As a cub, I wore a uniform to school. At infant and junior school, it was little more than smart trousers and a cardigan with the school logo upon it. At senior school, the uniform became something not dissimilar to what you see in the above pics. There was a jacket (referred to as a blazer), and a shirt and tie, complete with black trousers and black shoes. Whilst some senior schools require students going into the sixth form to remain in uniform, my school had a relaxed policy, whereby sixth formers did not have to wear one.

Across the UK, schools require uniforms at virtually every level. My daughter had to wear a uniform for nursery. It was a simple grey cardigan, which became a red one in infants school. As was the case with me, when my daughter went up to senior school she had to wear a blazer, shirt and tie, and her preference is to wear trousers as opposed to skirts.

The school uniform is considered to develop a form of community, though I have to ponder if it also fosters a sense of tribalism. When I was at senior school, there was another senior school nearby, and there was sometimes friction between students of the different schools, which upon reflection was completely absurd and unnecessary. This could have happened anyway, but might it have had something to do with the manner in which our school ‘identity’ was pushed upon us? This is wild speculation on my part, but I cannot shake the feeling.

Identity is in fact another intriguing aspect of school uniform worth thinking about. Might it be a means of ensuring conformity? It can feel a bit regimented, and it’s worth wondering if that is deliberate. It is also something that whilst not unique to the UK, does set the UK apart from mainland Europe (where public schools do not generally require uniforms) and North America (where uniforms are more common within private schools than public ones).

This all sort of segues into concepts of creativity, and whether or not school is where creativity goes to die. We try to nurture and encourage the imaginations of children, only to push them into uniforms, hold assemblies that are not unlike mini army briefings, and have teachers bark instructions as to how to wear their uniforms, along with how to behave. Obviously some behavioural traits are worth trying to impress upon young minds (being polite, kind, etc), but I often fear that schools do their utmost to drive out imagination, and the uniform – the dull grey uniform – is but one means to this end.

Across mainland Europe and in North America, children are free to express themselves via their clothing, and I think that matters. For many people, our clothes form part of our identity. In some cases they even form part of our culture and heritage. Plus, on a different note, there is nothing especially comfortable about a blazer, shirt and tie. Not only is it stuffy and stifling in a metaphorical sense, but it’s stuffy and stifling in a physical sense too. The requirement to wear the uniform often meant feeling hot and bothered, and whilst we could switch from a shirt and tie to polo shirts from May onwards, this did little to make things feel comfortable. Kids in Europe and North America have more opportunity to dress for the weather and for comfort, and surely it’s easier to focus if you’re feeling more comfortable.

As with virtually all things, there is a flip-side. The uniform is a level playing field. If kids wear what they want, it will soon become apparent that there are some families better off than others, and with this will rapidly come a potential for a nasty sort of social hierarchy. There is the popular cliché about the cool kids’ table, something all too possible if the circumstances permit it. Then again, this can happen with uniforms too. The right (or wrong) brand of school rucksack, shoes, watch, phone etc, can all lead to a sort of hierarchy. All of this can happen, and in my humble view, creative minds can be stifled, in a realm where uniformity is practiced.

What of the benefits of a uniform? Well, as mentioned earlier, it can create a sense of community. However, this can happen without a uniform, for good and for bad. The students of any given school can still develop a shared sense of belonging, through regular association. It is this meerkat’s opinion that uniforms aren’t really necessary. Besides, another factor is that uniforms cost money. Schools in the UK require them to be worn, but also charge for them, which is just a tad unfair, don’t you think?