School uniform: consultation analysis

Analysis of Responses

Question one - What matters related to school uniform would you wish to be included within the guidance? Why?

Responses

There were 2,453 responses to this question which provided a very wide range of views about what matters respondents wanted to see included within the guidance.

Affordability and Cost

The most common topics focused on the cost of purchasing school uniforms, with 1,066 comments answering that affordability was an important matter or the cost of uniforms was expensive.

There were 163 comments which indicated that they would like to see the option of being able to buy uniform items from high street shops, a further 128 comments referencing schools allowing generic uniform items and 110 comments relating either to school colours or using generic colours for uniform. Most responses referencing colours were in favour of easier to obtain colours, such as navy, blue or black.

Specific suggestions for reducing the cost of uniforms included 210 comments that schools could help by having logo-free uniform items and by banning designer labels and footwear. Another 69 comments suggested that schools should not have blazers. The most common reason given was that blazers are expensive and not well-suited to the Scottish climate.

211 comments suggested using PE kits as a way of making savings. Suggestions included schools allowing a plain PE kit or allowing pupils to wear their PE kit on PE days, therefore reducing the number of uniform items required across the course of the school week. There were 23 comments suggesting that schools have no separate PE kit, and 48 comments that suggested uniform policies should be tailored in a way that encourages physical activity. There were 10 comments that referenced using a separate PE kit.

Accessibility was considered another factor important to reducing the cost of uniforms. 129 comments felt that accessibility in relation to purchasing uniforms was important. This included comments about availability in remote areas and from online suppliers. There were 67 comments that indicated that schools should be required to offer uniform from a range of suppliers, so that it is always available locally. There were also a small number of supplementary comments reporting their child's school uniform supplier was located in a different local authority area to their school.

A number of other suggestions relating to affordability were made, albeit with a smaller number of comments. These included 24 comments on 'sew-on' school badges; 13 comments on introducing a price cap; and 25 comments on standardisation across year groups or school clusters. A further 51 comments gave views that a greater degree of choice may help to reduce costs, with 33 comments also suggesting a reduction in the number of uniform items required.

52 comments made general references to the use of logoed, badged or branded items. 15 comments referenced the cost of replacing uniform items which were lost, damaged or children grew out of. 8 comments suggested other financial measures which included not-for-profit or nationalised suppliers, engaging with providers with a view to bulk-buying uniforms, or providing universal financial support to families.

Washing uniforms was also a feature of responses, with 70 comments referencing either the ease of washing uniforms or highlighting concerns over the potential costs involved with washing and drying uniforms, particularly where children had a larger number of uniform items. There were also a further 19 comments suggesting a reduction in the number of white items of uniform, due the likelihood of these becoming dirty more easily.

Sustainability

Sustainability was linked closely to cost, with 114 comments encouraging the use of recycling and second-hand uniforms. 114 comments also referenced durability and quality, with many of those responses adding they felt more durable clothing could save families money in the longer-term, with clothing remaining in better condition to be passed onto younger siblings or donated to uniform banks.

192 comments asked that school uniform policy should either be suitably aligned with seasonal weather conditions or take account of practicality for outdoor learning activities to reduce the risk of items becoming damaged or worn. There were a further 82 comments which made more general references to sustainability and consideration of environmental issues, including support for ethically produced garments.

Equalities and Inclusion

There were 388 comments that indicated school uniforms help to promote equality, equity, inclusion, belonging, uniformity and unity among pupils, whilst also helping to reduce bullying and stigma.

Comfort was a notable area of interest, with a total of 440 comments stating that children and young people should feel comfortable in their school uniform. General comments included that some children and young people with additional support needs may find school uniform uncomfortable. 179 comments specifically highlighted the needs of children and young people with sensory needs or skin conditions, noting they are more likely to find some traditional uniform items, such as shirts and ties, uncomfortable. Polo shirts were most likely to be suggested as a suitable alternative item of school clothing, as were leggings or trousers. There were a further 124 comments highlighting that consideration should be given to children with disabilities and additional support needs more generally.

