Oceania covers a wide area of the southwestern Pacific. Early immigrants in two countries (Australia and New Zealand) brought English school uniforms with them, but in recent years have adopted styles more in keeping with their climate. Many Indonesia and Phillipino schools have uniforms, but there is no national style. Oceania also includes many small new island states, but we have little information on schoolwear on thiose islands.

Source Above: schun

Australia

Photograph of the front of an Australian Year 12 school uniform jumper, taken in 2005.

Photograph of the back of the same Year 12 jumper.

Most private and public schools, in all Australian states, have a compulsory uniform policy. For boys, the uniforms generally include trousers, shorts, jumpers and a button-up shirt and/or t-shirt. Girls uniforms generally include skirts, dresses, jumpers, blouses and/or t-shirts and sometimes also trousers and shorts. Uniforms for either gender may also include a blazer, tie and hat. A different uniform specifically for sports is usually worn for physical education activities.

Private school uniforms are generally more casual and strictly enforced than public school uniforms. Most private school students are not allowed outside of school property in their sports uniform; private school students may be also punished if caught by a teacher or prefect wearing the school uniform incorrectly in a public place outside of school grounds, for example on public transport or in a shopping mall.

It is traditional for the Year 11 and Year 12s or just year 12s at an Australian private or public high school to wear jerseys known as senior jerseys, seniors' jerseys or leavers' jerseys, which are official uniform items worn exclusively by the students in the year levels concerned each year.

New Zealand

Traditionally, many New Zealand intermediate and high schools have followed the British system of school uniforms. This usually consists of a variety of the following apparel: an 'official' school jersey, jacket and tie, a grey/white shirt, pants and/or shorts, and, in many girls' schools, kilts. Blazers and jackets are of varied colours according to the school - dark or light blue, grey, crimson, scarlet, green or black. Some follow the British practice of having contrasting colours edging the lapels and jacket fronts. Caps or other headdresses have generally been discarded since the 1970s.

Being allowed to wear long trousers as part of the uniform, rather than shorts, often marks the transition from junior to senior classes. At some schools, seniors are allowed to wear mufti casual clothing. It is customary for many schools, especially boys schools to have long ("knee-high") socks in school colours worn with shorts.

During the 1980s and 1990s there was a tendency for the traditional uniform to be replaced by cheaper and more 'modern' options: polo shirts, polar fleece tops, or a complete doing away with uniforms in favour of mufti. This trend seems to have been reversed in recent years and only a small number of secondary schools have now abolished uniforms entirely. Some Girl Schools also have navy blue skirts and open necked white blouses long in winter and short in summer as the skirts are not allowed higher then below the knee the skirts also have splits up the center at the back

Most of our modern school uniform styles originated in Europe. England is the single most important coutry and it was here that the first modern school uniform appeared--originally for poor children at charity schools. Later the English introduced The school cap tie and blazer originated there. Other important styles like corduroy and grey flnnel trousers are English. The English school uniform in the 19th century took on an auora of privlidge. France is also an important country, introducing the smock as required school wear, as a republican experiment of reducing income differences between children. Many other countries adopted smocls. The sailor suit became one of the most common school outfits in many European countries, but was not generaly worn as a uniform.

The boys from this French school visited London in 1984. Note the string ties they wear rather than a necktie.

Germany

Although quite common in pre-WW II times, school uniforms fell almost totally out of favour as a long-term consequence of Nazism, as they were considered a symbol of militaristic thought.^{[verification needed]} In the 80s and 90s, school uniforms were almost totally unknown. Recently, they have made a comeback at some schools, for their supposed positive effect on discipline and also to prevent brand name competition among children. However, those school uniforms that have been introduced would be considered marginal in most other countries, rarely consisting of more than a school shirt or sweater.

Israel

School uniforms used to be the norm in Israel in the early days of the state's existence, but have since fallen out of favor. However, in recent years, the number of schools using school uniforms has been increasing once more. Many teachers, parents and students all around the country are in favor of returning the school uniform into common use as to prevent the deepening of the gap between children who aren't well-off and children who are.

Today, school uniforms in Israel consist only of a shirt with the school logo. In the summer, the uniform shirt is a simple T-shirt, while in the winter, the shirts worn are warm sweaters and hooded sweaters. Although the shirts are uniform, they usually come in various colors, and allow students to customize and express themselves even while wearing a uniform. The shirts sell for a very small amount of money, so that even those who do not have a lot of money can acquire them.

