I WOULD like to support Mrs Bowkett who wrote to you

about the cost of the school uniform at Whitecross School.

I was a teacher at the school during the first six years of

it's existence. Peter Chard, the first headteacher, was

appointed with the support of the County Education

Officer because of the new ideas that came from his

experience in an exciting school in Yorkshire. I came from

an International School in Geneva where the parents, who

included Nobel Prize winners, would think compulsory

school uniform ridiculous.

I recall discussing this with Peter as there were

some, including my wife as we had three children of our

own in the school, who also would have preferred to buy

more sensible and cheaper clothes. Our new ideas

included treating children as individuals and compulsory

school uniform preaches uniformity. We agreed that

young children coming to the big school often were proud

of the uniforms. At the same time with the older ones a

lot of time was consumed enforcing the dress code.

Personally in 21 years of teaching I never once was

prepared to go along with this. What mattered above all to

Peter and myself was achieving good relationships

between teachers and students. After a wild and chaotic

start as the previous four schools were brought together

against huge local opposition the school settled down. I

was promoted to be an Inspector in Surrey and compared

to the 50 secondary schools in my patch, the pupils of

Whitecross were the most friendly and confident. But with

so many educational changes being introduced it was

thought that abolishing or scaling down school uniform

was a change too far.

It is a very British thing. Many of my colleague

inspectors also felt for parents who complained in the

same way as Mrs Bowkett. But our Chief Inspector ruled

that we would have to close any school within a year – as

parents would opt for other schools – if one was bold

enough to take out the compulsory element. When I asked

heads about their problems "girls wearing trousers" was

about the commonest. Twice I was even asked for my

support in persuading lady members of staff to leave their

trousers at home. The ban believe it or not applied to lady

county councillors attending meetings. One head was so

het up he locked them out of the staff room.

The fact that there are private schools costing ten of

thousands of pounds a year that expect students to be

smart but hold no truck with uniformity makes no impact

on those following an outworn tradition based on

snobbery. I have had the good fortune to visit schools in a

number of other countries such as Denmark, France,

Germany, the USA where compulsory school uniform is

unknown. I hate to say it but invariably those students are

more confident, forthcoming, enthusiastic than here. In

the comparative league tables prepared by UNESCO the

UK is third from the bottom out of 24 countries in

attainment. This is of course due to many factors, above

all ignorant vote seeking politicians introducing endless

changes in the curriculum which many teachers find

maddening. I know one large comprehensive school in a

middle-class area which has appointed 13 new, well

trained, competent teachers and every one of them has

left the profession within three years of entry.

But I am also certain that British schools are in

general unnecessarily repressive and conformist. To give

one example out of a great many I recall visiting a Surrey

school. I stood just outside the main door with the

teacher on duty waiting for the chance to have a word

with the head. Outside the pupils were milling around in

the pouring rain waiting for the doors to open at 9.00 am.

Suddenly the teacher gave a yelp, dashed out, and

dragged in a 14 year old girl who was wearing a colourful

mac. She ordered the girl to take it off, threw it on the

floor, and sent her out into the rain telling her not to wear

unapproved uniform again. She then turned to me, the

inspector, with a smile clearly expecting my approval. I

simply looked up at the large sign over the door which

said 'Welcome'. This had been erected at the order of the

chair of governors who ran a public relations firm. My

mind was on what the girl was feeling getting soaked

outside. Was she 'letting the school down' as the teacher

had said? Or was the school letting her down?

– Roger Horsfield, Pastors Hill, Bream.