There were 201 comments indicating that practicality and simplicity were important when developing school uniform policies. 44 comments asked that sizing is considered and a further 26 comments highlighted wellbeing as an important factor.

There were 209 comments in relation to uniform and gender, with 171 comments expressing support for a gender-neutral uniform policy. The majority of responses supporting gender neutral policies supported all children and young people being given the choice to wear trousers or skirts, where they preferred, as opposed to trousers being mandated for all pupils. The majority of responses that supported a gender-neutral policy did not provide a specific reason for their choice, however, of those that did provide further detail, the most common responses related to equality, inclusion, flexibility, choice, comfort and promoting physical activity and sport. 38 comments expressed support for specific gendered uniform items. The most common reasons given for this was to allow children and young people the choice to wear gendered items and that gendered items supported children and young people's identity. 150 comments asked that school uniforms be both appropriate for age groups and for the purpose of attending school.

23 comments made specific reference to consideration of religious items within the guidance, whilst another 24 comments asked the guidance take account of all forms of diversity.

There were 118 comments that referenced identification, identity and safety (including visibility). There were a further 53 comments that mentioned the impact of uniforms on individuality.

There were a smaller number of other comments related to equality, including 6 comments about the impact of uniforms on the culture of schools and 5 comments about the impact of school uniform policy on care experienced children and those who are young carers.

Compliance

A number of consultation responses focussed on compliance with school uniform policy and the factors which should influence it. 63 responses noted that uniforms were smart, with a further 62 responses suggesting that uniform should be compulsory in all schools. 300 responses expressed a desire for a flexible school uniform policy, including flexibility for footwear. A further 79 responses indicated that school uniform is important in more general terms.

There were 44 responses that referenced enforcement powers and increasing compliance, whilst 130 comments asked either for a more relaxed uniform policy or that the wearing of school uniform be made optional. There were 108 responses which supported a policy of no exclusion for non-compliance, with the most quoted reason for this view being that the circumstances behind non-compliance were often beyond the pupil's own control. A further 34 responses made general references to the guidance advising on compliance but did not express a specific preference to see either increased or reduced levels of compliance.

Scope of the Guidance

There were 74 responses which agreed with the scope of the guidance, whilst 55 responses felt that the Scottish Government should not advise on uniform policy and that it continue to be left to local discretion. 7 responses indicated that the guidance should not be applied to independent schools – this matter is further addressed in response to question 5. 73 comments highlighted that the views and rights of children and young people, and the views of their families, should be considered. 25 comments noted that the guidance should be less prescriptive about what is required by school uniform policies.

A combined total of 63 comments asked that the guidance set out the definition of a uniform; set out expectations for uniform; or promoted a more consistent approach across Scotland.

Other issues

There were 33 comments that wished to see evidence about how uniform impacted on learning; 7 comments that asked for all matters relating to school uniform to be included in the guidance; and comments indicating that school uniforms should be reserved for representing the school at special occasions.

Specific items of clothing that respondents wished to see excluded from schools included football shirts, hoodies, ties and no separate uniform for pupils in the senior phase.

Matters out of scope

Some of the responses to this question referenced matters which were not within the scope of the consultation. These included 88 comments which referenced financial support for low income families, with suggestions including expanding the scope of the school clothing grant or offering vouchers for eligible families to buy uniforms; 76 comments that expressed support for abolishing school uniform entirely; 10 comments expressing opposition to group changing; 3 comments that referenced a uniform for staff

and that a staff uniform be considered when developing the guidance; 3 comments

that asked for the guidance to provide a definition of sex and gender, and 4 comments that

suggested a single national uniform.

Question two - What role does school uniform have in the ethos and culture of schools?

Responses

There were 2,597 responses to this question which provided a range of views about the role which school uniforms play in promoting the ethos and culture of schools.

Equalities and Inclusion

With regards to equalities, 622 comments noted that school uniforms helped to promote equality amongst children and young people. 183 comments added that uniforms help to create uniformity amongst pupils, whilst 157 comments felt school uniforms helped to reduce stigma. With regards to bullying and competition in relation to branded clothing, 191 comments believed that uniforms help to reduce bullying and 149 comments indicated that uniforms help to reduce competition between pupils since their clothing would be broadly similar.