HBC has not yet done much work on Asian school uniforms. As in Africa, uniform styles have been very strongly indfluenced by European sttyles. The Japanese and Koreans have adopted a variety of different European styles from English sailor suits to Prussian cadet uniforms. British fashions have been very imprtant in former colonies like India, Hong Kong, Malausia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. The Chinese adopted some unique styles, but today uniforms are little worn and tge clothes children wear generally have western styles. The Islamic revivalmhas affected school fashions in countries klike Afganisan, Iran, and Pakistan. The poverty of many Asia countries has meant many families could not afford school uniform, but economic conditions imprioved markedly in the late 20th century.

The Japanese boys wear a very traditionally styled uniform. Many secondary school boys still wear the military style caps. The overcoats during the winter are optional.

Japan

Main article: Japanese school uniform

Japanese high school students wearing the sailor fuku

Malaysia/Singapore

Malaysia/Singapore introduced Western style school uniforms in the late 19th century during British colonial era until post-independence. Today, school uniforms are almost universal in the public and private school systems. The current Malaysian school uniforms are compulsory for all students.

The same school uniform is used in all public schools. Primary school uniform consists of white shirts and navy blue trousers or shorts (shorts are more common) for boys and a pinafore over a white shirt for girls.Most gilrs wear shorts under their skirts or pinafore. Muslim and non-Muslim girls also have the option to wear a white baju kurung (a long tunic that covers the arms) and blue skirt instead of the pinafore. A white tudung (hijab) is optional for primary school girls, but generally becomes compulsory for Muslim secondary schoolers. The school crest is normally sewn or ironed onto the left breast.

The secondary school uniform is slightly different with olive green trousers or shorts (trousers are more common) for boys and turquoise pinafores for girls. There may be different uniforms for school prefects and librarians, which varies according to schools.

Some private schools adopt the same school uniform while others have their own (particularly international schools).

Some Independent Chinese Schools also have their own unique uniforms:Some uniforms are like the Singapore's school uniform.Some are boys in Junior Middle:White Shirt and White Shorts. Senior Middle:White Shirt and White Trousers.Girls:White Shirts and Skirts.Some school also have their school button.The school buttons must be wore on the shirt.

Philippines

Schoolgirls and boys in Manila, Philippines.

School uniforms are common in Philippine schools for both Elementary and High School, as well as a few colleges. For boys, a school uniform normally consists of a white shirt (some similar to the Barong Tagalog) with short sleeves and slacks of either khaki, black or blue. For girls, a uniform would be a white blouse with short sleeves, a ribbon, a necktie and a pleated skirt. The skirts for girls are usually long, usually ranging 3-4 inches below the knee, while the shortest is 2 inches before the lower knee.

In the 1970s and 80s, school uniforms were usually white long sleeved shirts and neckties with black slacks for boys, while short or long sleeved blouses with ribbon and blue pleated skirts for girls. During that time, the skirts were usually shorter, ranging from about half an inch after the upper knee or shorter, while the longest was 1 inch before the lower knee. Due to the growing cases of abuses, the school uniform code for girls slowly grew stricter until the late 1990s, when skirts were made much longer.

Some Schools, specially for boys, Require wearing a coat and tie alongside the white shirt. But it is usually required in International schools.

____South Korea____ =]]...<333 All South Korean secondary education students wear uniform called "교복"(校服, Gyobok). some private elementary schools, kindergartens and almost every public/private middle, high school has own uniform. And most schools have strict rules about wearing uniform (neatly)

Uniform is introduced in the early years of the 20th century.^{[citation needed]}

Now South Korean school uniform is considered teenage's own fashion because Korean students are being in their uniform for almost all of the daytime.

But in International schools of Korea. it is a huge debate except for a few Christian schools.

Two of the major countries of North America (Canada and the United States) have both been profoundly influenced by England. Although English fashions were important in both countries, the idea of school uniform was nasically the 19th century English concept as appropriate for affluenet children attending exclusuve public schools. Public school children have not traditionally worn uniforms. They were, however, adopted in the parochial (Catholic schools) and Americans in particular begun rethinking the idea of school uniforms in the 1980s. Quite a number of schools have begun to adopt voluntary uniforms.

Canada

Most public schools in Canada do not require that students wear uniforms, but most include rules against indecent or offensive clothing. Many regions of Canada have publicly-funded Catholic schools, and many of those schools have uniforms. In recent years, some schools have eliminated skirts and kilts, in favour of dress pants for girls, or replaced skirts with the x-kilt, a garment that looks like a kilt from the outside, but has an attached shorts on the inside for modesty. Also, bicycle shorts are sometimes worn under skirts. The tops are either dress shirts or golf shirts, and either sweaters or sweatshirts are worn. Grey or khaki dress pants are worn by both boys and girls.

