Irish parents call time on outdated school uniform system

Irish parents are calling for a change to school uniforms

Is it time for schools to give up on school uniforms and let children wear their own clothes? Half of Irish parents (50%) say the current school uniform purchasing system is outdated, according to new research commissioned by Irish school uniform disruptor Flydays.

The study of over 1,000 Irish parents with school-aged children comes as parents are preparing for children to return to school and reveals that getting uniforms causes a multitude of problems.

Nearly half of parents (40%) surveyed say they have only one approved shop they are allowed to buy their child’s uniform from, a further 38% have experienced their child’s size being out of stock when trying to buy their uniform, and a quarter (25%) have experienced having to travel somewhere inconvenient to buy their child’s school uniform.

On top of the struggles to get uniforms, over a third (35%) don’t believe the uniforms offer good value for money, with the quality not being worth the price. A further 41% described their child’s uniform as ‘expensive’, and over a quarter called uniforms ‘old-fashioned’ (28%) and uncomfortable (29%). And children agree.

According to the parents surveyed, their children complain about itchy fabric (49%); shirts being uncomfortable around the neck (35%); and restricted movement (34%) in their current uniforms. Meanwhile, 27% of parents surveyed said that uncomfortable uniforms have distracted their child from learning and meant they struggled to concentrate.

Do you agree? Is it time to make a much-needed change to the school uniforms in Ireland?

These new findings come as Flydays invites 25 Irish schools to take part in a trial of its new school uniforms. Find out more at flydays.com.