School uniforms: A history of ‘rebellion and conformity’

As the nation’s children head back to school, proud parents have been excitedly photographing their offspring’s posing in new uniforms. But they are far from the first to take pride in the school dress code. BBC News Online looks back at the history of the outfits kids up and down the land learn to love – or loathe.

Picture school uniforms from the past and the top hats and tails of Tom Brown’s Schooldays or the cheeky cap-throwing of Just William may come to mind.

But in fact, according to historians, school uniforms began life not amid the traditions of the English public school but among charity schools

A blue coat, of the kind worn at Christ’s Hospital, is thought to be one of the earliest examples of a school uniform

Schools such as Christ’s Hospital, in Horsham, West Sussex, founded in 1552 in London, took up “fatherless children and other poor children” from the parish and educated them.

London citizens provided the children with clothes – notably a long blue coat – which led to the famous nickname for such institutions – “Bluecoat schools”.

Today Christ’s Hospital says its uniform is the oldest still in existence – and 95 per cent of modern pupils support its continuance

Today the uniform continues to be worn by Christ’s Hospital pupils – the school claims it is the oldest uniform still in existence.

And indeed, many older schools retain their traditional uniforms – from the straw hats of Harrow to the “Polly Bells” of Dame Allan’s, a private school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which was founded as a charitable foundation in 1705.

Both are variants on the schools’ original uniforms. While the Polly Bells are dusted off only for special occasions, Harrow tries to maintain its traditions around public-facing places of its site, such as its chapel.

Source: BBC

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