Should school uniforms be compulsory? We asked five experts

People have different views when it comes to school uniforms. from shutterstock.com

Sasha Petrova, The Conversation, Jeffrey Thomas, Peter Wilson, Renae Barker, Sue Roffey, Victoria Rawlings

Author

Sasha Petrova
Section Editor: Education

Interviewed

Jeffrey Thomas
Lecturer in Behaviour Management, University of Tasmania
Peter Wilson
Professor of Developmental Psychology, Australian Catholic University
Renae Barker
Senior Lecturer, The University of Western Australia
Sue Roffey
Sue Roffey is a Friend of The Conversation.

Honorary Associate Professor, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, UCL
Victoria Rawlings
Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney

Partners

Whether schools should mandate a uniform is a controversial issue. Some believe wearing the same clothes smooths out inequality. Others see uniforms as authoritarian; believing them a symbol of repression, stifling freedom of thought and individuality.

We asked five experts from various fields whether school uniforms should be compulsory. Rather surprisingly, among the experts at least, there was little division.

Four out of five experts said no

Here are their detailed responses:

If you have a “yes or no” education question you’d like posed to Five Experts, email your suggestion to: sasha.petrova@theconversation.edu.au

Disclosures: Renae Barker is the Diocesan Advocate of the Anglian Diocese of Bunbury and advises the Bishop, Bishop in Council, Trustees and Synod on matters of Church law.

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