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.”