“Schools should be schools and not fashion shows.”
From our Website: Uniform Information:
St Columba Anglican School aims to foster a sense of pride and belonging to the School and to encourage in students an understanding of the importance of personal appearance. The way in which the uniform is worn says a great deal about who we are as a community and how we value the School to which we belong. Compliance with the School Uniform Policy is considered an essential condition of enrolment and parents and carers are expected to support the School in ensuring their child(ren) abide by this policy.
Each parent who enrols their child at St Columba enters into a contract whereby the school offers certain services in terms of education and care. The obverse of this contract is that the parents accept that the school has the right to impose its rules, expectations of behaviour etc for the period of enrolment. While we are open to questions about how and why we come to these aspects of school life, we remain firm in our expectations of our students’ dress and behaviour.
We do not do this out of some outmoded view of the world, but because wearing a uniform actually has an impact on the students’ sense of belonging, may enhance learning capacity and increases onsite safety.
We acknowledge there are two sides to the compulsory school uniform argument.
The alternative view is:
As a student I spent significant periods of time trying (unsuccessfully) to get around my school’s uniform code. One of my teachers at the time pointed out that uniforms give students something small to argue against until they discover that when we leave school we will usually be formally or informally required to wear uniforms of one sort or another for the rest of our lives.
Note: It still irritates me somewhat, even today, to realise how right she was and how little I understood about the realities of life and how I would have to deal with them at the time.
Some of the reasons St Columba values and enforces our school uniform policy include:
“A shirt, tie and blazer may not be the ingredients for my favourite outfit, but if I were given the choice, I wouldn’t throw away the idea of school uniform. Wearing a uniform is a badge of pride, creates an identity for a school and is an important part of being a school student. Uniforms show that you are part of an organisation. Wearing it says we’re all in this together.
Some people believe that a school uniform can improve learning by reducing distraction, sharpening focus on schoolwork and making the classroom a more serious environment, allowing students to perform better academically.
Perhaps most importantly, a uniform means students don’t have to worry about peer pressure when it comes to their clothes. When everyone is dressed the same, worrying about what you look like isn’t so important. There is no competition about being dressed in the latest trend, which would put a great deal of financial pressure on students and parents. Potential bullies have one less target for their insults; it’s hard to make fun of what someone is wearing when you’re dressed exactly the same. ” The Guardian.
Mr Terry Muldoon Principal, St Columba Anglican School |
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