Interesting article in the Independent called The Politics of the School Uniform.
While there are no legal requirements to have uniforms, a 2007 report by the Department for Education found that almost 98 per cent of schools chose to have one. Compared with much of the rest of Europe, where uniforms are relatively rare, we are obsessed. It’s a massive industry. According to Mintel, in 2010 the schoolwear market was worth £959m, forecast to rise 19 per cent to £1.1bn in the next five years. Which is astonishing growth, especially in the light of the fact that numbers of schoolchildren are actually currently declining (between 2003 and 2008, there was a 2 per cent drop in pupil numbers, in line with a dip in birth rates). ….
There are a few schools which are bucking the trend. In Derbyshire, for example, a small comprehensive called Anthony Gell in Wirksworth hasn’t had a uniform for years. Last summer, it got its best A-level results in history with an overall pass rate of 98 per cent. Meanwhile, at King Edward VI Community College in Totnes in Devon, head Kate Mason took the decision actually to ban uniforms seven years ago. “We felt we were spending far too much time addressing issues of non-compliance.
“Too many conversations with students were about tucking shirts in,” she said at the time. Again, results are better than ever.
Interesting…..I only wore a uniform at High school…I don’t think it improved my grades or work ethic, just ment I spent less time figuring out what to wear in the mornings!