LOCAL DECISIONS STILL ON SCHOOL UNIFORMS

LOCAL DECISIONS STILL ON SCHOOL UNIFORMS

School councils will be able to continue making their own decisions in relation to school uniforms, if the recommendations of a Parliamentary inquiry are adopted.
Eastern Victorian MP, Peter Hall, a member of the Education and Training Committee that conducted the Inquiry into Dress Codes and School Uniforms in Victorian Schools, has welcomed the recommendations, which leave much of the decision making with local communities.

“There are many issues, such as suitability of clothing for climate, encouraging physical activity by students and cost factors, that can only be considered at a local level,” Mr Hall said. “It became clear early in the inquiry that there is widespread agreement that choices about school uniforms should continue to be made by individual schools and their communities. Quite rightly school councils should be able to make their own decisions.”

The committee came up with a number of other key recommendations. These included that:

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s guidelines encourage schools to consider standards for staff dress and appearance during the development and review of dress codes and school uniform policies.

All Victorian schools include a statement addressing sun protection in their dress codes or school uniform policies and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development promote best practice for incorporating sun protective clothing and sunglasses and;

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development require all Victorian schools to make a sun protective hat available to students as part of their dress codes or school uniform policies.

The Committee also recommended that all schools consider how their school uniform policies can contribute to greater levels of physical activity among students.

Mr Hall said it was interesting to note that most schools already require a uniform.
“The Committee found that 72.8 per cent of Victorian schools have a ‘full’ compulsory school uniform, which requires students to wear summer and winter uniforms specified by the school,” Mr Hall said, quoting the report. “A further 12.4 per cent of schools have a ‘basic’ compulsory uniform, with limited specifications for clothing such as wearing school colours or some items with a school logo, while 7.2 per cent of schools have an optional uniform. Only 0.5 per cent has an ‘occasional’ uniform.”

Mr Hall said another contentious issue raised was whether dress codes and school uniform policies should also apply to teachers and other school staff.

The Committee found that 43.8 per cent of Victorian schools (including 27.1% of government schools) have some form of written dress code for their staff, either setting out general or specific standards of dress. Although the Committee did not consider staff dress codes in detail, it noted that the appearance of school staff may have an influence on students, and believes that many of the issues covered by the inquiry are relevant to dress codes or uniforms for both students and staff.

“The Committee has recommended that schools consider staff dress and appearance when developing and reviewing their dress codes and uniform policies,” Mr Hall said. “This also needs to be based on a sensible approach, depending upon the requirements of the school and the work that is being undertaken by staff.”

The other issue is strengthening the sun protection elements of policies, which the committee believes is one of the most direct ways in which dress codes and school uniforms can support student health and wellbeing.

“The Committee believes sun protection is of such importance that all Victorian schools should be required to include a statement addressing sun protection in their dress codes or school uniform policies,” the committee report said. “This should include providing all students with an option or requirement to wear a sun protective hat, as well as appropriate standards relating to sun protective clothing and sunglasses.”

Mr Hall welcomed the findings of the committee, which he described as a sensible approach to improving school uniform use.