Is school uniform a good thing?
RAY HONEYFORD, former headmaster: It’s a splendid idea. Absolutely essential. Uniform gives a sense of loyalty and identity. It identifies children outside school too. People would say, ‘We saw one of yours misbehaving last night,’ and we could identify them. Girls tend to compete about clothes when they wear their own. HUFFTY, presenter of The Word: I wore a school uniform (I liked wearing the tie – it was excellent – but the skirt was poncy and had no pockets) and I bunked off all the time. It was by the beach in Newcastle, I used to play in the arcades or play pool. I don’t think uniforms will make any difference to truancy, no one used to ask me why I wasn’t at school. If they had I would have told them I was going to the doctor’s. JON CALLARD, England rugby player and PE master, Downside School: It’s a good thing, but the Government should look at greater priorities, like spending and recruitment, before they say school uniform is going to put everything right. The boys here wear
