School uniforms are a good idea as they prevent cruel judgement and inequality. Let’s face it – teenagers can be very mean. There will always be someone in the school environment who will happily judge another student for the clothes they wear / their style. A student may be ridiculed for not having the latest fashionable items, wearing something different than the norm or perhaps wearing the same outfit very often. Allowing school pupils to wear what they want will highlight financial inequalities between the students which may prompt feeling of insecurity and shame. School uniforms diminishes these inequalities by placing the students on an equal and fair playing field. In America (where schools generally do not enforce school uniforms), around 160,000 students miss school every day due to the fear of intimidation from their fellow peers. Whilst all of these cases may not be directly linked to clothing choices, a school uniform would at the very least lessen some of the judgements and humiliation that these kids receive. School uniforms also encourages the sense of community and pride in the school that the students attend. It creates an identity for the school, whoever wears the uniform knows that they belong in that organisation, it is something to be proud of. A school uniform also acts as good practise for the workplace. In many workplaces, it is required that people dress professionally and dress codes are usually implemented. Therefore, a school uniform will have already taught students the importance of professional clothing, which will have them well prepared for their working careers. Additionally, it has been argued that wearing a school uniform actually improves academic grades and performance. This is because wearing a uniform lessens the distractions from their schoolwork and makes the classroom seem like a much more serious environment. School uniforms contribute to an atmosphere of strictness and order which emphasises how their education should be taken seriously. The enforcement of school uniforms allows children to receive a fairer, kinder and more orderly education. SOURCES: Spencer, Chloe ‘What’s the point of school uniform?’ (3 October 2013), https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/oct/03/why-wear-school-uniform

I wore uniforms from kindergarten through eighth grade. Uniforms did have its upsides where it created more equality between students since everyone wore the same thing. However, I believe uniforms stifled any individuality and made it difficult to learn how to express ourselves. Clothing is a way for people to portray themselves to the world, and school without uniforms gives students a chance to figure out what their style is. Someone who knows their style are more comfortable and confident in the world around them. Schools should not have uniforms so students can have an environment to learn how to express themselves.

I believe school uniforms are not a good idea. Our clothes and the way we want to appear tells a lot about our personalities and who we are. School uniforms are kind of restricting in the sense that they do not really allow room for individuality, creativity, diversity. I understand that they make appearances more uniform, but they stifle expression and many students find them limiting.

School uniforms are meant to emphasize a positive culture in school. Wearing school uniforms encourages enthusiasm about the school's culture. Students respect their teachers, which leads to greater devotion towards learning, and result in higher graduation rates, which will promote the school's welfare. But if schools want to foster creativity and promote the freedom of expression for its students, then enabling them to wear school uniforms diminishes their sense of identity. Mandating school uniforms may emphasize school spiritedness but that can depend on how school administrators define the school's spirit. School uniforms can promote a sense of belonging but that sense of belonging can diminish one's individual identity in favor of being a part of a collective conscious that promotes sameness. Of course, on reason school administrators emphasize that it's mandating school uniforms that foster creativity is their belief that it prevents students from being judgmental. Students will not be able to assert who's family is wealthier than others. But as Mark Oppenheimer of The New Yorker points out, there has been little to no evidence that mandating school uniforms created a positive effect on school pride (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-unquestioned-goodness-of-school-uniforms). Furthermore, either schools or parents will have to budget their money for their children's uniforms. For schools, uniforms could have a detrimental effect on their budget money that could be used for managing important resources such as the quality of their computers, or the health insurance of their faculty. For parents, school uniforms would be pernicious for their budget on maintaining the safety of their children. A study by CosthelperEducation.com found that a general school uniform can cost at a range of $25-$200 (https://education.costhelper.com/school-uniforms.html). The clothes we choose to wear are an expression of ourselves. And in childhood, as well as teenagehood, that period can be when we start to figure out who we are, such as what our sexualities are, or what we believe in deep down. If we are meant to wear the same thing for largely the first two decades of our life, then we will have difficulty defining for ourselves how we want to express ourselves.

