This is good news in theory, although some uniform retailers have suggested parents may end up paying more overall if they purchase lower-cost, unbranded items which then need to be replaced more often. Then again, they probably would say that.
At secondary school, things became more serious, with branded jumpers and mandatory ties. I quite liked the sense of formality – it felt like an important part of growing up. The only downside was that my mother insisted on darning the elbows of my wool jumper when they wore through, whereas most other children had the polyester version and just lived with holes. At a time when I just wanted to look like everyone else, my woollen patches were a crushing embarrassment.
As time has gone on, however, it has felt like a losing battle. Last week, ahead of an early-morning class assembly, I asked my son if he planned to tuck his shirt in. “Not yet!” came the astonished reply, as if I’d asked him to do something utterly outrageous. He assured me he would sort it out, but when I turned up to watch the assembly, there he was on stage, shirt flapping. And he was far from the only one.
square MATILDA BATTERSBY
Can we loosen school uniform rules? My kids look like mini accountants
Read MoreMore than all this, however, I have developed an ambivalence towards school uniforms because of wider societal changes. In the days when most adults seemed to wear suits and ties, or pressed shirts and smart skirts, school uniform almost felt like a rehearsal for grown-up life. You needed to know how to wear a tie properly and polish a pair of shoes because that’s what you would need to do if you planned to work in an office or professional occupation. If you were going to have to put up with sartorial discomfort, why not start young?
Sure enough, I still have a draw full of ties I bought in the early 2000s – but most have been unworn for years. I wear a suit rarely, and cufflinks stay in their box for weeks on end. I try to avoid looking scruffy, but I do not miss the days of neatly ironing creases in my shirts or of having to shine my black leather shoes every week.
Alternatively, we can keep the kids in stripey ties and elaborately branded blazers – but in that case perhaps we grown-ups should be prepared to bring back suits to the office.
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