In 2001, the Clarksville-Montgomery County in the

USA surveyed the local community concerning dress-code issues in their schools. The survey revealed the following advantages to implementing a school uniform:  

• Stronger focus on performance rather than appearance
• Decreased opportunity for showing gang affiliation or hiding weapons (which sounds like part of an issue that’s suddenly become a newspaper headline here in the UK)
• Reduced family tension by saving time in the morning and money on keeping up appearances
• Creates atmosphere of teamwork and pride in personal appearance and school
• Promotes safety; makes it easier to identify strangers in schools (and doesn’t that sound like something we’ve heard a lot about recently too?)
• Increased self-esteem and reduced peer pressure, more awareness of other people in the same uniform
• Reduces absenteeism by allowing students to be spotted if they leave school
• Puts students on a more equal footing.

It makes interesting reading – especially when you apply some of those ideas to other forms of community association: that’s why bowls clubs and football teams, choirs and bikers, cooks and cheerleaders all have a dress code to promote group pride and recognition – so what could a uniform do for your team?

  Uniform photograph by bcmom , used under a creative commons attribution licence