Did your school uniform consist of button-up shirts, tailored trousers, tunics and black leather shoes? Whether it was in the ’50s, ’90s or 2020s, most Newcastle schools have set traditional school uniform policies.
It is time to rethink the school uniform. Could allowing students to wear their sports uniform every day support student concentration, learning and physical activity? Perhaps it could also save parents some money too.
University of Newcastle research suggests that most students, parents and teachers want a change to school uniforms to allow students to wear a school-branded sports kit every day.
Traditional attire can restrict movement
Miller is a 6-year-old girl from Newcastle. “I don’t like wearing stockings because my stockings fall down when I run,” she said.
“I can’t go on the monkey bars because my dress goes up,” she added.
Miller is not alone. The majority of students across Newcastle would prefer to wear their sports uniform every day, according to research conducted in Newcastle and the Hunter. This includes secondary schools students, who are even more in favour of this change.
Lead author of the research Nicole McCarthy said: “Approximately two thirds of primary school students and three quarters of secondary school students wanted a change in school uniform that allows them the choice to wear their sports uniform every day.”
Karly Austin is a mum of two young girls. “I think it is really important to give my girls the confidence and encouragement to be physically active and to be able to participate in all of the same activities that the boys do,” she said.
“I wouldn’t take my girls to the park to play dressed like this [dressed in a traditional school uniform], so why school?”
Nicole McCarthy said the research into the attitudes of Newcastle parents echoed Karly’s thoughts. “We found that nine in 10 parents across Newcastle agree that school uniforms should support their children to be physically active, and four in five also supported a change to allow students to wear their sports uniforms every day,” she said.
Rebecca Jackson, who is a former primary school teacher and a mum, said: “We’re lucky; my son goes to a school with a sport uniform every day policy. It’s been great to help him ride to and from school and be active at recess with his mates.
“We think we’ve saved money now we only need to buy the school sport uniform,” she added.
Savings can be made
Traditional school uniforms can be expensive. “Parents will not be surprised to hear that a traditional primary school uniform costs an average of $330. This can increase by $200 for a traditional secondary school uniform,” University of Newcastle public health researcher Professor Luke Wolfenden said.
“By contrast, the average cost of a sports uniform is less than half of the traditional uniform cost, $163,” he added.
One step towards increased activity
Most of us recognise that physical activity has physical, mental and social health benefits for all age groups.
University of Newcastle physical activity researcher Dr Nicole Nathan said: “To get students moving more, we need to support them with every opportunity we can.
“Just one in five primary-aged students and one in 10 secondary students are supported enough to help them do the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
“If we can get young people in Newcastle moving more, they’d be healthier, and perhaps even do better in class.”
Nate is 10 years old. Nate attends a primary school that has the sports uniform every day policy. “Our teacher takes us outside for more games and sports now,” he said.
Dr Nathan said: “Typically, students in Newcastle are allowed to wear their sports uniform on one day per week. But why only one day per week? For their health, we need to support students to be active for 60 minutes a day, on every day of the week.”
Some of Dr Nathan’s other work has been looking at ways to support schools to meet the NSW Department of Education’s compulsory physical activity policy to schedule 150 minutes a week of physical activity.
“There’s one thing that we know for sure: there is no single solution to get young people moving more,” she said.
“Although schools and school uniforms can support students to be active every day, we also need to invest in other things like active transport, school physical activity programs, sport and much more.”
Newcastle schools can change their own uniform policies
Every Newcastle school, including government, independent and Catholic schools, can change their own uniform policies.
By swapping to a sports uniform every day policy, schools can save parents money, increase concentration in class and help support students to be more active.
The University of Newcastle is currently running a large research trial to investigate the physical activity and well-being benefits of wearing sports uniforms every day.
The researchers will compare students wearing their sports uniform every day with students from schools with traditional uniform policies. Over a 12-month period, the researchers will measure and compare the students’ physical activity and fitness levels from both groups.
If you want to find out more about this research or get your school involved, please reach out to Nicole McCarthy (Nicole.McCarthy@uon.edu.au).
Matthew ‘Tepi’ Mclaughlin, PhD candidate, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle
I think that schools should keep there traditional uniforms for there students. just turn them into the formal uniform. that must be worn on excursions, graduation day, and other times when formal attire is required. all the other days the schools students should be able to wear there sports uniforms to and from school.