**tl;dr** wearing school uniforms can be really good for students, but this can change depending on the context surrounding the uniforms, access to the uniforms, and the student. I agree with this opinion because of my personal experience. I went to a public elementary school without a dress code and a private middle school that required school uniforms. I was incredibly self conscious and nervous about my appearance in elementary. It caused me to be detrimentally concerned with my clothes. My class year had a lot of cliques and much of that was dependent on clothing. When I went to middle school I was much more at ease because I didn't have to worry about my clothes at all. It allowed me to excel with a higher course load and, I believe, make better friendships. There are some things that I think made my uniform wearing experience good: - the dress code was lax compared to others I heard about. The clothes could be found at any department store but I heard of other schools that had their own stores because their uniforms were so unique. We were also allowed to wear any shoes and as long as our hair was a natural color we could dye it. - we had free dress Fridays and spirit weeks ( we were allowed to use our clothes to express ourselves weekly, though I did notice my anxiety ratchet up on any kind of free dress days) - I was only in private school for two years. One of my friends went to that school from kindergarten to eighth grade and expressed how difficult it was to figure out clothes once they got into high school. This may have been because they went to that (very small) school for nine years as well as the uniforms.

To let you all in into my perspective, I went to a private school from 3rd-8th grade where I wore a school uniform. I'm mainly against school uniforms for these reasons: 1. It fails at its purpose. School uniforms are supposed to lessen judgement from peers about clothing, and minimize economic class differences. I believe it doesn't succeed at that for several reasons. Little kids will find anything to tease their peers on, and to assume clothing is a big reason for bullying is glossing over the real reasons why bullying occurs (not gonna get into that now though). In my case, my uniform was easy to find at department stores, but I remember my family didn't know that in the first few years of my private schooling, and we had to order clothes through this expensive store the school recommended. This is the case for a lot of other uniform schools, where the uniforms are too expensive, and therefore inaccessible to lower-income students. Class differences between students will always show up, even if you require uniforms. In the case where a uniform is expensive, a student's family may be able to afford only one, which can get holes, rips, etc. This raggedy appearance is an example of how a student could get teased for not being able to have at least 2 sets of uniforms. 2. It takes away autonomy and self-expression from children. As someone who wore a uniform for most of my early childhood, I wasn't used to picking out clothes for myself. When I got to public high school, I had no idea how to dress myself, and it was awkward. But, I was really excited to be able to dress how I wanted, which shows how restricting school uniforms can be. We had free dress days and spirit week, where you didn't have a uniform. However, spirit weeks requires you to buy different clothing & accessories that match the daily theme. Additionally, most of the free dress days were given (if i remember correctly) on the basis of donations to the school. Both of these options for self-expression are inaccessible to lower-income students. Plus, on free dress days, there would always be one person who forgot it was a free dress day, which led to their feelings of embarassment and regret of their faulty memory, because they would not be able to dress freely for another few months. TL;DR I'm against school uniforms because they don't succeed to lessen judgement from peers and class differences. They also revoke children's right to self-expression and autonomy.

Uniforms have the potential to be a tool for good but in practice the enforcement of a uniform may serve to exacerbate inequality. As of 2019, the average yearly cost of a school uniform was £230 per child.(1) This is no small amount of money, and would disproportionately impact lower income households. Additionally, many schools now require that uniforms be bought from specific suppliers as opposed to from supermarkets which can further increase demand and prices. Whereas before students might attract bullying for the clothes they choose to wear or the clothes they have available to them; there remains the opportunity to bully children whose clothes are scuffed, ripped, worn or ill fitting because their parents are struggling to replace items as soon as the need arises. This; when in sharp contrast with a student body who can afford to adhere to the uniform, immediately others those who cannot. (1) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49090913#:~:text=The%20results%20were%20based%20on,338%20per%20secondary%20school%20pupil.

Definitely for school uniform, as a parent I was happy to put out what they were going to wear the next day, I can't even imagine the uproar if they'd all chosen their own clothes! As a student in senior school I preferred school uniform. I wouldn't have had the confidence or budget to express myself with clothing and a uniform made me belong after being bullied endlessly for my clothes in junior school where there was no uniform.

**TL;DR** — **School uniforms should be enforced.** A simple school uniform of a black blazer, white shirt and tie is inoffensive. Whilst it does not constitute pupils’ first choice of clothes, it is not so ridiculous that pupils object to wearing it. A uniform also provides [a sense of community to the school environment] (https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/oct/03/why-wear-school-uniform). By wearing their uniform every day, students feel like they belong to their school and helps to develop a pride in their institution. Another advantage offered by school uniforms is [the reduced opportunity for bullying] (https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/article/2020/7/15/the-benefits-of-schools-uniforms). Schools can be gladiatorial and any sign of ‘otherness’ is seen as an opportunity for ridicule. This is exacerbated by students having the option to wear their own clothes. A uniform policy prevents this and removes any potential [peer pressure] (https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/article/2020/7/15/the-benefits-of-schools-uniforms)