Tidy them up

Cameron in “smarten up” call to school children

O.K. so it’s not a spanking brand new fresh idea that nobody has dared to think about before, more a reminder of how things ought to be done, however David Cameron’s sentiments on school uniform policy are essentially right.

A uniform policy is a sensible idea for most schools to operate, it introduces a basic set of rules for everyone to follow, an essential start in understanding discipline and conformity, and uniformity blurs the distinction between the haves and the have nots.

A shirt tucked in, and tie with a uniform width properly adjusted to the neck should not be beyond the achievement of most children and parents. Yet it is so common to see children in this borough (and countless others) with shirt tails flapping in the breeze below blazers, ties with knots the width of yacht sails and the length of a matchbox dangling four inches below an open collar, and expensive trainers that have seen better days treading upon overlength trousers. It suggests a very casual attitude and does not portray the pride with which schools would wish to be associated.

It may be an old fashioned idea to smarten up, and my comments will no doubt upset a few, but suitably turned out students (like those pictured) look as though they mean business and are ready to go about learning in an earnest way.

So why knock it?