School uniforms, 60' /70's?

Question

In the 60's 70's, I hated school uniforms, the item for me most hated was the school cap....today kids seem to wear what they want, designer clothes, branded trainers...
So the question, what was it you hated about the school uniform, Was it all bad or would kids be better off today with it ??

Answer 1

School uniforms have a number of benefits:
They are cost effective for parents, who do not have to buy a large wardrobe for school;
Along with this, it puts all students in the same dress category--students won't be picked on for wearing the "wrong" sneakers or jeans;
Uniforms supposedly give a sense of discipline to the school;
They make it easy to spot people who should not be in the school;
They save time, as children do not have to decide what to wear to school;
They insure that all the students' proper body parts will be covered (see discipline above).

Answer 2

I had to wear a beret it was horrible it had the school badge on the front of it if you were caught going or coming to school without it and seen by a prefect then you would get detention so must say I did lots of detention ha ha even the knickers had nothing on big pants from Bridget Jones diary I do think uniform is good more so in secondary schools there should be a choice and then the pupils should be able to decide which one by a vote, that would keep the uniform only it would be modern.

Answer 3

I wore a school uniform in Cyprus until my senior year. That, I studied in Wisconsin, USA, and there was no uniform. "Bluejeans" were not advised though. Students still wear those grey/navy blue type uniforms here and I personally don't like they colors or style. However, when you have no uniform it is hard to tell who is your student and who is an outsider. Having no uniform results in students attempting to dress more fashionably than the others. This means parents spending more money on their outfits. Students need to be distinguished from others (non-students and students of other schools). Bearing in mind that we are in 2007, not in the 50s or 60s, we should provide them with the democratic option of choosing a "fashionable/contemporary" uniform. Something that they would like to be in. We cannot afford to have them come to school in the morning hating the imposed ugly uniform. If authorities approach the issue in a democratic and understandable manner, we can have a compromise. After all, they are our children, our future. We don't want them to hate us for just a uniform, do we.

Answer 4

We had to wear shorts until aged 11 years old. It didn't matter what the weather was doing. I think the uniform was ok but not the shorts. Uniform made us look the same , we didn't compete for brand name clothes. Rich kids wore the same as poor ones so we had an even playing field - in clothes at least.

Answer 5

I hated having to wear a tie. It was expected that we had it done right up, top button and all. Needless to say many off us were constantly getting trouble for looking like scruffs. I did like having a uniform as it saved me from fretting over what to wear each day and having an endless supply of the latest fashions. I was going to change schools at the end of year 11 but changed my mind partly because they didn't have a uniform. That was many moons ago!

Answer 6

The uniform at the school I went to is exactly the same now as it was then - except that they dont have to wear hats or caps, and they can wear skirts instead of pinafore dresses. I think its better to wear a uniform; that way you dont have kids competing to be the most fashionable - too expensive for parents.

Answer 7

The scool cap had largely died out by the 60s and 70s. In 1963, you could flip up the collar and lapels of your school uniform jacket, and make like a Beatle.

Answer 8

We all hated our school beret. It was a sort of pinky-burgundy with the motto 'Wisdom giveth Life' on the badge. If you were seen NOT wearing it on your way to school, you had to wear it all day as punishment. We also had a teacher who would get a ruler & measure that skirts were the regulation 3inches from the ground when kneeling.
Having said that, I dont think a basic uniform is a bad thing as it doesnt put pressure on kids or parents to 'compete' in terms of clothing.

Answer 9

My children still do wear school uniform. They all look very smart, everyone looks the same, even down to swimming trunks and rucksacks. School uniform is very levelling and no-one's stuff becomes currency to steal, or to be made fun of.

Answer 10

I wore my cap on the first day at senior school.
That was a mistake.
I wasn't the only one.
Never wore it again though.

My child wears what I can afford and does not ask for anything designer I'm glad to say.