Should school uniforms be strictly enforced?

PARENTS protesting outside school gates because their children have been turned away for not wearing the right uniform (Mail) sums up so much about families today. I went to a grammar school in the Fifties when uniforms were compulsory. Coming from a council estate, my parents struggled to buy the uniform, which was taken off and hung up the minute I came home, and handed down in a good condition to the next child. Parents had to sign a document to say they would abide by the school rules. If they disagreed, they were free to find another school. Families supported schools then and all the discipline it entailed. We grew up with rules and the consequences of disobeying them. A far cry from today.

GERRY BYRNE, Snettisham, Norfolk. irrespective of whether or not headmaster Matthew Tate is right to take a strict stance on school uniform, I’d like to know if he and the school governors have looked at what has been deemed suitable school wear? First, it is depressing. Pupils are going to school, not a funeral, so why choose black for every item except the shirt or blouse? It will soon be dark when pupils are making their way to and from school, many of whom will be travelling on foot and crossing busy roads. Dark clothes are difficult for motorists to see at night and bad weather can make it almost impossible to see them at all. A bit of colour would help pupils feel better about themselves and lighten their mood. Maybe a start could be made by introducing a rule whereby all jackets and coats need to have reflective tape sewn on to the sleeves and bottom edge.

MAGGIE MATTHEWS, Plymouth, Devon. PARENTS choose schools where they feel their children will get the best education, so having to toe the line and wear the required uniform seems a small price to pay.

JILLIAN JENNINGS, Kings Heath, Birmingham.