United States

Most public schools in the United States do not require uniforms, though many have dress codes regulating student attire. Dress codes usually include limits on skirt length and skin exposure. They generally include prohibitions on clothing with tears or holes, exposure of undergarments, and anything that is obscene, gang-related, or unsafe. [2] Some school dress codes specify the types of tops (e.g. collared) and bottoms (e.g. khaki) that are allowed, as well as specific colors (often the school colors). In recent years there has been a significant increase in school uniforms (see below) for all levels of schooling. According to the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the fraction of American public schools requiring school uniforms rose from three percent in 1997 to one in five (21%) in 2000.

School uniforms are fairly common for private schools in the United States, especially for Catholic schools. Although many private school uniforms are similar to the ones described below for public schools, a few still require more formal British-style school uniforms, such as blazers and ties. Culottes are also sometimes substituted for a skirt, especially at Episcopalian or non-parochial private schools.

In 1994, the Long Beach Unified School District, in Southern California, required school uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. This began a trend for uniforms in American elementary public schools, especially in urban school districts. President Clinton mentioned LBUSD's efforts in his 1996 State of the Union Address. The adoption of school or district-wide uniform policies (or, alternatively, "standardized dress codes" – which are not as rigid as school uniform requirements, but allow some leeway within set parameters) has been motivated by a need to counter "gang clothing" (or, in the alternative, the pressure for families to purchase upscale-label clothing to avoid their children being ignored by "fashion cliques"), as well as improve morale and school discipline.It is illegal for school systems to force students to wear school uniforms.Students and parents argue that uniforms violate freedom of expression.

In Puerto Rico, the Department of Education requires all students to wear their school uniform, and only allows for medical exemptions [[3]]. Also, almost all private schools also require their student to wear the school uniform.

Great Britain is the birthplace of the school uniform and over the years schoolboys have worn a wide variety of official school dress. These pages illustrate a selection of these uniforms and provide some details of their history.

Shown is the traditional bluecoat uniform of Christ’s Hospital School in Sussex. Link -via the Presurfer

Source: neatorama.com

Great Britain is the birthplace of the school uniform and over the years schoolboys have worn a wide variety of official school dress. These pages illustrate a selection of these uniforms and provide some details of their history.

Bluecoat Schools

Boys at Christ's Hospital School in Sussex wear a traditional bluecoat uniform which dates back to Tudor times and is probably the oldest school dress still in regular use. The costume, with its distinctive ankle-length coat, neckbands, knee breeches and yellow stockings, is unlike any other school uniform. Pupils at some other bluecoat foundations also wear their historic 'charity costume' on occasion, but only at Christ's Hospital School is the Tudor dress still worn on a daily basis.

Christ's Hospital and the origins of bluecoat dress.

Other bluecoat schools.

Modern bluecoat boys still wear the same centuries-old uniform as everyday school dress

Military Foundations

A number of British schools were originally founded to educate the children of serving soldiers and sailors, or to prepare boys for the armed forces, and the uniforms of the pupils reflected this military ethos. Nowadays pupils at these military foundations usually wear standard school dress although they may don military uniforms for special occasions.

The dress uniform of Gordon School boys dates from the Victorian era

The Traditional English Schoolboy

The traditional English schoolboy, dressed in blazer, cap and short trousers, and carrying a shiny leather satchel, is to some extent a relic of the historical past although the image lives on in films, cartoons and advertisements. The time-honoured blazer with the school badge on the breast pocket is still worn by many pupils, but caps, short trousers and satchels are now mostly the preserve of the more traditional preparatory schools.

Classic English school uniform

Cadet Uniforms

Cadet detachments were first set up in British schools in Victorian times, offering military training to boys as part of the curriculum. Nowadays the Combined Cadet Force is mainly found in independent fee-paying schools and the remaining state grammar schools and, unlike in the past, membership is usually voluntary. Schoolboy cadets wear a similar uniform to that of the British regular armed forces.

This schoolboy cadet is a pupil at a Scottish school

Scout Uniforms

There have been scout troops in schools since the early years of the movement and the boy scout uniform has undergone a number of changes since the pioneering days, the most obvious being the transition from shorts to long trousers.

A boy scout wearing the redesigned uniform of the 1970s, which has recently been superseded

The Eton Suit

The Eton suit, with its broad white starched collar, waistcoat and short 'bumfreezer' jacket was the normal dress of younger boys at many of the more exclusive schools in the first half of the 20th century. Taking its name from the famous school where it originated, the uniform was finally abolished at Eton College in the late 1960s and today the once ubiquitous 'Etons' are worn only by boys at certain choir schools.

This smartly attired boy was photographed in the early 1900s, the heyday of the Eton collar

Source: archivist.f2s.com