Extracts from ‘Attitudes to School Uniform’ a report conducted by Trutex in association with the Diana Award
Introduction
Uniforms are a fact of life for British school children. Almost every secondary school (98%) and the majority (79%) of primary schools1 require students to wear some form of uniform, ranging from a formal blazer and tie combination to a more relaxed polo shirt based outfit. It is a tradition dating back to the 13th century, and one 98% which Britain exported overseas.
Foreword
Teachers, parents and schoolchildren all agree that wearing a uniform to school can help to reduce the incidences of bullying, according to new research by uniform makers Trutex working in association with charity The Diana Award. The research found that teachers overwhelmingly believe school uniforms help to reduce bullying and that they contribute to a happier school community and better-behaved students. Indeed, teachers are the most positive about the benefits of school uniform, claiming it helps children to fit in and improves the perception of schools. Parents and school children also recognise the benefits of school uniforms in reducing bullying, although they are less enthusiastic than teachers about this attribute. But while, given the choice, children would rather wear their own clothes, parents admit that school uniforms make their lives easier. Trutex, which produces four million items of school uniform every year, commissioned three pieces of research from each of the three key stakeholders – teachers, parents and children, comprising 1,318* people – on their attitudes to school uniforms. It worked in association with The Diana Award, a charity established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, which runs an anti-bullying campaign as part of its remit to foster, develop and inspire positive change in the lives of young people.
*YouGov surveyed 604 children aged between six and 15 years old online between 13th and 20th April 2017. Opinium surveyed 534 parents of school aged-children between 10th – 14th March 2017. 180 teachers surveyed online between 20th March 2017 and 17th April 2017.
Key Findings
- 9 in 10 teachers believe school uniforms help to reduce bullying
- Almost ½ of children believe that wearing a school uniform reduces bullying
- 2/3 parents believe wearing a school uniform puts everyone on a level playing field
- 2/3 of parents say that their life is made easier if their children wear school uniform
- Over 1/3 of 15 year olds would be concerned if a school uniform policy was abolished, allowing them to wear their own clothes
Schools in the United Kingdom are not legally required to impose a uniform policy but the Department of Education ‘strongly encourages’ schools to have uniforms believing that they play a ‘valuable role in contributing to the ethos of a school and setting an appropriate tone’. While the government department does not detail the ways in which uniforms play such a ‘valuable role’, there is increasing evidence that schools which strictly enforce uniform policies experience fewer incidences of bullying as potential bullies find it harder to identify their targets, who often are those children who do not quite fit in. A uniform levels the playing field. It removes the pressure on children to wear the latest fashions or designer labels, and can reduce perceived inequalities between students from different socio-economic or family backgrounds.
In the United States, where fewer than a quarter of schools enforce a uniform policy, preferring instead to implement dress codes, more than 160,000 children miss school every day due to bullying and other classroom intimidations while one in ten teenagers drop out for similar reasons. Being bullied at school is a way of life for 28% American students, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, with those who are considered ‘different’ most at risk. However, these numbers could also significantly under estimate the problem because it has also been suggested that at least 20% of children are reluctant to confide in teachers or parents that they are being bullied.