Grenada School Uniform


Figure 1.--Elementary school boys on Grenada wear slacks pr shorts and colored suits. Mostly only the younger boys wear short pants.

Grenadian school uniforms have basically followed British styles. As in all the former British Caribbean colonies, all elementary-age boys and presumably many secondary-age boys wore short pants. Knee socks were common.
I'm not sure when styles began to differ from British styles. I think the changes began in the 1980s.

Girls uniforms are still basically British. All girls wear school frocks, jumpers, or skirts; shorts and pants are not worn.

Boys uniform styles have changed considerably. All schools in 1999 still appear to require uniforms. Uniform colors are more varied in Grenada than other Caribbean islands. Boys generally wear white or blue shirts, some with school crests on them. One school has diatictive yellow shirts. The pants are, however, are more varied than the khaki, blue, and more rare grey pants worn on the other islands. Some schools have green or maroon pants. Most boys wear long pants, even in elermentary schools. Some of the very youngest boys in the first or second grade wear shorts, but they are the only ones--at least in St. George's. This appear to be a school rule rather than an option for the boys.


Figure 2.--Despite the tropical climate, all secondary school boys on Grenada wear long pants. The uniforms are quite simple, slacks and colored suits.

It is unclear why most elementary-age boys wear long pants as the general Caribbean pattern is for boys at elementary schools to wear shorts. I am not sure why long pants are so common in a tropical colony, especially a British colony. Knee socks are not worn by boys. Several highschools have girls wear white kneesocks, but none of the younger boys wearing shorts wear kneesocks. A few older boys where white shirts are worn wear ties, but ties are more commonly worn by girls. When worn by girls, they are not worn tightly at the neck, but rather with the knot well down the blouse. Many boys wear brown or black leather shoes, but sneakers are also commonly worn.



Careful, clicking on these will exit you from the Boys' Historical Clothing web site, but several are highly recommended

  • Apertures Press International Project: Pictures at schools in different countries and a book on British schools

    Figure 3.--Different schools have different color combinations, but the same basic uniform of white and colored shirts and slacks.
  • Apertures Press New Zealand book: New book on New Zealand schools in progress
  • School Uniform Web Site: Informative review of British school uniforms with some excellent photographs
  • British Preparatory Schools: A photographic book depicting life at British preparatory schools during the 1980s. Most of the schools are English or Scottish, but schools in Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ulster are also included. The pictures show the uniforms worn at many different schools.
  • Information: Information about school uniforms in America


    Christopher Wagner

    histclo@lycosmail.com


    Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
    [Late 19th century] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]


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    Created: October 2, 1999
    Last updated: October 2, 1999