Survey Responses - Part 1:
What is one small thing we could do to make our school better for you and/or your child?
Over the next few weeks, I will share some of the suggestions and some of our responses to those.
Your answers and thoughts are sincerely appreciated. While we cannot follow through with many of the suggestions, we can share our careful thinking about WHY we can't. Hopefully, by sharing this thinking, we can bring you on board and at least have you understand our position, if not join us in our reasoning.
A couple of parents raised the idea of school uniforms, suggesting it would be good if we had one.
When our school was established, our community was surveyed about a possible uniform for the then brand-new Western Heights School. Our community responded clearly - they did not want our school to have a uniform.
Over the years since we have from time to time consulted our community. While there has always been a percentage of parents favouring a uniform, the majority have wanted us to remain without one.
A couple of years ago, I spent a good amount of time researching the case for and against school uniforms. I will share that with you below.
Summary:
School uniforms are not a good idea for our school because they can be expensive, create financial barriers for low-income families, and have not been shown to have any direct impact on academic outcomes. Uniforms can restrict physical activity and comfort, particularly for girls and religious minorities. They can create a barrier between children and their teachers, and can require teachers to waste valuable time as uniform police.
They can also create social pressures and stigmas, leading to unnecessary expenses for families.
Specific Points:
At Western Heights, we take an approach that treats every child as a unique and valued individual. We encourage imagination, creativity, individuality, expression of individual talents interests and passions. Uniforms are an anathema to this philosophy. We love that children can come to school dressed as Batman or Elsa, or a princess, or in their own cultural clothing.
A couple of years ago, we were very aware of one lad who wore clothing that seemed generally small for him and was quite unusual in many ways. He was never hassled about what he wore, was happy and comfortable in who he was and what he wore.
Uniforms create barriers - they have to be policed and enforced. This creates a barrier between our children and our staff. If you don’t enforce the uniform, the system breaks down. But there can be many justifiable reasons why the uniform - or elements of it - is/are not worn. We can understand this through knowing the family circumstances, but children see the uniform standard not being met and question why they should meet it if others are not.
1. Uniforms Are Expensive
To start, school uniforms can be quite expensive. Some students even attend on alternate days because they share a uniform with a sibling or skip school until they can buy a missing uniform item. It’s a sad irony that the very tool meant to encourage equal access to education has become a barrier for some even before they walk through the school gates.
2. Uniforms Don't Stop Inequality
A common argument in favor of uniforms is that school uniforms promote uniformity and equality among the students. To a certain degree, this is true. However, studies have shown that wearing uniforms doesn’t significantly prevent division in the classroom. Students who cannot afford new uniforms will have to purchase them secondhand. Some students may still mock others for their choice of uniform.
3. Uniforms Detract From What The Point of School Should Be
Neutralising the appearance of students is not the way to promote love and equality. Instead, it would be better to teach students how to recognise and respect individual differences and be kind and understanding toward one another. In real life, everyone looks and dresses differently, so uniforms don’t reflect real life.
4. Uniforms Take Away Choice
Choosing clothes helps a child to become their own person and learn how to make good decisions
5. Uniforms Can Be Uncomfortable
School uniforms are often not the most comfortable to wear. Young students who are constantly uncomfortable will have a much harder time focusing in class and learning.
6. Uniforms Don’t Improve Academic Performance
Research shows uniforms do nothing to improve academic performance. Uniforms do not positively impact a student’s grades, attendance, or performance overall. In fact, the focus on uniforms could take away from the focus on things of actual importance, such as student and teacher relationships and learning. If schools spend time and effort to enforce a uniform, then that time and effort is wasted.
7. Uniforms Make Students Feel Controlled
School uniforms can make students feel policed and controlled; some may fight that feeling. This does not promote a sense of goodwill and cooperation.
8. Uniforms Don't Ensure Respect for Cultures
Uniforms don’t do much to promote respect for other students' cultures. This is especially true of students who are required to wear certain clothes to abide by the rules of their culture or religion. If they are forced to wear a uniform that inhibits their ability to abide by their beliefs, they will not be comfortable or happy at school.
Garment design or policies about which garments can be worn when and by whom tend to disadvantage poorer students, girls, religious minorities and gender-diverse students. Together, these student groups make up over half the school population.
9. Uniforms Promote Conformity
Uniforms promote conformity rather than individuality. Freedom of speech and thought are two very important factors in any person’s life. The idea of a “mandated” school uniform quashes the idea of individual thought and expression. This makes it difficult for students to embrace diversity, a crucial skill in today’s world. Students should be able to foster a good sense of uniqueness and individuality, and wearing a uniform can be detrimental to that.
10. Generally, Student’s Don’t Like Uniforms
The mental and emotional well-being of our students should always be our top priority. If uniforms stand in the way of students being happy and productive, they are not serving any useful purpose.
Postscript:
I have been a principal for 33 years and have led schools with and without uniforms. I can categorically state from my experience, that without a uniform is the better option overall. I know some quite good arguments can be made in favour of a uniform, but overall, in my experience, without is the better option.
Research Says:
When researchers carefully looked at the data, they found little or no evidence that uniforms had any lasting positive effects on students (Yeung 2009; Brunsma 2006).
Arya Ansari and his colleagues tracked the progress of more than 6300 children overtime, from kindergarten to the fifth grade.
Teachers provided data about children’s behavioural problems and social skills each year. When the kids were in the fifth grade, researchers interviewed them directly. They asked the kids if they were experiencing symptoms of social anxiety and if bullies had ever targeted them. They also asked the kids questions about social belonging. Did they feel close to their teachers? Close to their fellow students?
With this information collected, Ansari’s team performed statistical analyses to see if student behaviour varied depending on a school’s uniform policy. The outcome? Regarding teachers’ reports, there was no evidence of a link between uniforms and student behaviour. Kids who attended schools with a uniform policy were just as likely as other children to suffer from emotional problems. They experienced similar rates of depression. Similar rates of aggression, defiance, and property destruction. Children’s social skills were basically the same, regardless of whether they wore uniforms or not. Likewise, the children themselves reported comparable experiences with social anxiety and bullying. And social belonging? That was the one area in which uniform-wearing children reported significantly differentoutcomes, and it didn’t favor uniforms. Kids who were required to wear school uniforms tended to feel less close to teachers and classmates. So — for these 6300 kids — school uniforms didn’t seem to deliver any substantial psychological benefits. And that was true whether kids attended public or private schools.
In the study led by Arya Ansari, kids who wore school uniforms were less likely to feel socially connected with teachers and fellow students. Why? The researchers can’t be sure. But Ansari speculates that it might have something to do with the quashing of individuality: “Fashion is one way that students express themselves, and that may be an important part of the school experience. When students can’t show their individuality, they may not feel like they belong as much.”
Johanna Reidy — a public health researcher based in New Zealand — has identified several additional areas for concern (Reidy 2021). School uniform policies can create cultural conflicts, such as when members of a religious group are asked to dress in a way that is inconsistent with their beliefs or practices. And gendered uniforms can present a host of difficulties. Reidy notes that girls’ uniforms tend to be more expensive. In addition, the design ofgirls’ uniforms may make it harder for girls to engage in athletic activities (Nathan et al 2021).
Then there is the question of affordability. What if the cost of a school uniform is burdensome to low-income families? This problem has been documented in countries throughout the world, including affluent countries like New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States.
Conclusion:
Based on the above, we have no plans to introduce a uniform.
I thank those who suggested this, as it allows us to share the considerable thinking that has gone into our decision.