paiceblog: Why school uniforms?

I notice that a new law is due to come into effect in England in September that will “protect parents ... from unnecessary school uniform costs” by forcing state schools “to remove unnecessary branded items from their uniform requirements, allowing parents to shop around or hand clothes down more easily.” (See BBC report). Well, I suppose that is welcome as far as it goes, but why is there so little questioning of the peculiar practice of dressing schoolchildren in identical, old-fashioned and expensive clothes that neither they nor their parents would dream of wearing in any other context?

Based on various visits over the years to Europe and North America, I had supposed that school uniforms were a peculiarly British affliction, and that their prevalence would be limited mainly to the UK and some former British colonies. However, it seems that I was wrong.

There appears to be a scarcity of research on the origins of school uniforms, but some sources suggest that the “bluecoat” uniform of Christ’s Hospital, Horsham (originally a charitable foundation) was one of the first schools to provide a standard uniform that all pupils were required to wear. Possibly, the idea caught on and was copied by other schools over the centuries – not only in England but in the British colonies in Africa and Asia. However, it seems that it is not only a British idiosyncrasy since, according to thisWikipedia article, school uniforms are now widely prescribed in many countries that were never subject to direct British influence - such as Japan, Brazil and Russia.

The original Christ’s Hospital uniform was actually provided free of charge to the children of poor parents, so these may have been the only presentable clothes that the children possessed. This may also have been true of other charitable schools, including the fictional Lowood Institution, attended by Jane Eyre, the eponymous heroine of Charlotte Bronte’s novel. However, in the great majority of cases school uniforms have to be purchased – at no little cost - by parents in addition to the clothes that their children would otherwise wear. So why do parents put up with it? What explains the prevalence of school uniforms in so many diverse countries?

Claimed advantages of school uniforms

They promote social equality by eliminating differences between standards of clothing of children of poor and wealthy parents.

[Comment: Yet the differences between children dressed in smart new uniforms and those wearing threadbare, ill-fitting hand-me-downs is still fairly obvious]

They prevent children from wearing unsuitable clothes (e.g. sexually provocative or unsafe in the science laboratory)

[Comment : This problem could be addressed by a dress code rather than a uniform]

They remove the issue of religious headgear (turbans, hijab) and symbols

[Comment: Again this could be dealt with by a dress code. In any case the banning of religious symbols is itself controversial]

They protect parents from being pressured by children to buy the latest fashionable clothes in order to keep up with their peer group.

[Presumably, parents can still be pressured to buy fashionable clothes outside school – so this problem (if it really is a serious problem) is not fully resolved.]

They promote a sense of “esprit de corps”, discipline and loyalty to and pride in the school, also distinguishing the school’s pupils from other schools’ children.

[Comment: But is this military analogy really all that desirable? It suggests a degree of rivalry between schools that could reinforce stereotypes, especially as between schools of different religious denominations – though that raises more fundamental issues of school governance. Moreover, they promote the idea that the school is more important than the individual, which is perhaps why they are favoured by autocratic regimes such as China and Russia]

They promote children’s safety by enabling unauthorised intruders to be identified

[This is a small part of a wider problem of school security. Measures should be in place (e.g. ID cards, smartcards etc) to prevent intruders from gaining access – whatever they may be wearing]

Disadvantages of school uniforms

The cost. Not only are they additional clothing that would not otherwise be needed, but they tend to be specified in a way that ties them to particular local suppliers rather than chain stores or internet.

In practice, school uniforms tend to be unnecessarily formal – e.g. blazers, collar and tie (even for girls) – which are not required for learning and may be inappropriate for some lessons (woodwork, chemistry practical or home economics).

Uniforms prevent pupils from expressing their individuality in the way they dress. This could be a particular problem for transgender pupils who may wish to wear clothes that do not match their legal gender, or pupils who wish to dress in accordance with their religious or cultural customs

Uniforms can make pupils of a particular school a target for bullies from a rival school.

[Comment: Presumably, this problem could be overcome if all schools specified the same uniform – but would one of the purposes of the uniform then be lost?]

Research evidence

Most of the above claimed advantages and disadvantages are matters of opinion rather than of fact. There have been a number of studies in the USA (referenced in this Wikipedia article), but the evidence appears to be inconclusive, particularly since schools that have imposed school uniforms have generally also made other simultaneous changes to the school’s regime or ethos, and it has not been possible to attribute effects to any particular cause.

Why not a simple dress code?

I wonder if there is scope for some sort of compromise, leading perhaps to the gradual phasing out the most prescriptive uniform requirements and their replacement by a dress code that satisfies most of the claims of both sides of the argument.

Provided that it is accepted that there is no need to specify a different uniform or dress code for each school (thus rejecting the "esprit de corps" argument) the elements of a general dress code could be something like this:

Needless to say the dress code must comply with relevant legislation, including Human Rights Act, and Equality Act

Clothing should be clean and in good repair, comfortable, appropriate to weather conditions, suitable for the learning environment

The code should not specify particular articles of clothing, such as blazers, ties, skirts, pinafore dresses, hats (though these could be permitted), nor should it insist on particular colours

It should not ban particular articles of clothing (e.g. jeans, shorts, tee shirts) unless there is a reasoned justification – e.g. on health and safety grounds

It should permit pupils within reason to express their personality, including sexuality, gender choice, religious or other beliefs. However, “within reason” could exclude clothing that is sexually provocative, gratuitously offensive slogans on clothing, garments that inhibit communication (e.g. nikab or face veil), badges of gang membership

The code should also apply to hairstyles, jewellery, tattoos and makeup

It is difficult to predict what the outcome of such a dress code would be in practice. However based on experience of countries that do not generally insist on school uniforms, it is likely that most schoolchildren would choose to wear similar sensible, comfortable and unremarkable clothing as their friends and fellow students – such as jeans and tee shirt in summer, and jeans and sweatshirt or pullover in the winter.

Ironically, this would then represent a form of “uniform”.

Below I have appended some pictures of schoolchildren and teenagers in various parts of Europe and America (acknowledged where possible).

France