The traditional shirt and tie has been the required uniform for a very long time. However, after the idea was put forward by pupils, they have been replaced with Tiffin polo shirts. The polo shirts are navy blue in colour, with the school crest of three salmon printed on. The three salmon are based on those on the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames logo. Although both forms of uniform have a sign of Tiffin identity, most people would agree that the shirt and tie appear smarter. This may be because the shirt and tie are what most people are used to wearing, and that the polo shirts need time for fitting in. However, at this present time the polo shirts seem to look far more casual and ordinary. Is this good? Well for the school’s identity it may not be, but for pupils there may be different views.

The main benefit of wearing the polo shirts is the fact that they’re far more comfortable and relaxing during hot and sunny days. When shirts were worn, they easily became sticky and uncomfortable due to sweat. This led to the idea of polo shirts being put forward. Last summer they were trialled, in which pupils could choose between the two forms of uniform. The polo shirts generally received positive comments; hence they have been approved and are now compulsory to wear.

So looking back at the arguments for and against polo shirts, it’s clearly debatable. The main question which could be asked is; does identity or comfort matter more? In this case, the priority of comfort might just be strong enough to dislodge some loss of identity. Furthermore summer uniform is only worn during one term, whereas the shirt and tie will still be worn during the other two terms. Taking everything into account the decision to approve polo shirts is looking like a good move.