Let’s hope cheaper school uniforms are on their way
It’s all very well that everyone is required to wear the same, but that same can be ridiculously pricey
SCHOOL uniform, as any parent and young person knows, is a blessing and a curse. It’s often expensive and not always comfortable, especially for high school.
On the other hand it is a leveller – everyone has to wear roughly the same, so you won’t be ostracised for not having designer or trendy gear, and no one has to worry about what they’re going to wear on rushed mornings in term time.
There are arguments for and against from both sides. But what surely shouldn’t be is that students are so uncomfortable they can’t learn.
After a summer of rows about pupils being too hot in their regulation garb, topped off by a major row about students at a Swansea high school having to get new trousers and skirts with a logo, the Welsh Government has launched a consultation on school uniform.
About time too. The cost and availability of school uniform, especially high school uniform, has become unsustainable, especially at a time of austerity.
It’s all very well that everyone is required to wear the same, but that same can be ridiculously pricey, especially when you’re buying for growing people who need new clothes regularly as they outgrow them long before they wear out.
The average cost of a school uniform is said to be a staggering £340 a year. Maybe not so surprising if you take into account shoes, sports kit, sports boots and blazers, not to mention ties and tights.
Parents report having to pay £75 for a blazer for one high school in Wales and around £60 for regulation sports kit. Bearing in mind these outfits won’t last much more than a year before being outgrown, that’s a big price tag, especially for those with more than one child.
And don’t be conned that uniform can always be handed down. Some schools have different coloured jumpers for girls and boys and sports kit is regularly updated and colours change. Not only that, but you try handing a skirt down to a teenage boy – unless it is summer and he wants to protest against the fact he has to wear long black trousers to lessons as the temperature hits 30C.
Regulation sports kit can involve rugby and football strips and boots for boys (yes, high schools at least still tend to do netball for girls, rugby and football for boys). Two pairs of studs will put you back more than a few quid wherever you shop.
Depending which school your child attends they may require a tie, blazer, skirt or trousers and jersey, all with logo, plus an array of sports kit and even an apron for subjects where they might get dirty. Oh, and then they may need a black or blue coat so forget it if they have a red one already, you’ll just have to buy another.
Shoes can be another minefield. What is and isn’t acceptable needs to be scrutinised in detail – don’t assume black and flat will be OK; some schools don’t like anything with a vaguely sporty look.
The list we got when our first child started secondary school was bafflingly long and expensive, and that was before forking out for the regulation black or blue tights, which, when worn by 11 to 18-year-olds, tend to last about 48 hours before getting holes and ladders. Not to mention, as girls at Cardiff High did, that tights are not very comfortable in the searing heat we had last summer. Boys, on the other hand, basted in long trousers. Some boys banned from wearing shorts in some schools last summer turned up for classes in skirts, while other simply stayed at home to avoid getting in trouble.
Perhaps the worst recent case was a recording which emerged appearing to be of pupils at a Swansea school being told they “won’t be welcome” unless they wear trousers displaying a special logo.
The audio clip, the source of which is unknown, has been widely shared on social media in connection with Penyrheol Comprehensive, where up to 70 pupils were claimed by some parents to have been kept in a hall all day because they weren’t wearing the correct uniform.
The school denied that claim but even Swansea’s council leader waded into the ensuing row after a uniform change at the Gorseinon school meant pupils were now required to wear trousers and skirts which have the school logo on.
You might imagine schools, which often complain about under-funding, might be making some money from all this? But no, the uniform is generally sold at a tiny number of outlets who set the prices, with parents unable to shop elsewhere.
You may be able to get supermarket cheap uniform for primary kids, not so for high school, beyond the shirts and trousers, if they do not have to have a logo.
When we are worrying about our children’s future, this obsession with what they wear to learn seems a bit of a sideshow – does it really matter what they wear?
Some pupils and staff say it gives a sense of identity and also adds to safety on school trips because everyone can be seen more easily.
Last year pupils at Cardiff’s Cathays High even asked for more formal uniform, saying wearing blazers made them feel more grown up and serious about learning.
Deputy head Stuart Davies said some of the school’s 850 pupils had complained the old uniform of dark blue sweatshirts, light blue polo shirts and black trousers made them look like primary school children.
The new dress code would help increase their sense of pride in their school, which could have an effect on learning and behaviour, he said.
Now they wear a new dark navy blue uniform with yellow piping which includes a new blazer with badge and ties.
Views differ, but one thing is certain – uniform needs to be comfortable and affordable.
A school uniform donation site launched this term in social media by a parent has seen hundreds of items given and donated across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan showing just how much demand there is from people unwilling, or unable to pay full price new uniform.
Parents can apply for a £125 grant from the Welsh Government to help with the cost of uniform but the criteria for those eligible is limited to children eligible for free school meals and looked-after children if they are starting reception class in primary school, starting Year Seven in secondary school or aged four or 11 in special schools, special needs resource bases or pupil referral units.
Getting help with the cost of uniform at the start of primary or secondary education doesn’t even begin to take into account how much children and teenagers grow.
It will be interesting to see the result of the Welsh Government consultation, which also suggests gender-neutral school uniform.
Let’s hope cheaper, more comfortable uniforms are on the way.
No-one can concentrate if they are sweltering in a tie, blazer and tights after all.
We don’t expect adults to do this, so we shouldn’t expect our children to.