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The sweater was a very important garment. At most schools boys did not wear their blazers. Sweaters were a staple at most schools where the blazers were not worn in the classroom. V-neck long sleeve sweaters were the most common, but a few schools had sleeveless sweaters. Some others had crew-necks, but the v-neck was by far the most common. We also noted a kind of military style sweater with padding on one shoulder. The standard was grey sweaters. Many boys wore plain grey sweaters, but sweaters with trim in the school colors were commonly used at many schools. Usually it was the grey sweaters that had the colored trim. Grey was not the only color for sweaters. Several schools had blue sweaters. We also noted brown, green, maroon, and red sweaters. There were both plain and colored sweaters and sweaters with destinctive trim.
The term sweater is commonly used in America. It is somewhat less common in Britain, although fully understood. Many Brits will call a school sweater a jumper. Here they are referring to school pullover sweaters. Cardigans were also worn as school uniform in Britain by girls. Here the term sweatr was used rather than jumper.
The sweater was a very important garment, a staple for everyday schoolwear. At most schools boys did not wear their blazers durng the school day. Rather they wore their sweaters for daily activities. Boarders normally did not put on their blazers during the day. Day boys would take off their blazers upon arriving at school. Thus during the day boys wore their blazers in the classroom and for many other activities. For much of the Fall and Spring terms children normally wear their sweaters all the time. This included both indoors and outdoors. Some of the buildings, especially the older buildings were not heated all that well. Thus the sweaters became one of the most important garments. The nice thing about the sweter is that it can easily be taken or put back on as needed. The blazer was more complicated and more expensive, so the sweater became the key garment for the children to deasl with the temperature.
We noticed several different types of sweaters worn at prep schools. Sweaters were a staple at most schools. At most schoold blazers were not worn in the classroom. V-neck long sleeve sweaters were the most common, but a few scgools had sleeveless sweaters. The sleeveless sweaters were always done as V-necks. Some others had crew-necks, but the v-neck was by far the most common. This is in part because ties were often worn with sweaters. We also noted a kind of military style cre-neck sweater with padding on one sholder. One of these military-style sweaters can be seen here, the blue swearter in the image (figure 1). While these were the standard sweater types, they of course came in many different colors and varied trim. A few schools had turtlenecks, but these were mostly done more as shirts than sweaters.
The standard color for school sweaters was grey. Well over half the prep schools had grey sweaters. This of course matched the trousers which were for the most part either grey ir black. We notice different shades of grey, but this is in part because of washing. Many boys wore plain grey sweaters, but sweaters with trim in the school colors were commonly used at many schools. Usually it was the grey sweaters that had the colored trim. Grey was not the only color for sweaters. Seceral schools had blue sweaters. We also noted brown, green, maroon, and red sweaters.
Plain grey sweaters are very common in Britain. Many prep schools had sweaters trimmed in the school colors. Often schools chosde sweaters with trim. Most commonly this was "V" neck grey sweaters with trim in the school colors around the "V" neck. Some also had trim at the sleeve cuffs and the waist band. But it was most common to have the trim at the "V" neck. We have noted trim on crew-neck sweaters and other color sweaters, but this was not as common. Normally these sweaters with colored trim were grey sweaters. We noted some colored sweaters wiith trim, but these were not very common. The great majority of sweaers with trim were grey sweaters. The trim was normally coordinated with the school necktie.
Most prep school sweaters were made from wool. We have limited actual informaion here, but almost all the schools we visited had wool sweaters. This was always the case with the sweaters done with school trim or sweaters not done in the standard "V"-neck style. Of course many children came to school in plain grey sweaters bought in the chain stores. Some of these were less expensive sweaters without the colored trim and were often made from synthetic fibres such as acrylic. Schools varied as to their toleration of non-uniform substitutions. Most accepted plain grey sweaters, generally headmasters understood it was a losing battle trying to take on thrifty mums.
