[Redway]

Are you with the idea that school uniforms “enhance learning environments” and “increase commitment” to education or do you think it puts a block on kids’ freedom?

[RichardG]

i agree with school uniforms

but not because i think they enhance learning environments or increase commitment

[BBUKAUSFAN]

Here in Australia every single school has uniforms then you hit univeristy / college and there gone. Uniforms are boring and don't let children express themselves.

[Withano]

Originally Posted by BBUKAUSFAN

Here in Australia every single school has uniforms then you hit univeristy / college and there gone. Uniforms are boring and don't let children express themselves.

Is it not a good thing that children learn to express themselves with words instead of material possessions?

[Ronald.]

Originally Posted by Withano

Is it not a good thing that children learn to express themselves with words instead of material possessions?

What a great post Withano. Totally agree. My wife works in a school and we've had this debate before.

I think uniform is a great idea as it does train you in discipline at an age when you desperately need it. That said, a dress code does tick the box too. The amount of money we've spent on uniform over the years is ridiculous. Now you can go into asda and there's cheap jumpers and skirts which is great for growing kids and parents on a budget.

Regarding the 'express yourself' argument, I'm not sure the workplace is a place for expressing yourself through your appearance, so why should schools be?

As for hiding whose parents can afford nicer clothers argument - I think that's stupid. Whilst i'm in favour of uniform, I don't think thats its purpose. It's not like kids don't see each other outside school. They wear backpacks, trainers, you name it... besides I think kids are clever enough to work out whose parents earn more money without uniform (From going round each others houses etc)

In my eyes uniform at school is about discipline and preparation for the world of work. That's why I think it's a good thing. R.

[Ashley.]

Originally Posted by BBUKAUSFAN

Here in Australia every single school has uniforms then you hit univeristy / college and there gone. Uniforms are boring and don't let children express themselves.

School uniforms are a form of identification, which is of most importance if worse comes to worst. I'd sooner stick my child in the ugliest uniform you've ever seen if it meant that they were safer.

[Lostie!]

Originally Posted by BBUKAUSFAN

Here in Australia every single school has uniforms then you hit univeristy / college and there gone. Uniforms are boring and don't let children express themselves.

If someone can only "express themselves" through the clothes they wear, they need to find better ways of doing it. Sure, uniforms are boring but it's school, kids have plenty of time to wear what they want in their own time.

Some of us have to wear uniforms to work too and it doesn't hinder expression of personality or the ability to get the work done in anyway. Of course most of us would rather wear clothes of our own choosing all the time but wearing a uniform for things like school and work isn't really that big a deal (as long as the uniform standards are reasonable, which admittedly isn't always the case).

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by BBUKAUSFAN

Here in Australia every single school has uniforms then you hit univeristy / college and there gone. Uniforms are boring and don't let children express themselves.

Same in the UK. Colleges/Unis don't have uniforms.

[LukeB]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Same in the UK. Colleges/Unis don't have uniforms.

Colleges do (depending on the course you do)

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by LukeB

Colleges do (depending on the course you do)

Which courses?

A jumper with the name of the college doesn't count as a uniform, they're optional.

And a uniform in PE is kind of obvious, if you play for a team you want to be identifiable as part of that team.

[LukeB]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Which courses?

A jumper with the name of the college doesn't count as a uniform, they're optional.

And a uniform in PE is kind of obvious, if you play for a team you want to be identifiable as part of that team.

Well from my college Public services, hair and beauty

But i did travel and tourism and i had to wear a uniform for it and i didnt have an optional choice. You had to wear it. But all the courses uniform are different.

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Which courses?

A jumper with the name of the college doesn't count as a uniform, they're optional.

And a uniform in PE is kind of obvious, if you play for a team you want to be identifiable as part of that team.

Some sixth forms in Liverpool (Bluecoat for one) have a uniform for sixth form. I don't think it's just a primary/high school thing a lot of the time.

