many other workplaces require a uniform regardless and they do supply them, thereby making it part of the job to wear it.

There does seem to be an obsession with uniforms at schools and with various justifications (not all of them affordable or fair). Perhaps (just my totally ill informed opinion mark you) some schools may benefit from extra parental fundraising if they were not having to spend huge amounts of money on the uniform. Really just a question of priorities. Non school clothes can be bought over a period of time where a uniform is needed all at once.

What is wrong with allowing students a bit of freedom?

The freedom from uniform in Sixth form was won back in the sixties by my brother amongst others. Whist I was there we won the right to wear flesh coloured tights and a couple of years later trousers. Yet whilst I was at primary school there was no uniform at all.

looby75

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

There does seem to be an obsession with uniforms at schools and with various justifications (not all of them affordable or fair). Perhaps (just my totally ill informed opinion mark you) some schools may benefit from extra parental fundraising if they were not having to spend huge amounts of money on the uniform. Really just a question of priorities. Non school clothes can be bought over a period of time where a uniform is needed all at once.

What is wrong with allowing students a bit of freedom?

The freedom from uniform in Sixth form was won back in the sixties by my brother amongst others. Whist I was there we won the right to wear flesh coloured tights and a couple of years later trousers. Yet whilst I was at primary school there was no uniform at all.

they can have that when they get to uni

At the 6th form open evening the head of the school put it perfectly imo, if you want to study your A-levels in a more relaxed environment with a choice of extra activities outside the classroom and a wider range of not so academic subjects to chose from then XXXX school isn't the place for you. If you want to study at the best six form in the area, that routinely places students into the top universities in the country, have excellent teacher and teaching support then this school is for you. All we ask from you is your full commitment and to set an example to the younger years in both behaviour and dress code.

Every student at the school knew exactly what they were getting into and they all chose the school because of the excellent results they get every year.

jellyhead

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

As I said before it wouldn't be practical to force a uniform on ours locally as you can attend both sixth forms to allow for timetable clashes and are offered a wider subject range/speciality. Even when the nearest school was the only sixth form option they have never had a uniform.

I don't think any of the 6th forms locally require a uniform. They form a collegiate, so the kids can choose A-levels at a number of locations. I remember going into school for something, and a mum was complaining that her 16 year old was given detention for wearing a black hoodie for a coat (they are allowed to wear absolutely any style or colour of coat as long as it's not a black hoodie) while a 16 year old who was in the 6th form strode in wearing massive boots and Necessary Evil clothing covered in zips and studs.

jellyhead

looby75 wrote: »

We have a sixth form collage

Is it an art collage? (sorry loobs, I'm such a cow I couldn't resist!)

looby75

jellyhead wrote: »

Is it an art collage? (sorry loobs, I'm such a cow I couldn't resist!)

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:stupid spell check lol

You can tell I didn't to a good college can't you

jellyhead

looby75 wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:stupid spell check lol

You can tell I didn't to a good college can't you

It wouldn't come up in spell check because collage is a real word.

I'm just really mean Loobs

My cousins are always posting on facebook about being bored at collage, apparently it's because that's the word that comes up first in their phones and they are too lazy to change it

looby75

jellyhead wrote: »

It wouldn't come up in spell check because collage is a real word.

I'm just really mean Loobs

My cousins are always posting on facebook about being bored at collage, apparently it's because that's the word that comes up first in their phones and they are too lazy to change it

it did because my spelling is so bad I spelt it completely wrong joys of dyslexia I confuse even the spell check lol

jellyhead

looby75 wrote: »

it did because my spelling is so bad I spelt it completely wrong joys of dyslexia I confuse even the spell check lol

My cousins are all dyslexic too, they just pretend it's the phone being awkward

JC9297

looby75 wrote: »

they can have that when they get to uni

If you want to study at the best six form in the area, that routinely places students into the top universities in the country, have excellent teacher and teaching support then this school is for you. All we ask from you is your full commitment and to set an example to the younger years in both behaviour and dress code.

Every student at the school knew exactly what they were getting into and they all chose the school because of the excellent results they get every year.

Funnily enough this description fits my son's school as well,(well best sixth form excluding local highly selective private schools) and they don't have a uniform at all.

It has recently become an academy, not conversion of a failing school but as an outstanding school. It probably would have been a deal breaker if mention of a uniform had been made during the consultation! It is considered part of the school's unique ethos that they don't have a uniform.