School Uniforms – One Mum’s Opinion

As a child who grew up in the UK, I often used to ask myself why we had to wear school uniforms. I went to school in the early 80s, and in those days, or at least at the all-girls schools I attended, a school uniform was not obligatory until “secondary school” as it was then called, when I was 11 years old.

Between the ages of 11 and 16, my classmates and I had to don a navy blue skirt, a grey jumper and white shirt five days a week. Shoes had to be either brown or black and we could wear white, grey or navy blue knee-length socks. The school also had a green and blue tie that had to be worn all day; apart from during very hot days when we were occasionally granted permission to remove the tie if we wished.

I remember being very proud on the first day I dressed in my crisp new school uniform. At 11 years old it was the first uniform I had ever had to wear apart from a brief period of attending the brownies - which in the UK is the junior version of girl guides.

However, a few years later when I reached around 13 years of age, I considered my school uniform the bane of my life, and something I disliked intensely. Like most girls of that age I was very fashion conscious and hated wearing the mid-length navy blue “A- line” skirt and pointed-collar blouse which was by no means anywhere near fashionable.

I remember that once every year our school held a fundraising day when pupils could pay a small sum of money to wear their own clothes and disregard the uniform for one day. This was a day of great excitement when all the girls would wear the latest fashion, which needless to say was very different to the day-to-day attire mandated by the school.

This summer, I found myself purchasing my own daughter's first school uniform. We now live in Australia and she is five years old. Like most other English-speaking countries, Australia does not have strict governmental rules regarding uniform – it varies from school to school. However, in the region I live, which is Canberra, I am not aware of any school that does not have a school uniform policy.

As my daughter is much younger than I was when I first had to wear a school uniform, I doubt she will ever wonder why she has to wear a uniform; and by the time she's seriously fashion conscious it will be second nature to her. I must admit that as a mother, I am a lot more enthusiastic about school uniforms then I was as a teenager.

When purchasing my daughter's school uniform I was very pleased to find that the prices were well within my planned budget and the materials used to make the uniform are hard-wearing and practical. Unlike in my day, the girls can choose between trousers and a skirt, and both items are made of a blended cotton and polyester woven fabric that does not require ironing.

Children can wear a red or blue polo neck T-shirt with a grey sweatshirt over the top, and a thicker sweatshirt that is more like a jacket is also available. There are no ties and sock color is only important when the girls wear a skirt – in which dark colored socks or tights should be worn.

I was actually very pleased at how simple and easy to maintain the uniform is, and my thoughts about school uniforms have done an about turn. I like the fact that my daughter will not feel she is competing against other students to see who has the best clothes, and she will not feel left out because we may not be to afford what the next family can buy their children.

Maybe I'm turning into my mum, but I love noticing how opinions change as we grow older!