History Of The Australian School Uniform

When Australian school uniform was first introduced in the latter part of the 19^th and early 20^th century, it closely resembled the uniforms worn by British school children, largely due to the fact that the Australian school system was devised by colonial administrators from England. Needless, to say over the years the Australian school uniform gradually evolved to suit the warmer Australian climate, and in more recent years, many school uniforms in Australia reflect the laid-back approach of Australian culture.

Early in the 1900's, the large majority of children went to school barefoot, although they did have some type of uniform. Sailor suits were common, as were caps; both peaked and flat styles. Some schools did not have a uniform per se, but the boys would wear a suit to school. Eton style collars were also commonly worn to school before the First World War, as were knee pants and knickerbockers. In the early days of school uniforms, girls were not always encouraged to attend school, but those who did generally wore a short sleeved shirt with a gymslip over the top; which was a tunic style dress with straps.

After the war, sailor suits were no longer worn as most schools were in the process of introducing a more formal school uniform which would consist of a blazer, creased flannel shorts and a cap. Although boys had often worn tights before the war, after the war these were discarded in favor of knee socks; although black woolen tights continued to be the norm for girls.

The Australian school uniform continued to closely resemble that of the British through the 1950's.Short trousers were still worn even by boys attending secondary schools.

They usually were matched with a school blazer, knee socks, a white shirt, cap and tie. Girls would wear a similar uniform replacing the shorts with a skirt, and the cap with a boater hat. This style continued until the 1960's when major changes began to take place in fashion and culture all over the world.

During the 60's many schools abolished the rule that children had to wear caps, ties and blazers as part of their uniform, although some schools still recommended their use, it was not mandatory. The climate difference between the UK and Australia was finally recognized and many schools introduced a cool summer dress to be worn by girls during the warmer months. This was usually worn with a straw boater hat decorated with ribbons or bows.

Flannel shorts were phased out and replaced with more modern trousers, both long and short. More casual shirts were introduced, featuring pointed collars that were fashionable at the time. Schools became less strict about uniform, allowing children to choose which type of sweater they wore: i.e. a V-neck or crew neck; and some schools would allow a roll neck jumper during the winter time.

 

Since the 80's school uniform styles vary more widely from school to school. Although some schools still go for the formal school shirt, tie and blazer look, these days many Australian schools have adopted a very casual attitude to uniform, allowing children to wear polo shirts, logo-ed sweatshirts, and comfortable cotton pants or shorts.