[Tozzie]

Originally Posted by BBUKAUSFAN

Here in Australia every single school has uniforms then you hit univeristy / college and there gone. Uniforms are boring and don't let children express themselves.

What has wearing a school uniform got to do with children expressing themselves? They are in school to learn an education and have plenty of free time after school and at weekends/holidays to wear their out of school clothing.

[Morgan.]

Originally Posted by Tozzie

What has wearing a school uniform got to do with children expressing themselves? They are in school to learn an education and have plenty of free time after school and at weekends/holidays to wear their out of school clothing.

Hahaha free time. You do make me laugh

I finish school, when i get home I have an hour to sit and relax, so my own thing, then I have dinner for an hour, then I follow my revision timetable for the day, then have my evening downtime and before I know it's time to sleep.

The weekends no different because if I'm not revising and up for going out with friends, they're revising. And vice versa.

I really think UK schools would benefit from having no uniform. If not to make people to more comfortable, but to encourage 'naughty' students who bunk all the time to quit complaining and turn up.

[Jason.]

Originally Posted by Blurryface

Hahaha free time. You do make me laugh

I finish school, when i get home I have an hour to sit and relax, so my own thing, then I have dinner for an hour, then I follow my revision timetable for the day, then have my evening downtime and before I know it's time to sleep.

The weekends no different because if I'm not revising and up for going out with friends, they're revising. And vice versa.

I really think UK schools would benefit from having no uniform. If not to make people to more comfortable, but to encourage 'naughty' students who bunk all the time to quit complaining and turn up.

Who actually bunks because of school uniform though? People who truant do it because they can't be bothered to turn up in the first place not because they want to wear their own thing.

[y.winter]

I love it, in the UK.
Here the weather is hot 95% of the year, so the uniform is just a plain t-shirt with the school's logo, and it's... meh

[AnnieK]

I think they are a good thing. ...takes away the pressure of kids having to have the latest best clothes to keep up with their friends.

[Tozzie]

Uniforms are a good thing. The kids whose parents don't have the money to buy the designer clothes and shoes would be picked on and ridiculed. Some of the youth of today are shallow and about material things.

[Morgan.]

Originally Posted by Tozzie

Uniforms are a good thing. The kids whose parents don't have the money to buy the designer clothes and shoes would be picked on and ridiculed. Some of the youth of today are shallow and about material things.

That's an overused excuse imo

We have regular non uniform days and this has never happened

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Blurryface

That's an overused excuse imo

We have regular non uniform days and this has never happened

I agree with you in some ways but it depends on the child, some kids aren't into labels and designer stuff and some are, so you don't know what pressures non uniform days put on parents or kids, uniforms are a godsend you know what you are putting on every morning so it takes away so the angst about what you are going through wear especially for girls, there are enough school holidays to express yourself clothes wise

[armand.kay]

Originally Posted by Blurryface

That's an overused excuse imo

We have regular non uniform days and this has never happened

my school use to have a fbook page where people would post pictures of other peoples outfits that they thought were awful.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Cherie

No wonder people are turning to online gambling, if TS isn't bothering to change his shirt

Originally Posted by armand.kay

my school use to have a fbook page where people would post pictures of other peoples outfits that they thought were awful.

That's awful :/

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by armand.kay

my school use to have a fbook page where people would post pictures of other peoples outfits that they thought were awful.

[jennyjuniper]

Originally Posted by Tozzie

Uniforms are a good thing. The kids whose parents don't have the money to buy the designer clothes and shoes would be picked on and ridiculed. Some of the youth of today are shallow and about material things.

I agree with this.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Tozzie

Uniforms are a good thing. The kids whose parents don't have the money to buy the designer clothes and shoes would be picked on and ridiculed. Some of the youth of today are shallow and about material things.

I agree with the uniform bit... don't agree that today's youth are any more shallow than any other previous group of unexperienced young people.