General Chat

I read today that a 12 year old boy was put into isolation at school for not wearing shoes that could be polished.
The school in portsmouth have very strict uniform rules so as to prepare pupils for work.

Where i am, apparently the schools here cannot make the wearing of school uniform compulsary as it is against their human rights.

i critised teachers for allowing pupils to wear sports shirts, pink hoodies etc but was politely told"you simply cannot inforce school uniform."

How can there be a different set of rules in different areas and can someone please tell where human rights are being breached?

If everyone wore uniform like I did in a Kent school, it would cut down on bullying and jealousy.

Wearing trainers are unhealthy as feet sweat in them all day, far better to wear shoes.

Whats the school policy on uniform where you come from?

Florence
in the
"freezing hebrides"

Most schools around here in Teesside do have uniforms and everyone is expected to wear them.

I agree with you that wearing uniforms stops children trying to "look better than the rest" by wearing expensive designer clothes and shoes and also helps cut down on bullying.

I'd also like to know who came into this world clutching a document entitled "my human rights"!!! When I was growing up I'd never heard of such a thing.

Kath. x

All our schools around here wear uniform. Very good idea for all the reasons Florence has said.

All high schools & most primary schools in Australia have a uniform policy.

The uniforms these days are much nicer than the awful things I had to wear.

The school that my girls attended try to enforce their uniform policy, and sometimes take it too far.

One afternoon there was torrential rain and flooding, just as school finished for the day.
Daughter's leather school shoes were soaked through.
Although I stuffed them with paper and put them in the hot water tank cupboard, next morning they were still too wet to wear so she had to wear boots.

She came home that day with a letter re her non compliance of uniform, which most of her friends received too.
My OH immediately rang the school.
They were very apologetic because it hadn't occurred to them that severe weather the day before would soak school uniforms blazers and shoes.
They didn't even ask the kids why they were not in full uniform, just told them it was unacceptable and gave each of them the letter to take home for the parent to sign!

it is completely different over here ................. both in Canada and the US


Only the private schools have uniforms, as a general policy ................ and they are usually pretty strictly enforced. Although I have noticed that the private Catholic schools in the city where I live are a bit more relaxed ................

............ the boys have to wear dark or grey pants, dark shoes, and a white shirt, but they don't appear to be a "uniform" style.

They will have "school" sweaters or hoodies


Meanwhile, the girls' Catholic schools seem to be a bit more strict in enforcing either the style or colour of the skirts they wear.


The other private schools are stricter in their policy ............. each of them seem to have a plaid skirt, white blouse, navy blue sweater, navy or dark green blazer for the girls, and dark grey pants with white shirts, school tie, and blazer.

They are very distinctive, and the schools are easily identifiable to those of us who have been resident here for some time :-)


I have NEVER seen the girls at a private school wearing trousers of any style, unless they are on their way to an athletic event after school when they are allowed to wear either their school uniform shorts or sweat pants.

My daughter attended one of these private schools, and loved having the uniform!!

The schools, even the one she attended 20 years ago, seem to be more relaxed about the style of shoe the girls wear ................ as long as they are black




The public (ie, State schools) traditionally do not wear any kind of uniform, unless it is an athletic or games situation.


There is a slight tendency for some primary schools in some areas around here to attempt to determine some form of uniform, but it doesn't seem to be going down too well ................. the parents wanting this tend to be those from strict school regimes, such as China

I'm implacably opposed to school uniform. A dress code is quite sufficient.

I had to wear one and most of us hated it. We used to find subtle ways of sabotaging it. The staff wasted hours of teaching time trying to force us to comply.

As a teacher I have many better things to do with my time than check on what children are wearing. And if children look the same you may be encouraged to treat them all the same.

Uniforms make children look scruffy after a few months. If it still fits then parents will still put it on them even if it's well past its best. I see children wearing clothes that would have been consigned to the rag bag, because a new uniform costs so much.

Parents on low incomes struggle to find the cash to spend on clothes with school logos which many schools insist they wear.

They don't stop bullying. Children with better off parents wear better quality shoes and clothes and will still tease those who don't have designer labels, if that's what they want to do. Bullies will always be bullies and will always find a reason.

My son went to a non-uniform school and did just fine, as did his friends. No bullying and good exam results.

The dress code was office wear for the lower school with no designer logos and no denim till the VIth form. That's all that's necessary.

actually, school uniform works out CHEAPER over here than not having it ...............


especially if you have girls.



there is no competition as to who is best dressed, or "must have" expensive pants or tops



I figure I bought my daughter one new outfit in fall, and another new outfit in spring, and that was it ............ and some years, she didn't even need those



A school uniform is the greatest income leveler that I know:-)


Even the public high schools here have the widest range of income levels, from the poorest to the very wealthy.



and some boys can be just as bad as girls in wanting to keep up with the Joneses

I would have been bullied at school if I didn't have to wear a uniform.

No way on earth would my father have spent money for me to have a different outfit every day.

When I started work, one of the first thing I did was find out where to get "uniforms"! My hard-earned salary wasn't going to be spent on clothes for work.

Uniforms often aren't cheap here, unfortunately. Many schools insist on clothes from a particular supplier - and the school takes a cut.

Non-uniform schools aren't fashion parades when they have a dress code. As I said, "designer" logos aren't allowed. Clothes have to be "office wear", it was never a problem at my son's school. The fashion conscious wouldn't be seen dead "out" in the clothes they wore to school.

And bullies will always find something to bully about, if that's the type of people they are.

