School Uniform promotes wellbeing

An expert in child and adolescent psychosocial development has said that school uniform may have significant benefits for wellbeing in young people.

In research commissioned by not for profit organisation, the Schoolwear Association, Dr. Barbie Clarke, lead researcher for specialist research agency Family Kids and Youth, carried out focus groups with 50 young people in an Essex school.

“School uniform seems to play an important role in establishing identity among young people of this age,” she said.  “It can protect adolescents from being picked on or being the subject of banter that verges on bullying. This creates a greater degree of self-confidence, and ultimately helps with the fundamental adolescent need to be accepted by others.”

The students involved in the research shared some fascinating insights into how uniform helps to reduce anxiety about their appearance and lessen worry around fitting in with their peers.  Said one year 9 pupil: “With uniform, you can’t be judged.

“[Without uniform] everyone would be competing about what the style is, what the trend is, what you need to wear, I think there’d be more bullying as well and it would be more stress in the morning”

Many of the young people said they would feel under pressure to wear branded clothing and footwear – ‘like Nike and Adidas’ – to fit in and avoid being bullied if there was no school uniform.  This, they said, could pose problems for those who couldn’t afford these kind of brands but also for those who could.  No-one wanted to be labelled ‘the rich kid’.

Interestingly, the research also backed up the idea that uniform can put children in the right mindset for school.   As one year seven boy commented: “Imagine sitting in a maths lesson wearing your own clothes!  I don’t feel like I’d do much work in the whole day if I didn’t have to wear uniform.”

The focus groups were carried out on the back of a poll in which 75% of teachers said they had seen an increase in the number of children with mental health problems in the last five years, with two thirds feeling that kids face increased pressure about fashion and appearance. 

At a time when young people are under more pressure than ever to buy into fashion and ‘look right’, the Schoolwear Association wanted to find out what role, if any, uniform plays in promoting children’s well-being in school.

David Burgess, Chairman of the association said: “We have carried out previous research which shows that wearing school uniform can lead to improved learning, better behaviour and greater safety for pupils.  We have also demonstrated that uniform is excellent value for money when compared with everyday children’s clothing.

“This is the first time we have looked at its effect on well-being and it’s clear from the research that both teachers and young people think school uniform helps students to feel like they fit in, avoid bullying and establish their identity within the boundaries set by their school.  We think every child deserves that.”

The true cost of cheap uniform

"25p an hour: That's the pitiful amount this mother is paid to make bargain school uniforms for British children... it's so little she can only afford to see her OWN son twice a year." - from the Daily Mail

 

 

The Chairman of the Schoolwear Association, David Burgess, is calling on MPs, parents and schools to consider the true cost of cheap uniform.

In a letter to the Daily Mail, Mr. Burgess thanked reporters of a special report for highlighting that women in Bangladesh are being paid poverty wages to make bargain basement school clothing for some of Britain’s biggest supermarkets. (Mail Online 17 September 2017)

He said: ‘we hope the Labour MP Sarah Jones has read your investigation. Last week, she said it was “incredibly frustrating” for parents to see supermarkets offering very low prices when schools required items to be bought from school uniform specialists.

‘We remind schools, parents and the MP that members of the Schoolwear Association sign up to a Code of Conduct that requires them to source clothing ethically.

‘A well balanced good quality uniform, looks better and lasts longer than off-the-shelf clothing. It helps to bring improved learning, better behaviour and greater safety. It reduces peer pressure at a time when teachers are seeing growing mental health issues in class. And it does not come with the sinister hidden price tag of exploitation.’

 

Perhaps the most shocking revelation in the report was that mothers working in atrocious conditions to make the uniform we can buy for less than a cup of coffee cannot afford to send their own children to school.

Mr Burgess concluded ‘When it comes to paying a fair price for uniform, we passionately believe every child – whether in Britain or Bangladesh - is worth it.’

 

Read the Daily Mail article here