My eldest lad (nearly 14) asked me the other day whether you wear school uniforms in Canada.... I looked at him a little blankly I dont know!!!
Do they??? particularly looking at B.C. Sorry if this is a bit of a daft question??

The majority of schools don't have uniforms. In Toronto the schools with uniforms were usually the Catholic Schools or Private Schools.

My children don't and they attend 2 different schools. Shame really because in the UK it was the norm and I felt it gave the children some pride and identity. They of course love the fact they can go out of the in anything they want ( weather permitting) . The winter is the great leveller as they all have to wrap up so fashion doesn't really apply although the foot wear change and removal of coats at the school may well be a different matter.
I used to wear a tie to work in the Uk and have worn one once in the last 12 months,now that is liberating ! (sometimes it's the simple things in life)

Thank you for your replies, my son, I reckon will be well chuffed as will my youngest 3!!!

The lack of a uniform can be both a curse and a blessing at 7am

I work in a large high school in Nanaimo ........ standard boys uniform (at the moment ..... it changes almost monthly ) is runners, jeans or shorts with partial butt showing T-shirt, patterned hoody & often some kind of cap/hat.

Girls tends to be boots, skinny jeans, tiny top with spaghetti straps, & short jacket with fur in the hood

My son is 16 & hardly ever wears anything but shorts even through our latest bout of crappy weather!! There is a private school here & they wear uniforms though.

My daughters school doesn't have uniforms but there are rules about what they can't wear. Like spaghetti straps - straps have to be the minimum width of two fingers wide.

The matter of uniforms has been raised within the Toronto school system a few times in the past. Normally only those attending catholic or private schools wear a uniform of any description, although those of the catholic kids could only be called uniforms using the widest interpretation. Most of them look like slobs with white shirts (some inside pants, some hanging out, top buttons undone), gray/black pants, ties that have been knotted once and not at neck level and all variety of footwear.
It has been suggested that uniforms have the benefit of removing any class distinction in the schools. A child from a middle-class/wealthy family would be indistinguishable from one from a poor family. Certainly in the catholic system, despite their level of unkemptness, it is impossible to determine the background of most students.
Needless to say the idea of introducing uniforms into the whole school system met with great resistance both from parents and students. The non-uniform status has been in effect much too long for such a change to take place.

Here in Toronto, the local school board is considering school uniforms.

Currently 80% of the total number of parents of children in each school have to vote yes for that school to wear uniforms, the TDSB are trying to get trustees to agree to lower it to 60% of those who actually take part in a vote.

After a well-publicised shooting in a Toronto school a couple of years ago, one of the recommendations was that wearing uniforms in all schools would allow teachers and other students to be more aware of outsiders. The TDSB rejected it as not acceptable, and instead brought in the 80% rule above.

One of the alternative programmes in the Edmonton public school system is called "Cogito". It seems to be a more academic/traditional approach generally and can have a school uniform.

My 15 and 12 year old have just gone into meltdown, they thought they would be getting away from uniform but given that we are moving to Ontario and they will be attending a catholic school looks like no change )

Its all these little things that you don't think of!

Michelle

No uniforms for any age unless private or Catholic in my experience in BC, it was so much easier when my children did in the UK.

Firstly, I'm very aware of the difficulties of parenting teenagers. I am only glad I don't have to monitor a daughter setting out for school today in the GTA. As I see young teenage girls heading to/from school in Spring, Summer and Fall I am constantly amazed at to how little upper clothing many actually wear. Shoulders uncovered and much cleavage in many cases. If only I was a teenage boy again.

<just joking>.

Thats an interesting statement, implying those of us from teh continent and didn't go to a uniformed school, or the canadians you're going to don't have pride and identity?


Coming from a non-uniformed place i'll say
a) its cheaper. You only wear 'normal' clothes
b) it cuts down on washing
c) it lets kids be kids and express who they are. We put people in suits and uniforms soon enough, let them be individuals
and
d) it probably cuts down on college excesses as they already get to go to town with hair/jewelry/clothes etc at a
younger age, therefore don't need to act out as much.\

oh and edited to add
e) as to recognisablitly, for the mom and pop store down te road, they can bet the teenagers are all from the local school not the one 20 miles down teh road. They don't need uniforms to identify them at that level and saying to the cops 'yeah it was the longhaired one with the death metal t-shirt' is far more identifyable to 'it was the girl from St Clare's with the brown long hair!' And i've seen principals simply call in all guys with a death metal t-shirt and the shopkeeper id'ing the guy. A uniform makes for uniformity, and hides ID, doesn't emphasise it.