I mentioned recently that while we were Down Under, I was a bit obsessed by school uniforms. Perhaps obsessed isn’t the correct word; I’ll just say that I was very interested in what students were wearing. School uniforms are just such a foreign concept for my family.
Australian schools, like their British counterparts, require students to wear uniforms. But there is one key difference. See if you spot it.
Do you see it? The students are wearing hats. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, so from an early age, kids are taught to “slip-slop-slap” — slip on a shirt (at the beach, pool), slop on some sunscreen, and slap on a hat.
Skin cancer aside, how adorable are all those children? The little ones in the second and third photos just about killed us with their cuteness.
I tell you one thing though: If I were a parent Down Under, I’d find it very difficult not to choose a school based on their uniform colors. Can you even believe those maroon and gold get-ups in that one photo?
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Maybe the maroon and gold are from Gryffindor House.
Some of them seem dressed head to toe, same socks and shoes too! I would probably have been a violent revolutionary if somebody tried to make me wear a uniform to school….
I wore a uniform to school the whole way through – K-12. Lots of heavy polyester, with the exception of the unlined wool kilt winter option, made of cheap wool, so it was incredibly itchy and uncomfortable.
As a parent, I see the appeal of uniforms, but having had to wear one every day for 13 years, I hate them. With a passion.
Maroon-and-gold is the reason I’m NOT a Redskins fan.
There are actual holes in the ozone layer in that area of the world, so no wonder everyone wears hats.
Since we just got done putting together Kiernan’s uniforms for the year I must say I HATE HATE HATE uniforms!!!
I went to Catholic schools from K-12 and was stuck in the hideous things. Kier’s first few years were uniform free and I loved it. She was able to be her cute little self (think sparkly diva at all times). We switched to uniforms and I can’t stand it! It’s expensive since you need for hot and cold weather. There is also the fact that unless your kids are wearing their uniforms at home you need clothes for them to change into so that is more expense. Also the idea that kids are on a more level playing field in uniforms is so not true. If you have a kid rocking Gymboree uniforms versus a kid wearing Walmart you can still tell who has (more) money. Ok, done ranting for now!
We ADORE school uniforms at my house!!! My kids got outfitted for less than $100 each at Old Navy and there’s NO morning battles on getting them ready for the day. Everyone looks presentable, staff has no issues with sending kids home for not being clothed appropriately (for weather, situational or modesty reasons), the boys can wear their khaki shorts year-round and we’ve never had a shortage of t-shirts for when they’re not in school. Maybe it’s because we have all boys here, but uniforms save us load of money, time and hassle.
Now, if we could only get super-cool HATS into the dress code like those Aussies are wearing…
Gotta work on that!
I love school uniforms. I mean I’m glad I didn’t have to wear them as a kid because I was very overweight and I wouldn’t have been able to find any in my size, but I really like the idea of them. Mostly because in middle school there were several boys who would wear T-shirts with cartoons of NAKED WOMEN stuffed in trucks and they would get away with it. That was not awesome.
I think the uniform colors for public school kids actually vary by state – so the New South Wales ones are blue and white (and usually gold) and the maroon ones are from Queensland. Private school kids are totally different (the green and white ones in the picture might be private school, I don’t know).
At Hallie’s school, if you didn’t have a hat you had to sit on a bench in the shade during recess/lunch. Which by the way was an hour long, talking about differences. Here they have to bolt their food and get in quick game of four square before it’s back inside!
I so wish all schools would convert over to uniforms. (I was the nut that wanted that in high school too.) Boy would life be simpler in the morning, and the teachers wouldn’t be forced to patrol dress code. Some of the things I’ve seen in recent years terrify me.
As a major fan of head gear, I love the addition of hats.
I used to be a fan of uniforms, but after using them for a couple of years, I was happy Emma transferred to a school without them. I do think that uniforms would be easier with boys –Emma tells me she has boys in her class who literally wear the same shirt every day. But even though Emma’s not too much of a girly-girl, she still enjoys the element of self-expression that comes through choosing clothes.
Emma’s school has a dress code on the books, but they don’t enforce it strictly. And Jen, that shirt you posted about earlier –the one with the lace back that I thought looked tacky? On the first day of school, one of the teacher’s kids was wearing a shirt like that!! A middle-school girl. Definitely would not happen in my house!
For girls, I think learning to dress yourself throughout the school years is actually an important skill, that requires parent input and limits. It’s an opportunity that’s missed if you wear uniforms.
I never wore school uniforms, nor did my kid. But I sure like the idea of hats to protect from sun!
I admit, looking at that first picture, I was going to guess white socks or pony tails but from the rest, hats were the clear winner.
And an earlier commenter is correct, even with uniforms, the “haves” shop at expensive stores and the “have-nots” shop at Wally World.
I regret the lack of self-expression but uniforms do solve those t-shirt problems. (Also, Old Navy has a lot of boy t-shirt that reference places that sell alcohol — supposedly not okay by school dress codes.)
Maroon and gold were my high school colors
seriously
Most schools here have.uniforms too. I wore uniforms all the way through school… I guess when you’re used to it and everyone does it, it doesn’t seem that weird.
Through getup I wore though high school was incredible. I’ll have to see if I can dig up a photo… picture a pinafore with tights, a white.shirt underneath it, blue green and gold tie, navy blaze, and a straw hat with a ribbon on it. And in winter? A felt bowler hat. Yup, it was that fashionable….
I wore a uniform, K-12. I didn’t mind at all. It meant never having to worry about what to wear to school. I’m pretty sure my mother thought it was convenient too, although at our schools, the “uniform” for boys was just that they had to be wearing a collared shirt and a tie, with non-denim pants, while the girls had school-issued plaid jumpers.
I teach at a high school in Melbourne Australia and all our students wear a uniform. It’s fantastic. All the kids look the same regardless of family income. If there is an apparent need, those who can’t afford a uniform can purchase at our second hand uniform shop. Even though the students complain and try to add to the uniform ( different coloured socks, extra earrings, way too short dresses), I’m sure most secretly enjoy not having to think about what to wear each morning.
And yes, we also have a hat the students can wear when outside. Staff are also encouraged to wear the cotton Akubra style hat. It’s not the best look but it sure saves our skin.