LETTER: School uniform instils pride

The decision to introduce a new uniform for pupils at Cavendish School has caused some controversy and ill-feeling, with a plethora of arguments for and against the new proposals. The desirability of or necessity for school uniform is often a burning issue, and although

I have no wish to become embroiled in the pros and cons of this particular school’s uniform dictates, I would take issue with some points made by Laura Stefanidou in ‘Best of the Web’ [Herald, April 1].

Contrary to her opinion, a school uniform in my view is important, giving pupils a clear sense of belonging to a particular educational establishment and instilling in them a pride that , it is hoped, accompanies that sense of identity. In my experience, a school that sets much store by its pupils’ dress code is nearly always one that makes appropriate demands of its charges in terms of both academic standards and general discipline.

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It is certainly invidious when one retailer has the monopoly of supplying items of school uniform at correspondingly inflated prices, but it is often the case that a school uniform can actually work out cheaper in the long run than a non-uniform outfit. Furthermore, school uniform gives pupils an equality of attire that would otherwise not apply because the alternative can often tempt young people to pursue must-have clothing labels in a type of sartorial one-upmanship that is socially divisive.

No doubt the arguments will rumble on, but I remain convinced that there is a direct correlation between pupils’ appearance, their behaviour, and their commitment to school life.

Robert Cowan

Meads Road

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