There were a smaller number of comments which referenced possible disadvantages of school uniform in relation to equalities considerations. 23 comments felt that uniforms could increase stigma, with comments noting that it might be possible to tell the difference in condition of uniforms in relation to their newness. There were 12 comments that suggested uniform could be a barrier to either participation or attendance at school. There were 147 comments which referenced the importance of comfort when considering uniform policy and 13 comments which referenced school uniforms as being uncomfortable. Many of the comments referencing comfort (or discomfort), asked that consideration is given to children and young people with sensory needs or skin conditions.

With regards to inclusion, the most common comments related to connectedness, togetherness and community - with those topics each recording 399, 343 and 332 comments respectively. There were a further 136 comments which felt that school uniforms helped to promote inclusion of pupils more generally, and 25 comments which felt that uniforms could be divisive.

School Culture and Ethos

There were also a range of views about how uniform impacts upon the culture and ethos of a school in general, with 501 comments noting they create a feeling of identity with the school. There were 9 comments which felt that school uniforms lacked identity.

There were 280 comments indicating that uniforms help to instil a feeling of pride in the school, whilst a further 183 comments felt they looked smart in appearance. There were 47 comments which indicated that uniform helped to promote respect.

More generally, there were 153 comments indicating that school uniform was important. Equally, the same number of comments felt that uniforms were not important and there were other ways in which pupils could feel a strong attachment to their school. 116 comments also added that uniforms were "not essential" to the culture and ethos of a school. There were 92 comments which indicated that school uniforms were old-fashioned or traditional with particular references to "traditional" uniform items such as ties.

55 comments felt that school colours symbolised a school's ethos whilst 11 comments felt that uniforms promoted a school's historical importance. There were 82 comments that indicated that individuality was an important aspect, including in schools where uniforms were worn.

Relationships and behaviour

There were a number of comments which referenced how the respondents thought that school uniforms could impact upon relationships and behaviour in schools.

There were 224 comments which believed that uniforms motivate children and young people to be ready to learn or that they help to differentiate between school and leisure time. There were 15 comments suggesting that uniform helps to raise attainment. There were also 168 comments which noted that uniforms help children and young people to prepare for life after school, for example, when working in an environment which required a dress code.

There were some concerns about lack of flexibility with 46 comments noting that setting uniform policies would be too rigid or authoritarian.

Safety

Safety and security were other notable topics in relation to this question, with 313 comments noting that uniforms helped to identify pupils. It was noted by some that this was particularly useful on school trips or when identifying intruders on school grounds. There were a further 148 comments which referenced safety and security generally.

Affordability

There were 176 comments which made general references to affordability, both regarding the price of school uniform and in relation to it costing less than branded clothing. There were 84 comments that indicated that knowing what to buy would reduce stress on families, whilst 35 comments suggested that uniform should not have logos.

There were a further 31 comments which felt that uniforms were expensive and 23 comments suggested that they increased stress on families. There were a further 31 comments which made generic references to logos and branding.

Compliance

There were 50 comments indicating that practicality and simplicity should be key to uniform policy. 55 comments noted that a flexible uniform policy would support compliance although 3 comments said school uniform policies were "inflexible". There were a further 35 comments indicating uniform was convenient and made it easier to decide what to wear to school.

Scope of guidance

There were 18 comments which suggested a modern uniform policy should replace more traditional uniform items. There were 25 comments which agreed with the principle of guidance on uniform policy to help promote the ethos of a school. 3 comments noted that uniform policy should be consistent.

Matters out of scope

Some of the responses to this question referred to matters which were out of scope of the consultation. There were 39 comments that suggested uniform should be abolished and a further 12 comments suggesting that teachers should adhere to a dress code at school.

Question three - Following on from Question two, are there any particular items of school uniform which are central to that? If so, why?

Responses

There were 2,399 responses to this question which asked respondents about whether there were particular items of uniform that were central to the culture and ethos of the school.

