Its that time of that year when parents either wave teary-eyed as their little one trots off for their first day back at school or, as my parents will tell you, claw their reluctant child off the backseat of the car so they can finally have 5 minutes of peace. Each year parents have to go through the military operation of preparing their children for this momentous day. They have to spend more money than ever buying books that won‘t be read, multicoloured felt-tipped pens and most expensive of all, new uniforms. When we are all wanting to save money, can we still justify such expenditure on clothes which children clearly detest and quickly grow out of?
Putting expense to one side, I feel that there are certainly several key benefits to uniforms:
1) Improved discipline: The powerful thing about a uniform is that it immediately places a pupil into a formal environment. Indeed by putting on the uniform itself children have already obeyed the rules of the school, namely that ‘one has to wear a uniform in school‘. It is believed uniforms help teachers to keep control of ever increasing class numbers.
2) Equality: School uniforms stress that individuality and self-expression are not determined by designer clothing or the latest fashion trend, but rather by the individuals’ personal attributes. This goes a long way in helping students to judge people on people’s personalities rather self-esteem and self-worth.
3) School spirit: A uniform identifies a pupil with the school that he or she is attending and could foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie between children.
However with the increased competition between schools, there is more competition to impress future pupils and more importantly their parents. This has made more schools turn to more traditional private school styles of uniform including tie and blazer, rather than the far more economical state school attire.
Does more expense, mean more discipline, equality and self-esteem?
I’m not convinced that this turn to traditionalism is a step to improve children’s educations, but rather that schools have become victims of what their uniforms are designed to prevent. Much like children in the playground who do not have the right shoes, schools are now chastised for not conforming to the ‘in’ uniform trend. However a child’s education is surely determined by the motivation instilled in them by teachers, regardless of whether they are wearing blazers or polo-shirts. By turning to more expensive uniforms, do you think schools are now focussing too much on style rather than substance?
