Newly-appointed education minister Gabriel Attal has announced that he wants to create a pilot scheme to test out requiring school pupils in France to wear a uniform.

Unlike in many countries where school uniforms are normal practice – for example in the UK 90 percent of schools require a uniform – in France uniform requirements are rare and the topic itself is controversial.

Announcing the trial, Attal was notably restrained, saying that he did not think that uniforms were a “miracle solution” but that the idea should be tested.

“I am very much in favour of a trial so that it can advance the debate. The best way to get an idea is to test things out in schools,” he told radio station RTL.

Current rules

At present it is up to the individual school to decide whether their pupils should wear a uniform, there is no nationwide policy on it.

The vast majority of public schools don’t have a uniform requirement – but there are two exceptions to this. In the French overseas territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique (both in the Caribbean) uniforms are widely worn.

In mainland France, the schools that have a uniform requirement tend to be private schools, religious schools or military schools. There are some exceptions to this, however, for example several boarding schools set up by the government to help under-achieving pupils have a uniform.

History

Politicians often talk about ‘bringing back’ and uniform or ‘returning’ to the tradition of a uniform, but in fact France has never had a widespread policy of school uniforms.

Until the 19th Century, most schools in France were private or run by the Catholic Church.

It was under Napoleon’s rule that lycées were set up and the baccalaureat end-of-school exam was introduced – at this stage lycées were usually boarding schools with a military ethos – and many of them had uniforms.

Theoretically open to a much broader group of pupils than before (and when we say pupils, we mean boys – girls wouldn’t get widespread educational opportunities for another 50 years) it was noted at the time that the cost of the uniform proved a barrier to potential lycée pupils from lower-income families.

The first free schools were set up under the ministry of Jules Ferry in the 1880s, whose aim was to break the stranglehold that the Catholic church retained on education. 

He set up free primary schools and made education compulsory between the ages of six and 13, extended to 14 in 1936.

Uniform was not compulsory in most of these new public schools, with the main deciding factor being that uniform expenses would deter parents from sending their children.

Some pre-existing schools kept their uniforms, however, but many decided to drop them in the 1960s, especially after the widespread student protests of 1968. 

Up until the 1970s pupils in primary schools often wore smocks (blouses in French) to protect their clothes while at school, but in most cases these were not compulsory.

Recent history 

In recent years, the push to introduce a school uniform has often come from politicians on the right or centre-right, sometimes in the context of laïcité.

Although the state does not have a uniform policy, it does impose rules on what pupils (and staff) cannot wear in schools. Under a law introduced in 2004, pupils and staff in French schools are explicitly forbidden from “the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols or garb” in schools. Although it applies to all religious symbols, the biggest impact has been on Muslim girls.

From September 4th, 2023, this has been expanded to include a ban on the abaya – the long, loose robe or dress commonly worn in the Middle East and parts of Africa. The rationale for this is also laïcité – it is said that some female Muslim pupils are wearing the abaya to show their faith, since they are banned from wearing the hijab.

Extreme right commentator and failed presidential candidate Eric Zemmour said that he is in favour of a uniform “to avoid Islamic provocations in schools”.

A petition calling for the return of uniforms for reasons of secularism has been widely circulated on far-right social media accounts.

But it’s worth noting that this is not a straightforward left v right issue – some politicians on the centre and left also support the introduction of a uniform.

Over the summer Brigitte Macron also said she was in favour of a uniform – responding to a question at a newspaper Q&A session: “I wore a uniform as a pupil: 15 years of dark blue short skirt, dark blue jumper. And I thought it was fine,” she said, responding to a question from a 14-year-old schoolgirl.

“It erases differences, it saves time. It’s time-consuming to choose what to wear in the morning, and costs money to buy brands. So I’m in favour of school uniforms, but if it’s a simple outfit – and not too drab.”

Who says what?

In a broad overview, the people in favour of a school uniform say that it promotes a collective identity, helps to enforce secularism, simplifies the morning routine for parents and children and promotes equality by requiring everyone – rich or poor – to dress the same.

Those opposed to uniforms cite the extra cost to parents and say that it prevents pupils from developing and expressing their own identities. They say there is no evidence that uniforms help to promote equality or prevent bullying, and add that they can make children vulnerable to attack from pupils at rival schools.

Attal said that details of the pilot scheme will be released “in the autumn”, while several regional representatives have offered to run local trials in their area.