Sir, –Your front-page article “Sport participation ‘hindered by school uniform policies’” (News, December 5th) sparked considerable follow-up debate on the national airwaves.
As a co-educational, interdenominational school spanning the full educational cycle from kindergarten to Leaving Certificate, St Kilian’s, in keeping with the European educational experience it offers, has never had a school uniform policy.
It is our experience that a uniform is not necessary to create a sense of belonging and community in a school environment. At St Kilian’s, this is created through the hard work of our teachers, the various extra-curricular activities, the friendships the students make at school, and the support and involvement of parents.
It is not our experience that a uniform is necessary to foster academic achievement. St Kilian’s has enjoyed a strong academic reputation since its establishment in 1952 with, for example, consistently high Leaving Certificate results.
No uniform means students have the freedom to express their individuality – more and more important in the modern teaching environment, where equality and diversity are part of supporting each individual student.
Boys and girls are treated equally from age four: no trousers and ties, no skirts and pinafores. There is no gender stereotyping, and no gender-based clothing decisions are needed.
For practical purposes, particularly in team sports, the school has a sports uniform. In primary school all children participate in sport every day and they all wear the same school tracksuit and top.
The report of the youth stakeholder forum suggests that “strict, inflexible” school uniform policies inhibit greater physical activity, especially among girls. This may well be the case but cannot be the sole factor, as we also see a fall-off in sports participation rates in secondary school despite our no uniform policy. At a time when greater female participation in sport is rightly being encouraged, our view is that more research is needed as to why teenage girls’ participation rates decline as they move through secondary school.
The report of the youth stakeholder forum on sport is to be welcomed in raising awareness of this debate.
Perhaps it is time for the Irish education system to consider the European approach when it comes to uniforms. – Yours, etc,
NIGEL MACMILLAN,
Principal,
Secondary School,
ANNETTE BLACK,
Head of Primary
and Kindergarten,
St Kilian’s,
Clonskeagh,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – The school uniform is a great outward expression of pride in one’s school community and schools might rightly wish to maintain this mode of dress, especially for special occasions and when representing the school externally.
However, the necessity of upholding a uniform on a daily basis is more questionable.
Rather than the traditional uniform, surely students would be better served by a broader dress code which allows for individual expression, greater comfort, responsibility, and perhaps even happier students. – Yours, etc,
KIERAN SPARLING,
Corbally,
Limerick.