Pupil viewpoint Education
Wearing it with pride
Cecilia Holden, 17, of Christ’s Hospital Boarding School Sussex, explains why she voted to keep its 450-year-old Tudor uniform
When I fi rst saw the uniform of Christ’s Hospital I was rather surprised. Having turned into the quad on an open day and seen two hulking sixth formers walk past, wearing what seemed like costumes from a period drama, I turned to my mother, convinced I was being sent to a museum, rather than a school. However, after being a student at Christ’s Hospital for six years, I have grown to love and, to even grow proud of the eccentric dress I wear every day. Since the foundation of the school 450 years ago by
Edward VI, the distinctive uniform has been provided free to students and has remained largely unchanged, holding on to its Tudor roots. Today, all students still wear the distinctive long blue “Housey” coat, accompanied by breeches for boys and long pleated skirts for girls. T e famous yellow socks (allegedly useful as a rat repellent when the school was based in London) must be worn by all students _ except senior girls. White cotton bands replace the typical school tie and the leather belt, “girdle”or “broadie”, is worn around the waist.
A little customisation is possible! Various buckles for the belts are awarded for school achievements, and it is fashionable to wear your sibling’s old buckles after they have left the school. T e buttons on the coat depict the school’s founder and high-acheiving students can win academic buttons, entitling them to large silver buttons and velvet cuff s. All students wear the uniform everyday, though as a girl, I also have a ceremonial outfi t for special occasions, with an ankle-length skirt and a lace jabot instead of bands. As old as the uniform is, it is still
popular _ 95% of pupils at Christ’s Hospital voted last December that they felt proud to wear it and rejected the idea of the introduction of 21st- century dress. I agreed. T e uniform is one of the many traditions that make the school unique, along with the daily lunch parade when, to the accompaniment of a full marching band, the school processes into lunch. T is would not be as impressive with modern-day uniform. T e uniform has also become a
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symbol of Christ’s Hospital. “Old Blues” and the school magazine, Housey! are both named after the Housey coats. Also, owing to its historical location in the City of London, any student wearing the uniform can enter the Tower of London for free. (I tried, and it works _ although you do have to put up with tourists asking for pictures!). On the day of the annual Lord Mayor’s Show, the sixth form, the band and choir, march through the streets of London. I certainly don’t know of any other school that has the ability to literally stop traffi c so they can process down the streets. But because Christ’s Hospital maintains tradition, like the uniform, students like me can still experience and be part of these events. What I really like about the uniform is that it has not been majorly aff ected by the changes in fashion over the centuries. Wearing the Housey unites us as students, even though we come from completely diff erent backgrounds, and creates a feeling of equality. T e uniform provides and maintains connections outside the school, as well as retaining a strong sense of community within _ something that’s fundamental to the ideals the school holds. T ere are of course some downsides to the uniform.
T e Housey coats are very heavy, and after running between classes in the rain, pupils begin to smell slightly of wet dog! I can also remember in my junior years pulling up my socks a hundred times a day and taking a while to get used to the itchiness. But I think somehow I might actually miss these small inconveniences when I have left the school. Other pupils worry about what others may think of them when they fi rst wear the uniform, but as my friend who joined this year said: “T e uniform was quite hard to get used to at the beginning, but once you realise everyone wears it, you forget how unusual it is.” Christ’s Hospital is a thoroughly unique school, and I believe the uniform is just one part of what makes the school so special to its students. Although my initial opinion of the uniform was a negative one, it has really grown on me, and in a way, it’s sort of fun to wear. Everyone at Christ’s Hospital knows
the uniform will never really change, as the school wouldn’t be the same without it.
Summer 2011 FirstEleven 19
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