Generic uniform items with school badges and colours

There was significant reference to more generic uniforms with a total of 1,101 comments noting that school badges and school colours were central to the culture and ethos of a school. There were a further 246 comments indicating that generic or standard uniform items would be suitable and 73 comments expressing support for generic colours.

There were 66 comments suggesting that "DIY" school badges that can be sewn or ironed on to plain uniform items should be available and would reduce costs for families. There were 84 comments that suggested uniforms should not have logos or badges. There were 132 comments that referenced school badges and logos more generally. In some instances, these comments focussed on affordability issues. There were 20 comments referencing either plain colours or a plain PE kit.

Formal items

There was a balance in views between formal and informal items of uniform. The school tie was the most referenced formal item, with 637 comments noting that the school tie was central to school uniform. There were 148 comments indicating that ties should not be a feature of school uniform and 47 comments that suggested ties should only be worn in secondary schools. Reasons given for not supporting the wearing of a tie mainly focused on discomfort for pupils.

There was reference to other items of uniform with 261 comments on blazers; 256 comments on shirts; 239 comments on trousers and; 186 comments on skirts. There were 152 comments which indicated that blazers should not be part of uniforms. Reasons given for this view related to both cost and their suitability for the Scottish climate. There were also 37 responses suggested that blazers be worn in secondary schools only.

Informal items

Some responses focussed on the use of informal items of uniform. This included 437 references to jumpers and 170 comments referencing sweatshirts. Polo shirts were referenced in 291 comments. There was a further 118 comments referencing hoodies, 86 comments referencing cardigans and 69 comments referencing t-shirts. There was a further 96 comments suggesting jogging bottoms or leggings as an alternative to trousers and skirts.

Equality and Inclusion

General comments about equality and inclusion were also raised in response to this question. There were 96 comments asking that comfort be taken into consideration and 47 comments asked for a flexible policy. There were 31 comments that wished to see a gender-neutral uniform policy. Not all responses provided a reason for their choice, however, of those that did provide further detail, the most common responses related to choice and flexibility, practicality, participation in physical activity, equality, and reducing gender stereotyping. There were 5 comments that wanted to keep gendered items. The majority of those comments did not provide further detail. There were 29 comments asking that consideration is given to children and young people with additional support needs, including sensory needs. There were also 8 comments which asked that sizing be taken account of.

Affordability

There were 78 comments that stated uniforms should be affordable for all and 46 comments which asked that there are no expensive items or that designer labels are not permitted.

Scope of guidance

8 responses focussed on the scope of the guidance with comments indicating that uniform policy should continue to be left at local discretion, or that consultation is undertaken locally if changes are made to local policies.

Other general issues

More generally, there were 196 comments which indicated that there were no specific uniform items which are central to the ethos and culture of a school, whilst 59 comments thought that all uniform items were central to this. 41 comments noted that school uniform was smart in appearance whilst 21 comments asked that weather and seasonal suitability be taken into consideration. There were 21 comments noting that uniform was not an important issue and 14 comments referencing a policy around school bags.

Matters out of scope

Some of the responses to this question referred to matters which were out of scope of the consultation. This included 31 comments noting that there should be no uniform and 1 comment suggesting a single, national uniform.

Question four - What can schools do within their policies to support the aim of reducing costs of school uniform?

Responses

There were 2,613 responses to this question which asked for suggestions about what schools could do within their policies to support the aim of reducing the cost of uniform.

Affordability

A common theme in response to this question was affordability, and a range of suggestions were made. There were 772 references to uniform swap shops and sales. There was further reference to second hand clothing and recycling which is captured in the sustainability section.

The ability to choose between a wider range of suppliers was also considered as an important way to reduce the cost of uniform. There were 480 comments suggesting that uniforms should be available to buy from high street shops and supermarkets, and 266 comments suggesting that families should have the option to choose between multiple suppliers or that uniform is made available more easily. There were 20 comments suggesting that publicly run or non-profit suppliers of uniforms should be established and a further 46 comments suggesting that schools could establish relationships with local suppliers or stores.

