School Uniforms in Poland - not required?

Why is it in Poland, school pupils do not wear uniforms to go to school every school day?

Here are couple of links regarding (lack of) school uniform
k12academics.com/School%20Uniforms/school-uniforms-poland

ourkids.net/pl-en/poland-school-uniforms.php

They are not usual in most European countries (or in the US) - it's only really seen in British empire countries.

About 15 years ago the govt tried to bring them in but it didn't work - parents couldn't afford them, kids hated them and teachers couldn't be bothered arguing with the kids about enforcing the rules.

The logic behind the attempt was that kids were getting bullied for not having fashionable clothes.

Some private schools in Poland have a uniform - normally just a polo shirt or a sweatshirt with the schools logo rather than a full kit

One of the few times I could understand and almost agree with them.... uniforms in school can have a social leveling function but nouveaux riche bristle at the thought of not being able to show off....

Totally agree and not only that, they bolster the sense of community and belonging. They also aid with discipline especially in secondary schools where there can be a lot of 'attitude' from students. There is far less of it when you can't express it through your clothes. Having grown up with a school uniform, I can say that primary/elementary school kids generally cant' wait for the day when they start school and get to wear the uniform :) it makes you feel really special, very grown up. At secondary level, we all hated our uniforms but at the same time whenever we had to go somewhere en masse outside the school, we took a strange pride in the fact that we were an immediately identifiable 'tribe'.

To be fair I don't think it makes much of a difference...
The material status is still clearly visible.
And I think it can be quite educational to learn what is appropriate for certain situarions.

They tried to introduce the uniforms when I started Liceum. There were two top schools in my town- one went for uniforms one didn't. Didn't make slightest difference in the long run.

Nobody mentioned one important aspect - uniforms were compulsory in communist times. When the system collapsed, uniforms were also dropped.
Atch and maf, you mention positive sides of uniforms and you are so right. However, I am against - I would go crazy in such a school - all students look the same. What boring atmosphere!

That's interesting Paw. Were they designed by the individual schools or was it the same uniform for all? In Ireland each school has a different uniform.


I've taught kids in uniform for most of my teaching career and never felt that way. Their individual characters are very apparent despite their similar appearance :) In secondary school we used to try individualize our uniforms with non-regulation scarves, gloves, socks etc in really lurid colours. The lay teachers didn't take any notice but if you were spotted by one of the nuns, wearing purple socks instead of black or grey you could get a detention. They usually only slapped a detention on students who were otherwise troublesome. The 'good girls' like myself just got the lecture.

It was also an offence punishable by expulsion if you were seen smoking cigarettes in your school uniform in a public place. In fact any kind of inappropriate 'rowdy' behaviour in you school uniform was a big no-no and was frequently reported to the convent by local people. The 'head nun' as the principal was known, would then investigate and depending on how bored she was that day, she would either visit each class individually and interrogate everybody or just call the whole school together for a very long lecture. Either way, it was a nice break from lessons, wasted plenty of time and we all enjoyed it thoroughly :D

AFAICT that was very spotty... one friend mentioned all the (male) students at his elementary school (1970s) wore a kind of identical smock but after that.... nuthin'

I do think that the idea of school uniforms has communist like connotations which is why there's resistance....

I think Pawian was talking about fartuszki and they were put on regular clothes and made of some nasty synthetic fabric. Something like this
sp1sokolka.pl/images/2016/wydarzenia/konkurs1/prezentacje_konkursowe/praca2_pliki/foto10.jpg

Everyone looked equally miserable in them :)

But my mum wore a school uniform in her high school like a proper one with a jacket and a pleated(?) skirt. They looked great in school photos. And my mum hated them :)

Yes, that's the 'blazer' :)) We only wore them in the summer term. That was the one bit of the school uniform that everbody liked. The school crest was bought separately and sewn on to the breast pocket. They were made from 100% wool, a sort of 'gabardine' fabric like the school overcoat and they lasted years. When I left school I passed mine on to a younger girl down the road who was starting secondary school and no doubt she got another five years out of it!

Fartuszki were kind of a uniform designed for elementary school.


In my high school we had to wear sailor uniforms. Today when I look at the tableaux in the corridor in my workplace, I can also see sailor uniforms were worn in 1960s/70s. I will take a photo after winter holidays.


Just like me. I wasn`t a good girl, quite the opposite. I often broke the code dress rules and wore colourful short-sleeved shirts coz I hated that uniform. I remember only lectures by the most fanatic teachers and that`s all.


And that is why the Irish decided to give up on their traditional adherence to the Church. :):)

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Depends on what you mean by good - if by good, you mean 'wouldn't say boo to a goose' yes, no and three bags full compliant with all rules, then I wasn't good and I'm sure you weren't either. I have to say that despite all the bad press that nuns and priests get these days, we were actually encouraged to have opinions and minds of our own. We had 40 mins of discrete religion time each day and we had a lot of great discussions. As long as you weren't rude and cheeky and expressed your views appropriately, you could say what you liked. But our favourite was Sister Ann, 'the singing nun' who carried her guitar everywhere and could be sidetracked into singing at the drop of a hat as long as the song had vaguely religious/spiritual undertones. "Sister, could we sing Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles, there's a priest in it" :D

Funny. :):)

I looked through my archives and found a few pics of students with ancient tableaux in the background. You can see single sex class from 1960s wearing sailor uniforms.

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