Is there anything to commend the old school tie in the dress-down 21st century?
Blazer cuffs which stopped at your fingertips, trousers which halted at your shins, and those itchy polyester shirts. Such were the “delights” of the school uniform. As any adult with even a modicum of fashion sense will recall, the trusty school uniform would never have cut it on the catwalk. But many Britons – including an alarming 88% of school boys and 77% of school girls – wouldn’t want to see the end of the school dress code. Yet despite its continued popularity, the school uniform is being put out of the reach of poorer pupils as local authorities cut financial assistance, says the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. A report by the association says some pupils have faced exclusion from the classroom because they are not wearing what is expected of them. But the problem may not be entirely down to cost-cutting councils. Some say schools are getting more picky about their pupils’ appearance. Revival underway While most private schools have always maintained a rigorou