Allowing alternative options to logoed or badged items or limiting the number of these items was also frequently suggested. There were 344 comments which indicated that there should be no badged items, and 77 comments that badges should not be compulsory. There were 177 comments which suggested 'DIY' badges that could be sewn or ironed on to plain items in the school colours. There were 127 comments suggesting that the number of badged or logoed items could be reduced, whilst a further 67 comments suggested that the number of required uniform items in general is reduced.

There were 169 comments which suggested bulk buying of uniform items by schools and local authorities could help to reduce costs.

There were 326 comments which made general references to maintaining affordable uniform and 79 comments that suggested support could be provided through donations or fundraising. There were 89 comments that suggested providing specific uniform items to pupils, such as ties or badged clothing.

Some responses referenced specific items of uniform, with 187 comments suggesting that a blazer should not be part of school uniform and 31 comments suggesting that blazers should be more affordable. Some respondents suggested that less formal items should be allowed. This included 66 references to polo shirts; 95 references to leggings or jogging bottoms and 71 references to jumpers or hoodies. There were a further 52 comments suggesting that ties were not part of uniform.

Other matters related to affordability included, 66 comments suggesting that uniforms were already affordable; 50 references to a ban on designer clothing; 41 references to either plain PE kits or being allowed to wear PE clothes on PE days; 35 references to reducing the need for multiple footwear items; 31 references to standardisation across local authority areas and/or year groups; 27 references to arranging discounts; 16 references to renting uniform; and 10 references to paying for uniform in instalments .

Sustainability

Issues of sustainability were linked closely to affordability in response to this question. Second hand clothing or recycling was mentioned in 1,148 comments and linked to the suggestions of uniform swaps and sales noted in the affordability section. There were 48 comments which referenced environmental concerns or ethical production methods. There were 42 comments which referenced the quality or durability of uniform items, noting that items of a higher quality were more durable and less likely to need replaced as often as items of lower quality. While there is a clear impact in terms of sustainability, this is also linked to affordability as families may not have to purchase additional items if they are more durable and of a high quality.

Flexibility

Flexibility was another important topic in response to this question. There were 656 responses that referenced generic uniform items or generic colours. There were a further 496 responses that referenced flexibility or simplicity in uniform policy, including footwear policy. There were 185 references to the use of school colours and 70 responses that indicated uniform, including footwear, should be less prescriptive.

Equalities

There were fewer references to equalities issues in response to this question, in comparison to responses to other questions. However, comfort was mentioned in 67 responses and a gender-neutral policy was noted in 23 responses. Of those who supported a gender-neutral policy, the most common reason given was related to cost, together with a view that gender-neutral items could more easily be re-used by siblings or donated to uniform swaps or sales. There were 24 comments indicating that uniform policy should take account of sizing or be suitable for all activities, including outdoor learning and 3 comments which referenced policy on hair styles or colour.

Compliance

There were 47 comments stating that uniform should be optional or that compliance with uniform policy should not be enforced. There were 14 comments which took the opposite view and indicated that compliance with uniform policy should be enforced. 11 responses indicated that there should be no measures of compliance, with some comments noting that this may be due to circumstances beyond the child or young person's control.

Matters out of scope

Some of the responses to this question referred to matters which were out of scope of the consultation. There were 110 comments that suggested uniform should be abolished as this would make uniform more affordable.

There were a number of comments related to the provision of financial support for families. As this consultation is focussed on school uniform policy, these matters are considered out of scope. They are the focus of other specific and already established policy approaches. 196 comments made general reference to financial support for low-income families. There were also 115 comments that referenced the eligibility criteria for school clothing grant and 58 comments highlighting concerns for low-income families who do not meet this criteria. There were 123 comments which suggested alternatives to the clothing grant, including providing uniforms directly or providing vouchers to buy uniforms. There were 27 comments that felt the amount of clothing grant should be further increased, 13 comments suggesting that clothing grant should be universally available, and 3 comments suggested that clothing grant should be abolished.

