They vary in style and colour, but there’s one thing all school uniforms have in common — they’re expensive.
If a school insists that each uniform item has the school logo, parents can be looking at a price of a couple of hundred dollars.
So why are some schools so strict about what kids wear, what impact do uniforms have on kids, and what can families do to save money?
Historically, uniforms are about reducing inequity and bringing about a sense of community within a school.
Education researcher and former high school teacher Rebecca English says uniforms have many roles, but from an educator’s point of view one of the most important is safety.
An intruder on school grounds sticks out like a sore thumb when they’re dressed differently to everyone else, and the same is true outside school.
“If students are all in uniform and you go on an excursion, it’s really easy to find them because they’re all roughly the same colour, roughly the same height, and you know what you’re looking for,” Dr English says.
“It’s also about controlling their behaviour in class.”
The theory is that kids aren’t distracted by each other’s clothes if they’re all wearing the same thing.
And it goes further than that, Dr English says.
“If someone isn’t wearing an Ed Sheeran shirt and you hate Ed Sheeran, then there’s no excuse to beat them up for wearing an Ed Sheeran shirt.”
Do I have to buy from the school uniform shop?
For most schools, yes — at least for the shirt and hat your school prescribes. There are ways to save money though.
Many uniform shops sell second-hand items, and some school communities have social media groups for families to source used uniforms.
Some charities have started annual pop-up shops with a similar purpose.
Meredith Hagger, principal solicitor with Youth Law Australia, says in Queensland the education department’s policy dictates that schools must have strategies in place to help families afford uniforms.
“That can include cost reduction, financial support, payment plans, or more time to buy school uniforms,” she says.
“But also, schools need to proactively inform families of the support available to afford school uniforms.”
If you can get away with not having the school logo on your child’s uniform, then major retailers sell shorts, skirts, pants, and shirts in most common school colours.
If your school insists on the logo, then you may need to speak to the principal or administration team.
“Parents and students should be able to seek exemptions so if a student isn’t able to afford a uniform [with a logo] and there isn’t other support in place, then that’s a potential area to seek an exemption from the school,” Ms Hagger says.
Do school uniforms help kids learn?
The short answer is no, but there are some benefits, according to public health lecturer Johanna Reidy.
Dr Reidy has studied the impact school uniforms have on the academic and health outcomes of students.
She says there is evidence that uniforms help students focus in class but that it doesn’t really matter what they look like.
“It can be very complicated or very simple, with or without a logo, monogrammed or not — any uniform tends to help students settle quicker and removes some distractions.”
But when it comes to academic achievement, uniforms have no effect, she says.
“There’s no evidence that wearing a traditional tie and blazer uniform in itself makes you do your maths or your English better,” Dr Reidy says.
“And whether there’s a logo [on a uniform] or not would not affect how somebody performs on their academic endeavours.”
Dr Reidy says it’s more important that uniform policies are designed to be inclusive and affordable, and that they promote activity.
“If you’ve got a uniform that restricts your movement and you’re a primary schooler, then you can’t turn cartwheels and do all those normal things that kids do to let off steam at break [time].
“And there’s good evidence that what kids do during break — getting all the squiggles out — is really important for them to be ready to learn when they are sitting down.”
How strict can a school dress code be?
It depends whether you’re in the public or private system.
Private schools can be about as strict as they like when it comes to uniforms and dress codes, provided they don’t breach laws that prohibit discrimination against people because of their gender, race, culture, or sexuality.
In Queensland state schools, uniform policies or dress codes are developed by principals and the school community, usually through a parents and citizens committee.
Ms Hagger says such policies and dress codes must meet strict guidelines set by the state’s education department and there are limits to how they are enforced.
“Under the Education Act in Queensland you can’t suspend or expel a student for breaching the dress codes,” she says.
“And as a student, you can’t be given a consequence that damages your academic or career prospects for breaching the dress code.”
Dr English says how strict a school is about their uniform often comes down to marketing.
“If you see kids from a certain school all behaving beautifully on public transport, you might think, ‘This is a school that knows how to have kids that are really well behaved, that’s something I want for my kids’,” she says.
“That’s also why they’re very strict on skirts being a certain length and shirts being tucked in and why winter uniforms have a blazer with the logo — all of that comes down to marketing.”