Is it time to make a change to a school tradition?

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]A new report from the Commons Culture, Media, and Sport Committee recommends that pupils should wear comfortable clothing like tracksuits to encourage them to get active, but also make classrooms more relaxed and inclusive.

[00:00:12]>> But critics say this undermines children's sense of school pride fails them to prepare them for the real world.

[00:00:17]And we asked you what you thought.

[00:00:20]>> I think it's a lot more comfortable for them. Like the formal ties and the shirts I just think are a little unnecessary. They're messy. they lose them constantly. Like I think tracksuits are just fine.

[00:00:32]>> They rather wear this.

[00:00:35]>> I don't think it's a good idea that they wear tracksuits. Absolutely not. I think, you know, wearing a school uniform is part and parcel of life and and it it prepares them for um life outside of of education.

[00:00:46]>> School uniforms help you to have this structure where on a weekly basis, you're not constantly having to cough up money for extra extra clothing, extra shoes. They have a set, you know, kids aren't bullied at school because they all look the same.

[00:01:00]>> But it would be a lot more comfortable and like less heavy cuz like blazers are very very heavy. Of course, when it comes to summer, it will get very very hot and you'll get very very sweaty in it. So, I think that wearing tracksuits would be good. Joining us now is boarding school principal Christine Kiff, who thinks smart school uniform puts children in the right mindset for learning. School facilitator Louiswis Howell says, "Wearing a tie doesn't make you professional. Being comfortable helps children focus in class."

[00:01:31]Christine, what do they wear at your school? What would happen if they wore their PE kit the whole time? Well, they do wear uniform in my school and we're very proud of our uniform as well. Um, many schools wear school uniform. I think it does give you a sense of identity, of collective pride in your school and what you're doing, a sense of occasion because I think when you come to school in the morning, it is a sense of occasion to go. You're going to learn. You're not worried about what you're looking like. Um, and if anybody came in a tracksuit, they'd be sent home.

[00:02:00]>> But does school uniform have to mean for boys a collar and a tie or could it be a sweatshirt with your school crest on it here?

[00:02:09]>> Well, the little ones don't wear ties.

[00:02:12]They wear their open neck shirts and then as they get older they wear ties to the school and they can wear a jump and they wear blazer and then in the sick form we relax it a little bit. We take away the tie again because we know a lot of workplaces now don't wear ties but we always say keep it in your pocket because you never know when you go for an interview that you might need to pop into the toilet and go and put it on.

[00:02:29]>> Actually that's a really good point Louis because these kids will be going to interviews at some point. Are you teaching them that when you go for an interview and I love the fact you've come dressed as the item today you're kind of wearing your tracksuit comfortable gear whereas Christiey's wearing a blazer are you saying that you don't need to wear a shirt and tie and jacket for a >> for what I'm saying is I think it very much depends on the context right so there are many industries that do wear shirts ties blazers um you know you can speak about banking and finance we can speak about the legal sector but then of course we have various other industries where that isn't necessarily the case you know like I would argue the spaces I'm in be it youth work even certain aspects of educational facilitation it's not an expectation to have to wear a shirt and tie arguably we're talking about one of the fastest growing industries and sectors being technology where do we necessarily see people wearing shirts ties and blazers in that space and I think that don't get me wrong you put you see me in a suit I personally think I make a suit look good don't get me wrong but what I'm saying is that actually there are increasing numbers of industries and sectors where that's not the expectation and I think actually what we have to consider is what are we actually classifying as professionalism them. So, I think our view on what we classify as professional is the thing that we need to challenge here versus solely what one wears.

[00:03:41]>> Christine, I think Louis looks smart.

[00:03:43]Don't you?

[00:03:43]>> He does. He looks very smart >> and and and it's possible to have a sweatshirt which is smart.

[00:03:48]>> It is, but it's not for school.

[00:03:51]>> Yeah.

[00:03:51]>> When you go to school, it's a formal time. I going back to when I was at school, if if my school gave me up said, "We're going to wear tracksuit bottoms."

[00:03:59]For me, that would be the most horrendous thing. I don't call that inclusive. I actually enjoyed dressing up to go to school. Okay. Yeah, I had a few issues with my school uniform when I was at school like we all do, but I actually enjoyed wearing a uniform and being proud of who I was at school.

[00:04:13]>> Yeah, it's Lewis. It is considered a leveler because you can get very expensive tracksuits, you can also wear the wrong tracksuit and get bullied.

[00:04:25]Whereas, if everyone's wearing the same standard school uniform, at least everyone looks the same. M so imagine if the school uniform itself was a branded tracksuit. You could brand the tracksuit itself with the school logo. Do you get what I mean? Like you could choose certain colors. There are some schools doing this already. And actually what we might see is an increase in the number of students who are participating in things like physical education, PE who where we know at times where are many students who find an option to not participate due to maybe not having the school uniform and the PE kit. Think about also for parents in terms of what that means in terms of them having to purchase school uniform and PE kit.

[00:04:58]>> So would they wear in in your world?

[00:05:00]Would they wear the tracksuit for PE and then the class?

[00:05:04]>> I think the option definitely exists.

[00:05:06]You know what I mean? I also think you >> So it removes that transition which can put people off.

[00:05:10]>> Exactly. And I think you know if we talk about one of the biggest issues in education at the moment and this is why I have such respect for teachers and educators including Christine who obviously is doing phenomenal work. One of the things that we know is a big big talking point at the moment in education is persistent absence within schools.

[00:05:24]Right. And I think some of that is tied to discomfort in terms of attending school itself, but also maybe in terms of how one appears in that space because we know that unfortunately there are challenges regarding peer pressure, sometimes even bullying which can be due to how one presents themselves. And so whatever we can do to make people feel more comfortable, students feel more comfortable. Their likelihood of being able to have a increased appetite for the education available to them goes up.

[00:05:47]>> Well, it's great to talk to both of you.

[00:05:49]Thank you very much indeed. I think I started on your side, Christine. Lewis, you won me over. asked you, "Should pupils be allowed to wear track suits in schools?" 24% of you said yes.

[00:05:59]>> 76% said no. But I think a sweatshirt that might be different.

[00:06:03]>> The culture, media, and sport committee accused of woke dogma this morning by suggesting that traditional school blazers, shirts, trousers, and skirts should be replaced with tracksuits in a bid to make uniforms inclusive. Our kids went to secondary school where they wore a sweatshirt with the school crest. That's totally fine.

[00:06:25]Doesn't have to be a a collar and tie.

[00:06:27]>> A lot of schools do suit is porative in this context.

[00:06:30]>> Tracksuits, they shouldn't be wearing tracksuits. I think if they need a jersey, >> a tank top with a with a school emblem, that's fine.

[00:06:36]>> But that's not a tracksuit. You know, scousers are the We know tracksuits, right? They're the full thing. We wear them for everything. Few% nylon. They're gloss. Yeah.

[00:06:45]>> You still wear yours. I >> to go out with your curlers in literally everybody except me had a tracksuit on.

[00:06:51]We're going to be debating that at 9:45 this morning. Let us know what you think. It's cheaper, isn't it, to wear a tracksuit?

[00:07:00]>> Some tracksuits cost a fortune if you get the designer ones.

[00:07:03]>> Your ones, Kevin, you're right. Yeah.