Wow, This is more difficult then I thought when I first read this thread. As a mother of 3 children, I think for safety and financial reasons the sch uniform has suited my life style better. From the kids being free to express themselfs? Well even with the uniform the kids have made how they wear it "their own", they wear the ties at a certain level and other little "sneaky" ways they've adjusted how the uniform is supposed to have been worn. I think in this day and age with so much violence I feel safer for them at sch to be wearing uniform. When they are at home after sch then they return to how they want to dress. Before the schs in London brough compulsary uniform wearing in, kids were being threatened at knifepoint for trendy trainers. I know when they have charity days at sch where they take a £1 ($1) in and can wear their own clothers there have been snide remarks made to one of my daughters because she doesn't follow the crowd and that was hard for her to deal with, but she did. I know we can't protect our kids from life, I think with the current climate, uniforms are the safest option. I'm sure in the big scheme of things, having to wear a uniform for 8hrs of the day won't be the worse things that can happen, and hey it may even prepare them for work where some jobs require uniforms? I dont think its prevented my kids from finding out who they are because they have to wear a uniform at sch. This is only my experience of putting 3 kids through the sch system, and others may have a different experience.