School Uniform

Wendz bravely posted a picture of herself in school uniform.

The only time you see school uniform over here is if its a private catholic school and it always seems to some variation of a plaid pattern.

My eldest daughter thought she had arrived in wonderland when we moved the States in 2000 but she quickly realised the benefits of a school uniform when she had to decide what to wear each day. Before that it had always been so easy, I would iron 15 white shirts of varying sizes, a couple of pair of black or grey trousers and a few sweat shirts for each of them.

I had a few nightmare situations with school uniform myself. On returning to London when I was twelve I started at St Michael's church of England school. The colour of the uniform was a dark green sweater or cardigan with white shirt, school tie, grey skirt(no trousers for girls then) with grey or white socks. On Fridays, we had to walk to the church when we had to wear a blazer and a green beret. I think we must had to wear a mackintosh if it was wet because my Mum in her infinite wisdom decided to buy one that was several sizes too big. Her reasoning was sound as I might grow and as I was already 5'1" I was obviously going to be tall. Unfortunately, as I reached puberty at 10 I had already had my growth spurt and to this day I am still 5'1"! I look like a bag day in that coat.

At my last school I had already left school as St Micheal's didn't actually go any further than 5th yr which in English school at the time was the 15-16yr age range. As colleges for 16-18yrs didn't really exist then, I was enrolled in the school my younger sister went to -Greycoat Hospital in Westminster. It was one of the oldest grammar schools in London but became a comprehensive when it merged with St Michael's in 1974. Obviously they had a strict uniform code so before I could actually start, I needed a uniform and fortunately for me (not) they had a store of old uniforms for emergency. One big problem, they were all from the 1950's with the big heavy grey serge overcoat and oversized bowl hat. I have never been to a uniform store so quick.

We were actually a tourist attraction as 2 days every year the whole school would troop down to Westminster Abbey and St Margarets in our full uniform plus white gloves. The Japanese tourists in particular loved to take pictures of us as we lined up to go into the Church.

That is me in the centre on the day I left school. To my right is my sister Debra, wearing the winter uniform which you had to wear until you were in 6th form. In the summer, the over coat was replace with a blazer and a straw boater. Once you reached 6th form there was lightly more grown up uniform. In addition to the far fetching blue or grey mac (I can't remember) we had to wear a blue pill box hat. I was 17 ½ in this picture. I only lasted 18 months at the school before my Mum got tired of my lazy attitude to work. Sounds familiar, I wonder who Alan takes after.