Firstly, we would like to thank all the parents who took time to complete this survey. 65% of parents responded. This survey was done at the request of the Minister for Education and its purpose was to gauge parental satisfaction with school uniforms around the country.
We asked nine questions in total and in general the results show that the majority of parents are satisfied with the current uniform and tracksuit here in St. Colmcille’s. There were some comments which demonstrated that some parents are unhappy with certain elements of the uniform, but we have to be guided by the majority.
Here is a summary of the main findings:
- 98% of parents believe we should have a school uniform.
- 100% of parents are satisfied with our current school uniform.
- 82% of parents are satisfied with our current school tracksuit.
- 64% of parents would like to be able to buy all items in a department store.
- 84% of parents want a crest on the uniform.
- 65% of parents want the crest to be already on the jumper when purchasing it.
- 51% of parents do not want a sew-on or iron-on crest.
- 59% of parents want black shoes to be part of the school uniform.
- 54% of parents want pupils to wear the uniform for Confirmation while 32% want the white robe and only 14% want pupils to wear their own choice of clothing.
Here are a few thoughts on the results:
- The majority of parents appear to be happy with the current arrangements and therefore we will not be making any significant changes at this time. However we did notice from some of the comments that there needs to be more clarity around what is expected. We hope this letter helps clarify those expectations.
- These results have been shared with the Parents’ Association and Board of Management and will be discussed in more detail at their next meetings.
- Although 64% of parents would like to be able to buy all items in a Department store, there were many comments expressing concern about the quality of department store clothing. However we would like to stress that most items can be bought in such stores, with the exception of the jumper and tracksuit.
- Also, the fact that 65% of parents want the crest to be already on the jumper when purchasing it, rules out the option of buying jumpers in department stores.
- 59% of parents want black shoes to be part of the school uniform but again there were a few comments around the necessity of this. Pupils are allowed to bring an extra pair of shoes to school suitable for playing soccer at break-time should they wish to do so. These can be left in the school.
Again we thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and we hope to see you at the Parents’ Association meeting for further discussion on the results.