School Uniforms - What's Their Point?

MalMonroe

I fear I may be an anomaly, since I always wanted to wear a school uniform. When I was in junior school I couldn't wait for the time I went to high school and had my own. I was also a bit of a swot. (Nothing wrong with it!    )

As a parent I did always feel that wearing uniforms was good too since it put a stop to the snobbery that surrounds the mistaken idea that wearing designer labels makes some people superior to others.

Wearing a uniform doesn't mean that anyone ends their secondary education in a brainwashed state. People are still individuals and hopefully are more able to ignore the irrelevant minutiae of life when they have been able to focus on their education rather than on what they and their schoolmates may be wearing.

74jax

hangryconsumer said:

What I find interesting is that in school, girls and boys wear the same uniform (e.g. everyone wears a tie) but when you get out into the adult world, uniforms are more divided by gender. For example, girls and boys wore a tie at school, but in jobs which require uniform such as airline staff, the men wear a tie and the women wear some some of scarf thing. If you insisted everyone wears a tie there would be an uproar, likewise if you insisted men wore the foulard, there would be an uproar. More so in the latter rather than the former. For me that means that uniform at school is pointless since you come out into a world with severely divided male/female systems, although the "branded" issue does make a point. Why does it make a point though? What is it that's causing bullying because of it? Adults imposing this on children? Children deciding for themselves which brands are "cool" are which arent? People of a certain generation might remember that Helly Hansen trackies were all the rage but they definitely aren't now. Every male teenager I see has jogging bottoms but haven't noticed the dominance of any particular brand.

In my ftse100 position, the uniform was gender neutral. There was a list - trousers skirts tops ties etc. Regardless of gender you ordered what you wanted.

Emmia

Even with a school uniform, income can still be shown with items like branded footwear (DM shoes rather than Primark knockoffs), bags (unless they are also mandated by the policy) pencil cases, etc. 

MaryNB

Hated my school uniform. I went to an all girls school where skirts were mandatory except for the hour or so of PE a week. Detention if we dared wear the trousers outside of PE. It was particularly frustrating since the school entrance was in a bit of a wind tunnel so had to walk in some days holding ours skirts down. Many of us wore shorts underneath.

We also had specific coats and scarfs. Coats had plenty of velcro to catch long hair and the scarfs were scratchy. Any non-uniform scarfs were confiscated. If you got unlucky the coats with hoods weren't in stock. Ridiculous for an Irish school! Only one shop in Dublin stocked the uniform. 

It didn't really help avoid the issue of being teased over not being fashionable. Depending on the year, knee or ankle socks were considered cool. The style of black shoes was also a big deal, although thankfully dubes were not a thing in my school (an Irish brand of deck shoes very popular during the celtic tiger).

pollypenny

I'm pro school uniform, but not for fancy ones, such as kilts and braid-edged blazers. Keep it simple and if a logo on a sweat shirt is needed, schools should bulk-buy and sell just covering costs. 

When my last school stopped uniforms for sixth formers it became a fashion competition. 

pinkshoes

What is the point of uniform?? (I'm a secondary school teacher btw...)

Kids go to school to learn and develop as a person. They are there to be judged on their effort, attitude and personality, and NOT on what they look like. 

So by having a uniform it means that all kids are only judged on the above criteria and not on what their families can afford, nor their personal taste.

Oddly, there is a direct correlation between ability set at school and the state of the uniform. I teach a top set and rarely have anyone turn up and need reminding to put a blazer on or tuck a shirt in. I also teach a very bottom set and book a lot of behaviour points for poor uniform.

I find it exceedingly arrogant that some kids clearly think they are more entitled than others and think it's OK for themselves to flaunt the uniform rules. 

T.T.D

The purpose is in the name, to be uniform, to be all alike, it is designed to take away the distractions of fashion wear so all are equal. 

I agree with uniform, it believe it do give a sense of identity but that’s double pronged, if a school is highly successful it’s give a sense of pride, if a school abysmal lit gives a sense of resentment and anger to be have that association.

It sets no one up for work, when your older and apply for a job that requires a uniform it is common sense and part and parcel of acceptance if the job is working in a high risk catagory job or has a dress code. 

I don’t believe in having blazers, I find them pointless, I believe both girls and boys should wear trousers flat shoes. Local authorities should cap and limit the projected costs to parent upon schools in their selection of their uniforms and changes there after.

Brie

In my opinion they are as practical as a two part toilet seat.  What is the point of the lid other than a waste of materials thus allowing a retailer to charge more for it?

Savvy_Sue

pinkshoes said:

Oddly, there is a direct correlation between ability set at school and the state of the uniform. I teach a top set and rarely have anyone turn up and need reminding to put a blazer on or tuck a shirt in. I also teach a very bottom set and book a lot of behaviour points for poor uniform.

It's a very general point: you clearly never taught my top set boys who HATED tucked in shirts. Eldest NEVER did up top button, sensory issues. And one teacher admitted that it was unfair, boys wore blazers and you could see the bottom of their shirts, girls wore sweatshirts and could be untucked with impunity. They did later change the uniform to be sweatshirts for all.

I was happy to put them in uniform, and if their sweatshirts (primary school) and blazers (secondary) were covered in paint, tippex and I daren't ask what, so be it. Also DS1 nearly chewed the cuffs off his school sweatshirts (didn't realise at the time but probably stress related): could live with that easier than him chewing his non uniform clothes.

theoretica

Ms_Chocaholic said:

I'm another one who agrees with school uniform; it stops children being bullied.  If no uniform, one child could go into school with the most expensive trainers, hoodies etc leaving other children wearing hand me downs or cheaper clothes

Also the question of how often a kid wears the same clothes.