A Cultural History of School Uniform

Kate Stephenson offers the first comprehensive study of school uniform development in Britain, and as such offers the reader a reminder that the modern ideas associated with school uniform are the result of a long history of communicating identity akin to the consumption of clothing in a wider sense. As such, this publication would be of interest to anyone with an interest in the development of school uniform and the wider social, cultural, and historical context in which it existed/exists.

* The Journal of Dress History *

A fresh take on issues of class and gender in education through the lens of that most iconic feature of English education: the school uniform...This excellent book will be of interest to most historians of education.

-- Tuva Skjelbred Nodeland * Nordic Journal of Educational History *

...timely and necessary.

-- Clare Rose * Textile History *

Kate Stephenson does a great job of bringing the topic of school uniforms to life while tracing their 500-year history. There is no book to compare this with, which shows how original and useful it is.

-- Rachel Shanks * Education in the North *

...a highly readable and engaging book that will appeal to both a scholarly and a wider audience.

-- Stephanie Spencer * Journal of the History of Education Society *

Kate Stephenson's book constitutes a rich and thorough analysis of the history of school uniform in English schools.

-- Ines Dussel * British Journal of Educational Studies *

...this book provides us with rich information on the history of the British school uniform and gives the reader an overview of how authorities and educational institutions regulated school uniforms in order to demonstrate their ideal image of pupils.

-- Ami Kobayashi * Paedagogica Historica *

This valuable study will be useful to anyone with an interest in the history of clothing and design as well as those working on the history of childhood and education studies.

-- Rosie Kennedy, Cultural and Social History, The Journal of the Social History Society