Primary School vs. Elementary School: Uniform Edition
This is absolutely one of the main differences between Primary schools in England compared with Elementary Schools in the USA: School uniforms!
Do they wear school uniforms in the USA?
Private schools often require school uniforms, however, the public schools attended by most Americans do not. Elementary schools are nothing short of a small kids’ fashion show! Sequinned bomber jacket and a denim skirt? No problem! Sports jersey and cargo pants? Yeah, that’s every day in a typical American school.
Are school uniforms the same all across England?
No, not exactly. While they may look really similar and have kind of the same feel to them, there are some major differences.
Firstly, schools will have their own colour scheme. Common ones are blue and grey, blue and red, green and yellow, or any primary or secondary colour and a combination of white, black or grey.
Secondly, each school has their own set of rules for what’s allowed. Some schools require either rounded collars or v-neck cardigans for example. Rules also extend to how students can wear their hair. Rules can also change based on the age of the child or the time of year.
Do kids across all years of Primary school wear the same uniform?
Most schools split the uniform guidelines between KS1 and KS2 (lower age groups and upper age groups). The younger kids often wear a toned down version of the uniform. This might mean wearing polo shirts instead of buttoned up shirts, wearing sweatshirts instead of sweaters or wearing clip on ties rather than ties that actually have to be tied.
How do kids keep their clothes from being mixed-up since they’re all the same?
Schools advise to use iron-on or stick on labels with your kid’s name or simply use a permanent marker to print your kid’s name directly on the clothes.
I had horrible luck with this. It’s not always practical to use a permanent marker (for example, on a tagless shirt). So, I dutifully ordered the customised iron-on labels suggested by my kid’s school. I ironed them onto every single item of clothing. By the fourth wash, they all came off. Apparently, this is pretty typical.
I recommend using customised stickers from Petit Fernand which you can order online here https://www.petit-fernand.co.uk/ (note: Not an affiliate, just a fan!). They never fell off unless I easily peeled them off. They’re perfect and come in so many different combinations.
Do all girls wear skirts instead of trousers?
No, definitely not. However, I have found that the vast majority of girls wear skirts most of the time. My usually trouser-wearing girl exclusively wore skirts at school in England but never wears skirts to school in America.
If your child chooses to wear skirts or dresses, it’s common to wear tights or knee socks with them. If wearing socks, I recommend wearing bike shorts (aka cartwheel shorts) as well.
Is it the same uniform all year long?
Usually, there is a switch after Spring (aka Easter) break and most schools allow gingham dresses for girls in approved colours. They also may relax the uniform rules and allow shorts as well as forgoing the cardigan or blazer.
Where do you buy them?
Your school will tell you where to buy their approved clothing including where to buy items with their logo (aka school crest). Often cardigans with a logo, polos with a logo, gym kits with a logo, ties and school bags/gym bags with a logo must be bought from these approved shops or from the school directly.
Other items (not containing a school crest) like polos, shirts, gym kits, trousers, socks, shoes, skirts and dresses can be found in department stores like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer. However, when buying from these retailers, make sure you follow your school’s rules for the uniform paying special attention to items like approved neckline, collar and whether socks can have a design or not.
How do kids deal with the ties?
This one baffled me the most. I immediately bought a tie for every day of the week thinking that my kid would promptly stain several ties and then loose others. Somehow, this didn’t happen with the frequency that I thought. I found out that most kids have a couple ties.
The majority of Primary schools have clip on ties. Kids fiddle with them the first year that they wear them and yes, they’re often crooked. But eventually they just carry on and get used to them.
Do all the school uniforms look fancy like in Harry Potter?
A bit! There’s one kind of general rule of thumb: the fancier the school, the fancier the uniform.
What tips do you have for a first time uniform buyer?
Shop the sales! There are sales on school uniforms at the end of the school year and right before the school year starts.
Make sure you know exactly what is approved by your school. The last thing you want is to spend 50 quid on school shoes with a sparkly buckle just to find out that no sparkles are allowed. My personal mistake on this front was thinking that since navy was an approved school colour that we could have socks in navy (nope: just white and grey for us).
If your school uses white shirts and/or white socks, buy a few extra and put them aside to switch out mid-year to keep your kid looking fresh and smart.
If you have a girl who insists upon wearing skirts and dresses, buy at least one pair of trousers for the inevitable day that she wants to wear them.
Socks get lost. Buy a couple more pairs of socks than you think you need.
Is it easier to wear a uniform or choose what you want to wear everyday?
This is the age-old question. Is it faster to get ready in the morning with a school uniform? Most of the time, yes. There’s really no decision making about what to wear.
But, it also means that you’ve got to be able to find clean versions of all components of your uniform and sometimes that’s hard.
