The Week Junior - UK (2022-03-19)

8

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Should school ties be scrapped?

J

ulie Richardson, the headteacher at Verulam School

in St Albans, in Hertfordshire, England, has changed

the uniform rules at the all-boys’ school, stating that

sixth form students no longer have to wear blazers

and ties. Richardson explained the change, saying,

“If businessmen and women in the City are no longer

wearing suits and ties, why should teenagers?” Ties

have been part of school uniforms for more than

100 years but some people think they are an

old-fashioned and not very practical part of a school

dress code. Others argue that they look smart, are an

affordable way of marking out a school’s identity and

students are unlikely to grow out of them. What do

you think, should young people be made to wear ties

at school or should they be scrapped?

Yes – ties are old-fashioned and dangerous

Children are warned not to put things around their

necks for safety reasons. Why then should children be

made to do exactly that with an awkward part of their

school uniform that has no real purpose? Ties can be

pulled tight around children’s necks and could also

get in the way of school activities, such as science

experiments. Also, ties are mainly a male adult’s item

of clothing but many businesses have said that

workers no longer need to wear them. So why should

children have to? Ties are fiddly and annoying to knot

properly. Young people should be comfortable and

school uniforms should be practical to help pupils

learn. Pupils can still look smart without an awkward

piece of material tied around their necks.

No – ties should be part of school uniform

There has been a recent law change making school

uniforms in England more affordable. The school tie,

however, is probably one of the cheapest items to buy

and pupils will never grow out of them. Ties look

smart and students of both sexes wear them, giving

a feeling of equality and fairness. School ties make it

easy to identify which school you attend; many

students are proud to be a part of their school and are

happy to represent it. Learning to tie a tie is also a

great skill that may be useful later in life. For those

who find it fiddly, there are clip-on options. Uniforms

mean you don’t have to worry about what to wear,

and ties are an important part of the outfit that

separates school from home.

Verulam School, a boys’ school in

St Albans, England, has changed its rules

and said that some students no longer

have to wear a blazer and tie. They are

still required to be smartly dressed.

Ties have been part of school uniforms

in the UK for more than 100 years.

In recent years, many schools have

switched to clip-on ties to reduce the

chance of injuries that come with

traditional ties.

Many businesses and organisations

have moved away from staff having to

wear a suit and tie in favour of more

relaxed dress codes.

What you need to know

1

Ties are a safety hazard and aren’t

appropriate for young people at school,

where they can get in the way.

2

Many businesses no longer expect their

workers to wear suits, ties and formal

clothing. Ties are outdated so why

should children wear them?

3

Wearing something around your neck

isn’t comfortable or practical. They

can also be fiddly and annoying to tie

on a busy school morning.

Three reasons why school ties

should be scrapped

Three reasons why students

YES NO should wear school ties

Ties have been a feature of UK school

uniforms for more than 100 years.

LAST WEEK’S POLL

Last week, we asked if

teenagers are too young to

drink coffee. Most of you

felt that an occasional

cup of coffee was fine and

that teens should make

their own choices.

GET

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IMA

GES

1

A tie is one of the cheapest and

longest-lasting items of school uniform.

You never grow out of it and it makes

students look smart.

2

A tie makes it easy to identify which

school you attend. Learning to knot

a tie is a useful skill for later life.

3

School uniforms creates equality,

fairness and avoids negative comments

about people’s clothes. School ties are

an important part of that.

Some people feel that school ties

are outdated and unnecessary.

Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls.

Vote YES if you think school ties should be scrapped, or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week.

Listen to our podcast to hear

Bex from Fun Kids radio and

three of The Week Junior team

bring this big debate to life. You’ll find it

at tinyurl.com/TWJpodcast

Junior

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The aim of the Big debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up their minds.

The views on the page do not reflect those of The Week Junior, and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association with the English-Speaking

Union, an educational charity helping young people discover their voice and realise their full potential. For more information, please see esu.org

The big debate

The Week Junior • 19 March 2022

61%

NO

39%

YES