To get the idea of how a speech should be written, we did some shared writing. Half of us wrote a speech in favour of school uniforms. The other half of us wrote a speech against school uniforms. Have a listen to our persuasive speeches and decide for yourself. Are you for or against?

Against - We think that wearing school uniform is bad for children for many reasons and we should wear mufti at school all day, every day, 24/ 7, 365 days of the year!

For - We believe every school in New Zealand should have a school uniform and every student should have to wear it.

Against - Firstly, school uniform costs such a lot - a fortune! Merinos cost $85! Mufti is a lot cheaper than uniform, mufti polar fleeces are much less than school polar fleeces by up to $30. Once your uniform gets too small you have to waste more money on a new top or pants. It would be better for people to buy cheaper mufti clothes than expensive school clothes. If you lose something you have to spend lots of money on a new one to replace it instead of getting a different jumper out of your wardrobe. Un-named fleeces can accidently taken home or be stolen by other kids. School uniform can also be uncomfortable to wear and then it is a waste of money.

For - Firstly it is important that students wear school uniforms so that people in the community can identify what school they go to. This is in case students leave the school grounds they can be identified and brought back to school if needed. Or if on an outing they can be recognised and if people see students doing something good or bad, people can let the school know and the student can be rewarded or disciplined.

Against - Secondly, our uniforms are not colourful and we look all the same - dull, tired and boring. We would like brighter colours because they make us feel happy and bright. We don’t want the school to look dull and boring, we want the school to look fun and exciting by adding more colour. Warm colours are brighter and more fun than cold colours.

For - Secondly because everyone is wearing the same uniform people can’t bully you for your choice of clothing and people don’t steal school uniform because they already have their own school uniform.

Against - On a cold day you can get really cold because the school shirts are really thin. The culottes are really hard to run in. If you wear school uniform out of school in town, you could get teased or bullied. That could make you not like the school or not want to come to school.

For - Thirdly it saves time because students don’t need to think or choose what to wear every school morning as it is the same everyday.

Against - Because of all these reasons we should not have uniform but we should be able to wear bright, beautiful mufti! And we are really looking forward to our pink and purple themed days!

For - Finally it saves money as you don’t need lots of different outfits to wear to school and uniforms can be passed from one sibling to the next. This is why we believe that every student in New Zealand should have to wear school uniform.