Some schools instead of colored trim had the school logo done on the sweaters. Again this was mostly grey sweaters. This was not nearly as common as the sweaters with the color trim. This is an innovation we noted in the 1980s. We do not think that it was very common in the 1970s, but we are not yet sure about this. These logos seem to be essentially a style for the prep schools. We do not notice them being worn at state schools where plain grey sweaters were more common. These logos were usually done on plain sweaters, not the sweaters with color trim.
We note that these grey sweaters with colored trim were quite common in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. We are not sure about earlier periods. We think that these sweaters with trim became especially popular because with the more informal uniform approach at many schools, blazers were less commonly worn. Most schools had blazers, but they were not commonly worn during the school day. Thus these sweaters with trim and logo added a little color and style to otherwise plain grey uniforms. There were quite a few schools with these plain grey uniforms, but many schools liked the idea of adding a little color. Another trend we noted appearing in the 1990s was that some schools began to adopt swearshirts, in some cases replacing sweaters with sweatshirts. Sweatshirts were garments that were also worn at state primary schools.
Many schools had a destinctive school sweater, either in a specific color or a grey sweater with tim in the school colors. Schools rules varied, but most schools did not get upset if the boys wore a plain grey sweater rather than the regulation sweater. This was especially true of the school that had grey seaters with trim. Boys in grey sweaters at a school with colored sweters stood out more. Even so, they were often tolerated. Other kinds of sweaters might not be accepted, but plain grey sweaters generally were. As a result there may be some variations in the sweaters worn at scome schools. There were a variety of reasons for the variations. Boys might have come from a different school or might be wearing hand-me-downs from older brothers. Perhaps more importantly, the plain grey sweaters were probably cheaper than the regulation school sweaters.
There was a problem with seaters. They were optional and boys and girls as the day progrrssed, commonly changed their minds about wearing them. This is why the sweater was thre most commonly misplaced item. Often it was chilly in the morning and if the sun came out, which was not always the case, much warmer in the afternoon. This meant that by the end of the day there was not uncommonly forgotten grey sweaters left in different spots around the school. And of course becaise of the uniform they all looked alike. Here the boys were normally the culprits. Boys being boys, they normally did not begin thinking bout their sweaters until the next morning when a warm sweater felt good. Fortunately the schools required mums to dew lavels on every item brought to school. Thus sweaters and boys were usually reunited. At some schools boys developed the practice of using the arms of the sweaters to tie them around their wausts.
At most coed schools, the boys and girls wore the same sweaters, most commonly pullovers. This was the situation at almost all the schools we visited. There were a few exceptions. A few schools had different sweaters for the boys and girls. One school had pullovers for the boys and cardigans for the girls. The cardigan by the 1980s had become almost entirely a sweater type forgirls. At a few schools the boys and girls wore different colored pullovers. This was not very common. but we did notice it at a few schools.
We noticed the appearance of a new school uniform item in the 1990s--the sweatshirt. Sweatshirts are somewhat bulky long-sleeve cotton hirts with fleece-like linings. Now the sweatshirt was not new to Americans, but it was new to the British, especially as a school uniform item. The sweatshirt is not a sweater of course, but we mention it here as it is worn rather like a sweater and at some schools as a replacement to the sweater. The sweatshirt has become a major uniform item at state schools where it has replaced sweaters and often more elaborate uniforms. The sweatshirt is less dominant at prep schools, but we did notice them being worn. At one school they were used as a kind of informal garment after classes. At some schools they have replaced sweaters, but this is primarily the case at state schools.
One school with maroon sweatshirts changed from blue school shirts, wool sweatrs, ties, and blazers to blue sweatshirts. Tgey then moved to maroon/burgundy sweatshirts a couple of years later and had grey polo shirts under the sweatshirts. This was done on the basis of cost to parents and comfort of the students. Younger children knew no better but older boys did not like the informality, especially at special events where they thought they should dress more smartly. The head was having none of it especially as easier for the Matrons/Laundry. Believe they still have the same uniform today with no intention of changing. Some readers tell us, however, that "Where I live there has in the 2000s been a huge switch back to more traditional uniforms".