There were a further 53 comments suggesting that eligible families should be supported to apply for school clothing grant or that the grant is more widely promoted and communicated. While this was out of scope of the consultation, in developing school uniform guidance, consideration will be given to how education authorities and schools can ensure families are aware of the available financial support.

Question five - Do you feel these draft principles are appropriate and, if you would change any of them, please set out what your alternative wording would be.

Responses

There were 1,600 responses to this question which asked respondents for their view on the draft principles.

Scope

There were 640 responses which indicated they agreed with the principles set out within the consultation and 3 responses which disagreed with them. There were 40 responses which stated that the proposed guidance should not apply to independent schools, with 7 comments indicating that the guidance should apply to independent schools. There were 6 comments which indicated that the guidance should apply to grant-aided schools. There were 31 comments which stated either that school uniform policy was not a matter for the Scottish Government to decide upon, or that decisions on uniform policy should continue to be taken at a local level.

There were also several comments about considering the views of those affected by school uniform policy decisions. There were 79 comments that indicated the views of children and young people should be considered, whilst a further 11 comments indicated that the views of school staff should be considered. There were 15 comments indicating that children and young people's views should not be considered. There was also reference to the views of parents or carers, which has been referenced in the affordability section.

There were further comments about scope which attracted a small number of comments. This included 11 references to individuality; 8 references to the periodic reviews of uniform policy; 7 references to the inclusion of examples of good practice within the guidance; 7 references to health and safety issues; and 6 references to a consistent policy.

Compliance

There were 105 comments which indicated a conflict between two of the draft principles that set out a continuation of the position of no legal requirement for pupils to wear school uniform and considered the appropriate response for persistent non-wearing of uniform. There were 121 comments which indicated that school uniform policy should be enforced across all schools. There were 84 comments indicating that pupils should not be excluded for not complying with uniform policy and a further 76 responses which stated that non-compliance should be dealt with appropriately and take account of individual circumstances. There were 75 comments which stated that there should be no measures for non-compliance with uniform policy and 40 comments suggesting that compliance arrangements should be relaxed. There were 83 comments indicating that uniform was not essential. There were 3 comments which expressed support for measures of compliance to be used in response to non-compliance, whilst a further 3 comments suggested that the guidance should include a definition of what an appropriate response would be.

Equalities and inclusion

Equalities was again a notable area of interest in response to this question. The most common response was in relation to comfort with 69 comments. A further 65 responses referred to children and young people with additional support needs and those with sensory needs. There were 7 general comments which asked for consideration of children and young people with disabilities and 7 comments which referenced sizing.

Gender was also referenced in response to this question, with 47 comments supporting gender-neutral items. Not all responses provided a reason for their choice, however, of those that did provide further detail, the most common responses related to flexibility and choice, equality and inclusion. There were 22 comments expressing a preference for gendered uniform items. The reason most commonly given was that children and young people should have the choice to wear gendered items and that gendered items contribute to children and young people's identity.

In relation to other protected characteristics, the wearing of religious items was referenced in 17 comments whilst 7 comments asked that attention be given to race and ethnicity more broadly when considering uniform policies. There were also 7 comments which referenced hair style or colour.

General references to equality, inclusion and equity appeared in 58 comments whilst communication around uniform policy was referenced within 17 comments.

Affordability

As with equalities, affordability has been a key theme in response to this consultation. In response to this question, there were 115 comments which generally referenced affordability and 58 comments asked for the views of parents and carers be taken into account.

There were 43 comments which referenced clothing for PE, including 23 responses which suggested a separate PE kit was not necessary. There were 22 comments that expressed support for no designer clothes or logoed items, whilst a further 12 comments asked that the ease of washing uniform to be taken account of.

Sustainability

There were 56 comments that made references to either sustainability and/or promoting environmental issues whilst a further 14 comments said the guidance should promote recycling. There were a further 40 comments indicating that that uniform policy should take account of weather and seasonal suitability.

Matters out of scope

There were 53 comments that indicated school uniform should be abolished and 42 comments that indicated uniform should be compulsory. There were 4 comments that asked for a definition of sex and or gender within the guidance.