When I went to school...a very respected high school,for which I had to pass my scholarship,we had to wear a uniform,which was to be a leveler,...of course that was in the days of real discipline.
My school was in the centre of a big city and had quite a long way to go home on either train or bus,and if you were caught out without a hat by a prefect you had detention .no jewellery of any sort allowed.We accepted this.
I believe human rights goes too far,you have to be so careful these days ,or else you can breach the code of conduct.
I think uniforms look nice...and I'm sure that poorer people get an allowance if they are on benefits.
When I was in Australia,I know that they had a bank of uniforms at the school where you could pass outgrown items.
I was there when my grandson went to his new school and his uniform was really expensive,but his old one went to the old school.

My daughters school (Ofsted Outstanding) has a strict uniform policy, failure to follow this can result in a 45 minute detention or being sent home to change clothes/shoes.
Clothing emergencies such as broken shoes normally can be covered for a few days with a call to the school & covering letter.

This is from their website

Students are expected to wear Academy uniform. It provides a suitable standard of dress, it reflects a sense of belonging to the Academy community and it does help to remove some of the obvious differences in wealth. We hope you and your child will be proud to display the fact that he/she is a student of xxxxxx Academy.

IN CONCLUSION, ALL STUDENTS MUST BE DRESSED IN A MANNER APPROPRIATE TO A SMART, FORMAL OFFICE SETTING.

I prefer a school to have a uniform too and it's even better if the children take a pride in wearing it.

For those on the autistic spectrum, it is much easier for them (and their parents) if they know exactly what they are to wear the following day. It also means that they will be on a par with their peers instead of being laughed at for their taste in clothes.

Good morning and thanks for all the different replies.

It seems that most schools do have a uniform policy but up here they are more laid back.

When i see children in tatty trainers, tracky bottoms, far too long so ripped and frayed together with any old hoodie, it looks so scruffy.

If you are on a low income here, for each child you can claim around £60 per child to put towards uniform. You dont have to show receipts either as they know you have to buy something.

Some will buy one white tshirt with logo and then maybe T***0 own plain shirts which is ok.

When we use to go on school trips to london and other places, being all in bottle green and grey, meant we could easily be identified if we were to become separated from our group.

There were 7 secondary schols in my area, each with their own colours. On the buses coming home, if there was any trouble. the bus conductor/driver would know exactly which school you came from and so there were very few incidents.

uniform gave us a sense of pride and were proud to belong to a particular school.

Each morning, it was so easy just grab your shirt, tie and skirt plus a cardigan or jumper. No scrambling around deciding what to wear. Infact my mum could not have afforded to kit me out in my own clothes everyday, uniform was far cheaper.

When I left school and went to work in a bank, we had to wear the banks uniform and it was great. Paid for by the bank and i didnt have to buy clothes for work....just fantastic.

We also at school had a "spare clothes" box if you had any kind of accident and none of it was tatty.

Strange thing was none of us minded the uniform and accepted it was part of school.

So in todays society something has changed and personally I think it has a lot to do with discipline.

However I still think that the school should have the ruling on " to wear or not to wear."

Florence
in the hebrides.

Florence...I went to Paris with school in 1951...one of the first school trips abroad after the war.
2 young history and a Latin teacher were in charge,but the headmistress insisted that we had to wear our uniforms when out.
We did it for a while,but then the young teachers did relent a bit.
We of course went on the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe and stayed in the Latin Quarter of Paris for a week.
The whole trip cost £26.....-and my mother did some home sewing to pay for it.
Those were the days! :-D :-D

Schools should have uniforms but for state day schools there should also be a strong dose of realism eg use a generic supplier such as Asda with stick on badges and such. The uniform should match the culture of the area eg allowing girls to wear trousers. School teacher foot fetishism is def not the right way to go.

The real thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-JR0PhAA40

In theory a school uniform should be a financial leveller, although the students will still find ways to display their family's wealth!

Our local secondary changed its entire uniform a few years ago - in the main the students look much tidier than under the old regime.

Navy blue blazers with sew-on badges
Black skirts and black tailored trousers (no tight fit or jeans)
White shirts either V neck or collared with a tie
Navy V neck jumper
Smart low heeled black shoes, no boots.
(they do get pulled up if trainers are spotted)

The PE kit is more draconian as their Polo shirts have to be in their 'college' colours.

Their newsletter states
"Academy will enforce a zero-tolerance stance towards any student who does not follow the uniform policy and appropriate sanctions will be applied to students who do not adhere to this".

The one item not covered by their policy is religious headwear - they really ought to stipulate a plain colour in say navy blue or black!

Post 16 have to kit themselves out in Smart Office wear - suits and ties for the young gents. Some of the girls have a strange interpretation of that!!

The local primary schools tend to have a certain accent colour which can be found in the supermarkets.

Hi all,
Having worked as a cleaner in a lot of schools the teachers could do with some sort of dress code. Not all male teachers go round with shirt/tie and smart blazer. Female teachers can wear clothes that is more suitable for going out in the evening. low cut tops and high heels. Nothing wrong with either but they would send any pupil home if they were dressed like it.
I also think that the teachers should sit and have lunch with the pupils instead of being in the staff room.
Anne

Teachers aren't children, that's the difference. The quality of my teaching is not influenced one jot by what I'm wearing. Most teachers don't actually like uniforms but are compelled to adhere to the school rules. It's a bit silly to say teachers should be dressed the same way as children.

When children complained that I wore nail varnish in school when they couldn't I told them they could do the same just as soon as they had my qualifications. They are children, I am all grown up.

And we are entitled to lunch breaks, like every other worker. Sit with the kids? No way, it would put me off my food. That's why we have lunchtime supervisors and an excellent job they do.

A lot of us like to do marking or hear children read or catch up with planning after eating lunch in the staffroom. Plus there are often staff meetings.

Edit - In England most LEAs do NOT help with school uniform costs.

I agree with Guinevere, totally :-D

(I'm going for brevity these days, keeps me out of trouble ;-) )