The question of school ties

Oliver raised an interesting question on the way home from science group today. After an afternoon in the park with some other home ed families we where on our way home and it was also kicking out time of the local schools, Oliver raise the question of why do the girls wear ties.

I had to think about this answer, why do girls wear ties? after all in the adult world women do not wear ties, they are seen as a man's accessory, a woman wearing a tie is seen as an odd thing, there are very few professions that require a woman to wear a tie, so why are girls expected to wear a tie?

To me it just epitomises how ridiculous and alien the majority of the regimes in schools are to that wonderful wide world outside of schools,

If I had to guess why girls wear ties in schools I would say it just demonstrates and teaches that we do live in a man's world, a very outdated notion even by today standards, it is irrational and this is just one example of how behind the times and how wrong the structure of schools really are in their way of thinking. Out of touch and prehistoric.

But stranger still is the fact it is just accepted as normal, which does tell us an awful lot about our culture of not questioning the unseen social structures we live amongst.

Don' even get me started on those hideous burgundy coloured jackets they are forced to wear, they look hideous, they have a hooded sweat jumper of a taupe colour at the end of the year that looks smart, modern and very comfortable with the name of the child and the year they are leaving on the back, it looks lovely, I have no idea why something like that all throughout the year instead of just the end of the academic year would not be more suitable, it would be far better and look far less hideous.

As we can see from the Wikipedia entry on school uniform - Britain stands out as the only country where school uniform is widely adopted by state schools and generally supported by national and local governments although there is no legislation governing school uniform in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There are some independent schools and state schools that do not have a school uniform policy and that pupils are at liberty to dress in a way considered to be appropriate by themselves and their parents or guardians.

School uniforms or school clothing is a practice which dates to the 16th century in the United Kingdom. It is believed that the Christ Hospital School in London in 1552 was the first school to use a school uniform.

I would love to see the day when this ridiculous practice of hideous school uniforms is ended as all it serves to do is promote a male dominated world and is used as a 'tool' to promote discipline in an area where no arbitrary discipline is needed in this modern world', and all it accomplishes successfully  is to antagonise parents and students towards the school promoting an us and them atmosphere,  and further still causes undue distress every term or beginning each academic year to already struggling families on tight budgets, who have to pay the extortionate price for a school uniform that makes their child look hideous and then they have to pretend that they look smart (or worse still really believing their child looks smart in their burgundy hideous outdated blazer).

The discipline measures highlight how out of control schools have become in their control freak manners, to deprive a child of an education because they are not wearing the correct attire is a tad over reaction to a none issue, and if a home educating parent deprives their child of an education due to the child not complying to the wishes of their parents to wear pyjamas all day, this would result in a school attendance order. The law states a child must not be deprived of an education, but schools engage in this practice regularly and freely using education as a bargaining chip. 'Do as I say or you will be deprived of an education' (said in a booming low and authoritarian tone). The thought of schools being allowed to put clothing choices before education to me is an irony.

There are arguments that school uniform improves attendance, behaviour, enhances school climate and improves attendance, but there is no evidence to support those claims, even if some parents do support school uniform.

Here is an excellent blog article I found on the subject of school uniform, it has much of the evidence I found myself online, and I pretty much agree with most of what they have written,  feel free to have a look at it and please do leave me your own perspectives and opinions on school uniform, I would be interested to hear how others think on this topic.

*Update... following this posting the question of makeup came up in topical conversation, my thoughts on this can be found here