Against school uniform

FOR (Pro.)

I believe the wearing of uniform in schools is a good idea. In a recent study, 90% of the British population surveyed agreed with this notion, for a number of reasons.

The wearing of uniform emphasises equality; the fact that everyone wearing that uniform is of the same status, and no-one is “better” in any way than anyone else. I am sure you will agree that this is a good moral to promote in young people. A smart uniform also helps to create pride for the school for its wearers. If children are all wearing the same uniform, they all belong to the same group, which helps to foster a community spirit and ultimately creates a better atmosphere among the children.

Wearing a uniform also helps to prevent bad relations between groups of children. Everyone knows that children can be very judgemental, and so if children were allowed to wear their own clothes, children would judge each other and make friends according to what clothes they wore. It is also more than likely that ‘gangs’ and ‘groups’ would form – think about the situation in American high schools, where bullying and social segregation is widespread. For example, people who liked a certain type of music might wear the same clothes and therefore form a clique; how can this help build the school’s sense of community?

There are also more practical reasons why children should wear a school uniform. Uniforms are usually very reasonable in price. Children would be wearing the uniform Monday to Friday, and so this would surely save parents money on clothes for their children. Referring to my previous point, if children were allowed to wear their own clothes to school, a combination of peer pressure and children’s need for ‘the latest fashion’ would lead them to put pressure on their parents to buy them extra new clothes to wear to school. If everyone is wearing a uniform, this problem is removed. Crimes involving the stealing of clothes are also eliminated, as everyone would be wearing the same.

Because students are more easily identifiable when wearing a uniform, intruders in the school can be identified easily, therefore improving student safety in school. Student safety can also be improved by the wearing of uniform while out on school trips, as children are more easily accounted for.

The wearing of school uniform helps children to realise that their uniqueness and individuality goes deeper than their clothes, and are not lessened by a uniform.

AGAINST (Anti.)

I believe wearing a school uniform is a breach of children’s right to individuality and self-expression. Everyone is unique, and so making children wear a school uniform takes away their individuality and personality. Maybe this discourages them from performing to their full potential, and excelling in their favoured subjects?

Uniforms were thought up by head teachers as a way of trying to control children. They may give children the impression that conformity is a good way of avoiding conflict, and this is not a good message to teach to children.

I think most school uniforms are ugly and unflattering, and having to wear something that is not comfortable to a child is not good for their self-image. What happens if someone doesn’t like the colour green? If children were allowed to wear their own clothes at least they would be comfortable. In the case of younger children, if they got their only school jumper muddy, they would have none to wear the next day, which would mean they got told off at school.

Uniforms make parents spend more money unnecessarily. They are expensive, and parents already have to spend money on clothes for children to wear outside school. If children didn’t have to wear a uniform, parents would ultimately have more money.

People think that if children wore their own clothes, cliques and gangs would form according to social class, or fashion groups. I think these gangs will still form even if everyone is wearing uniform, just for less shallow reasons; children would be bullied for other things except their clothes, maybe even encouraging racism? Because students are easily recognisable in school uniform, this may also encourage bullying and rivalry between schools.