Returning to the Enrolment Issue - Rosebank School - Case study
Benefits that school uniforms offer, lead to improvements in discipline and self-esteem. As such, uniforms are a useful tool for tackling mental health issues in school. Plus, they have a direct link to improved student outcomes.
Let’s now return to the issue of enrolment. After all, your school can’t enjoy these benefits if enrolment is an issue. A lack of students casts your school in a bad light. And that means parents won’t consider your school as an option for their children.
Rosebank School found itself struggling with these issues. Again, Focus Uniforms provided the solution
The Challenges
A private school, Rosebank had about 300 students, most of whom were girls. They’d also recently appointed a new principal.
The school faced a lot of challenges. It found itself surrounded by high-quality schools that many parents preferred. And the school’s uniform was extremely unattractive. Students felt no sense of pride through their association with Rosebank. And the uniforms did little to inspire parents.
This combination of challenges led to the school’s enrolment numbers falling. It got so bad that they considered shutting their doors.
However, the new principal had spent some time researching the benefits of a good uniform. They’d also heard about the work Focus Uniforms did with other schools.
The principal came to Focus to get the uniforms redesigned.
The Solution
Focus conducted several meetings with the school’s committee about designing a new uniform.
During these meetings, the school discussed their goals. They wanted to compete with the other private schools in their location. And they aimed to do that with a uniform that offered a classy aesthetic.
Together, Focus and Rosebank came up with a navy and white colour scheme. Using the navy as the backdrop, Focus designed striped uniforms that used fine white lines to create a classy effect.
The school commissioned a range of garments, including shirts and shorts, that used these colour scheme. Focus also made sure to use the finest fabrics in the uniforms. This makes them a pleasure to wear for students.
This collaboration produced a fabulous set of garments that achieved Rosebank’s goals.
The End Result
Rosebank ended up with classy uniforms that made them the envy of the private schools in their location.
That was in 2011.
In the years since, Rosebank has undergone an extensive set of changes. They’ve rebuilt much of the campus and continued to chase their goal of providing a classier aesthetic.
Their uniforms are a large part of that.
When Rosebank started working with Focus, they had 300 enrolments for the year.
In 2018, they had 1,250.
The Effects of Uniforms in Areas with Less Favourable Socioeconomic Climates
Rosebank offers an example of a school that had several financial advantages. It was a private school in a well-off area.
Its major issue lay in failing to meet the expectations of students and parents in that area.
However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that uniforms only benefit skills in good socioeconomic climates.
In fact, uniforms offer many benefits when introduced in less favourable socioeconomic climates.
A charity effort in Kenya highlights this fact:
A single school uniform costs only $6 in Kenya. While this may seem like a small sum to us, it’s a huge investment for parents in the country.
This led to many sending their children to school without uniforms. This is a particular issue for female students. They tend to drop out of school at an early age for various reasons.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO) identified the uniform issue. So, they took it upon themselves to start distributing free uniforms. They also wanted to see what effects these uniforms had. This led to them commissioning a study.
Researchers examined a large group of female students. Half received uniforms while the other half continued their education without them.
The researchers revisited the students after five years.
They found that female students in Kenya are 17% less likely to drop out of primary school when they have a uniform. They’re also 20% less likely to marry young.
The use of uniforms encouraged young women to continue their studies.
In this case, the perceived cost was a major barrier for students’ parents. Removing that cost had marked benefits for female students.
Widespread implementation of uniforms in such locations will have even more benefits. They’ll help to create a more educated future generation. Students are more likely to stay in school when they have a uniform. In turn, this education may allow them to escape less favourable socioeconomic climates.
Focus Uniforms has worked with schools in more disadvantaged areas. And again, implementing a uniform leads to increases in enrolments. As mentioned earlier, uniforms offer a wide range of other benefits too.
The study in Kenya shows that uniforms may have a positive impact in disadvantaged areas. The key for Australian schools is to not allow budgetary concerns to affect their decisions. Increases in enrolment lead to significant business benefits. These outweigh the cost of creating a uniform in the first place.