“I love to see the students in 'proper' uniforms. Especially the older ones. Oh and the little year 7 boys in blazers 2 sizes too big for them.

However if the school wants to enforce a uniform policy then every member of staff has to enforce it every day with every student otherwise they soon slip back into their old ways, which is worse than never having bothered in the first place as it shows the kids that the staff have no authority.

It doesn't have to be expensive. Some academies actually provide free school uniforms and some provide facilities to buy second hand blazers and ties. As for the rest of the uniform, it is so cheap especially when you compare it to how much it cost when we were at school and parents had to buy it from a select few uniform outfitters. Like Brown's.

However what I don't agree with is students having to wear their blazers all day, no matter how hot it was. I was at a grammar school with a very strict uniform policy but our blazers were something we wore to go to school in during the warm summer days. No one made us keep them on during lessons like they are supposed to do these days. However we also had locked, secure cloakrooms and because everyone had a blazer, no one would have dreamed of stealing one. We could also leave private property (not that we had much) in our desks in our form rooms. Unheard of these days.”

“Strict uniform policy is only of symbolic value. It is often done to convince parents etc that the school is imbued with old fashioned discipline values. Let's return to the 21st century please, allow a degree of sartorial freedom and concentrate on the only true discipline - self discipline - achieved by good teaching and example.”

“"self discipline - achieved by good teaching "

No mention of parenting then?”

“What annoys me the costs to parents of uniform but I totally agree they should we're it but a lot of the teachers need to take example and dress smart and uniform as there the children's role model x”

“Bring back the Tripartite System as today we are continually trying to give the impression that we can turn pigs ears into silk purses.

It's the quality and the appropriateness of the education provided that matters and not uniforms. Yes children at the grammar and technical schools wore school uniforms but it wasn't those uniforms which explained the thirst for learning and good behaviour in those establishments but that the children were intelligent and challenged with difficult concepts.

Children at the secondary moderns didn't wear school uniform and were challenged far less in the classroom. However, the secondary modern schools of yesteryear would stand out as beacons of excellence in today's new fangled educational provision, so why the need for any uniform.

What is obvious though, is that we've lost a couple of generations of highflyers to social dogma and experimental educational claptrap and that is a crime.

Today our brightest 16 year olds would probably be asked what happens to ice when it is warmed, which is a far cry from a thirteen year old being given an ice cube and told to go and find the latent heat of fusion of ice. Yes, we've lost a lot but we've now got plenty of glitz.”

“Uniform gives a sense of belonging, discipline and for some kids it takes the pressure away of looking cool at school

I like the idea of polished shoes and if kids don't come to school with their shoes polished they should be provided with polish and an opportunity to clean them on their break time.

How many people turn up in unclean unkempt clothes for a job interview is disturbing and if half these kids don't learn from their parents then they should learn the values in school.

You can have all the education in the world but fact of the matter is that appearance (although fickle) counts for a lot.

I also think teachers should lead by example and wear uniform. This way kids may respect their authority more.”

“bubbles16

What a badly constructed post. Are you a student?

I don't think for a moment that students see teachers as role models for how to dress.

As for your comment about teachers dressing 'smart and uniform' do you mean that all teachers should wear a "teachers' uniform" or that teachers should wear the same uniform as the students?”

“g69 - I think teachers should wear a uniform, but a corporate one to differentiate between them and the students.

A couple of the teachers at my lads school dress like hippies and look like they need a bath... I think they should lead by example.”

“jz

In some schools you can only tell the difference between the older students and younger staff by who is wearing school uniforms.

There should certainly be a dress code in the schools for the staff.”

“bt13jz,
" A couple of the teachers at my lads school dress like hippies and look like they need a bath...

Are they art teachers? They always looked like that in my school days”

“£15 for a school polo shirt with logo isn't exactly cheap is it when your child wants a clean one each day. That's a £75 outlay when he or she has grown out of the old ones compared to £2.50/£3.50 for ones from George.

I agree with most part of a school uniform but maybe the schools should do some market research first to see the price comparisons in having a logo polo or school shirt compared to how much you pay at Asda or similar shops. As for the school blazer....this is 2012. I seem to remember my school blazer didn't keep me warm or dry. My partner works in a school and the children have to wear black shoes or trainers. If there is any white strips on the trainers they have to be coloured in with a permanent marker. How ridiculous is that when most manufacturers insist on put their logo on in a contrasting colour. It was a shirt and tie in my day and think the polo shirts are scruffy even with the school name on it. I wear corporate ones for work and compared to wearing a proper shirt there is no comparison. We all look the same when we are not. On the subject of teachers I still remember some from my old senior school wearing jeans and T shirts looking like hippies or they had just moved jobs from the local licensing office. Lead by example is what it should be.”

“One of the scariest teachers in my school - who always wore standard teacher uniform, complete with tweed jacket with elbow patches, and jumbo cords - turned up to own clothes day in full wetsuit and snorkel”

“In my school the teachers had a uniform - black university gowns. On special occasions they wore their university hoods as well. We had no idea which hood represented which university but loved choosing our favourite.”

“My daughter informs me that for PE the pupils all have to wear a particular sports shirt with the school logo on it. A normal white one isn't good enough. Now, uniform yes but then it gets a little silly here methinks, especially as a white sports shirt is £3.50 compared to about £12.50 for the school logo one. Oh and black trainers but no logo on the trainers at all so even if it has a white Nike tick and you black marker it out it's a no go if it's spotted.

Wonder what they'd do if you got the Nike logo removed and put the school logo on the trainers, just for a bit of devilment?

Lucy.... if the teacher was a sports teacher perhaps he shouldn't have been diving on the pitch?”

“Shoes that can be polished? In the real world of work there is a dress code, it may be a high visibility jacket and steel toe capped boots or a suit,shirt and tie either way it is for a reason. All school pupils should be smart, clean and in the correct uniform, pupils should not be allowed to wear home clothes as it will always create competition and set some children apart.
Schools should sell the badges to put on to individual pieces of uniform but allow the parents to buy blazers, trousers etc from any supplier. Shoes at all times, never trainers!
Parents will always moan about the price of uniform but very few bother to sew name tapes to prevent loss or theft!”

“Would it be better if you could buy a patch which could then be sewn on to a cheaper polo/jacket then transferred as the kid grows? Seems a decent compromise...

And just get Nike to sponsor your local academy then you won't have to black out the logo on trainers.

Anyway... Trainers should be for sports only. Uniforms are good. Teachers should wear whatever they want as long as they get the job done.”

“Missfoodlove - Apologies for just repeating what you'd already said!”

“Anon_Geoff's idea is good but I wonder if it'll be good enough for the schools? Might give it a try. I try to avoid the word 'sponsor' on here!”