Shelley Bridgeman: For or against school uniforms?

School uniforms are said to engender a sense of belonging, promote learning, blur socioeconomic differences and possibly even reduce instances of bullying. Photo / Paul Estcourt.

Back-to-school season means it's time for parents to fork out for new school uniforms.

The value of uniforms has been hotly debated since at least since I was wearing the blue tunic required by Hastings Girls' High. Wearing a uniform didn't do me any harm.

Back then I was agnostic about school uniforms. Wearing one bothered me not one iota. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. I'm sure I thought the design could have been improved but I was at peace with the general concept of regulation garments.

Somehow the sea of blue when the girls all crowded into assembly and jostled for space in the hallways that connected the classroom blocks (and were reserved for use on rainy days only) seemed fitting. It would have been strange to have encountered students in disparate multicoloured garb. I now wonder if the uniform was part of the reason I still remember every word of our old school song.

And I do sometimes tunelessly screech out the words, much to my daughter's dismay. If I'd sat in assembly checking out other people's outfits and fashion choices, I bet those lyrics would not have stuck in my head for 30-plus years. It might have been the unremitting boredom of nothing-to-see-here conformity that enabled my mind to focus on the moment.

My 11-year-old has worn a school uniform for seven years. Uniforms on new entrants are the cutest thing out. Her first school dress (the smallest size available) came down to her ankles. When she finally outgrew it, the hem was at her knees.

Uniforms deliver simplicity to morning routines. The problematic question of what to wear has not vexed our household. I've never shouted "You're not wearing that" on a school day.

I even believe that a uniform may have resulted in overall cost savings for us. Sure the items aren't cheap but they are worn day in and day out until they no longer fit - at which time they can be sold or passed on to another student. The longevity of the garments is impressive.

But if my daughter was required to wear mufti every day, it's unlikely we'd be content with a single outfit. I'm guessing that somewhere between five and ten costume changes (covering both summer and winter) would be required in such a situation. I'm almost certain this clothing would cost more than the school uniform.

Apart from her uniform, she owns few other clothes. Virtually the only items she possesses are a pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts, a few tee shirts and one "good" frock. The fact that she wears a uniform for such a significant portion of her waking hours means that she can get away with a modest wardrobe.

Of course, the benefits of a uniform extend beyond the personal. They are said to engender a sense of belonging, promote learning, blur socioeconomic differences and possibly even reduce instances of bullying.

It's also believed that it's less time-consuming for teachers to enforce uniform policies than interpret the nuances within regulations for mufti dress. What's not to like?