For many parents, nothing is cuter than seeing their young son wearing a tie. Neckties and bow neckties for boys, particularly for special occasions such as weddings, continue to be a popular option. This can be seen in our own extensive collection of ties for boys.

However, in some countries, young boys are expected to wear ties as part of their school uniforms. This is especially true in many formerly British colonies. The history of school ties is the history of school uniforms and it is a fascinating one.

A Very English History of School Neckties

There is no denying that the origin of the school necktie is firmly English. The use of school uniforms dates back to the English charity schools of the 16th century. These were schools open to orphans or other poor children as run by churches and funded by rich London people.

Christ’s Hospital, a charity school in West Sussex was one such school, with a unique uniform of long jackets in brilliant blue with bright yellow stockings and white neck bands dating back to 1552. The school continues to use the exact same uniform to this day. In fact, a recent survey by the school found that 96% of students still wanted to keep wearing the traditional uniform. That is how much pride they have in wearing their uniform, especially in public!

Britain’s Elementary Education Act of 1870 made education mandatory for all children in England and Wales. All schools at that time adopted a uniform, with many expensive schools distinguishing themselves by adopting distinct, often elaborate uniforms. Perhaps most famous of all was the ultra-posh Eton College, which until 1972 insisted schoolboys wear top hats, coattails and waistcoats, as well as bow ties.

By the 1960s, it had become customary for both English schoolboys and girls to wear ties as part of their school uniform. Uniforms became less strict and far more casual at many schools from the 1970s to 1990s. Many children rebelled against having to use uniforms, including finding clever ways of using their school ties!

However, this started to change with the new millennium, as more UK schools re-adopted stricter uniform codes. This trend has continued into the 2020s, with the school tie usually at the center of a school’s uniform and, as such, at the very core of a school’s identity.

School Ties Around the World

It’s not only in England that many schools require their students to wear uniforms. This tradition was passed on to many of Britain’s former colonies, meaning countries across the globe on nearly every continent. After all, the British Empire was once the largest in history, an empire in which ‘the sun never set’.

India was one of the first colonies to have school uniforms imposed by the colonizing country, known then as the British Raj. To this day, the majority of Indian children are still required to wear school uniforms every day. This often includes ties for school boys, even in the oppressive Indian heat!

British schools in Africa were no different, with Christian missionary schools being the first to introduce uniforms in places such as British East Africa and southern Africa. Other colonial powers in Africa, such as Belgium and Portugal, also introduced school uniforms, particularly in missionary schools and convent schools run by Catholic priests and nuns.

Today, school uniforms are still the rule in many African countries that were formerly British, such as Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. The same is true in many English-speaking Caribbean countries, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

However, probably no former British colony has a school uniform tradition as entrenched and rich as South Africa. Private schools and boarding schools for boys have complex uniform rules including what boy wears what tie with what blazer, traditions that are often more than a hundred years old. This is even true of some public or government schools in South Africa still today.

As such, the school tie has immense history in South Africa. One South African school uniform outfitter has this to say: “School ties are a part of our history and educational culture…it is an absolute privilege to be able to wear a school tie and to be accepted by your peers, teachers and parents that you are really part of that particular community.”

The wish to keep mandatory school uniforms extends beyond English-speaking countries, including most famously in Japan. Today, nearly every Japanese student of every age must wear a school uniform, with uniforms for girls based on European sailor suits and those for boys based on Prussian army uniforms. Even Japanese anime is filled with characters loving, punching and jumping in school uniforms!

Whatever the country or its uniform traditions, the tie is invariably a part of the dress code. Generally, school ties will feature the school colors together with its emblem or crest, typically located below the knot or at the bottom left of the tie. Younger boys may get their ties with elastic or clips. Older boys will simply need to learn how to tie an Oxford knot!

Can An Adult Man Wear A School Necktie?

The simple answer to that question is, yes, why not? That is especially true of any man who may wish to use their old school necktie, although this is usually only done at school reunions or similar events. But there’s nothing stopping any man from wearing a school tie, if only because some of them can be quite charming and even really well-designed.

Like any striped tie or one with a crest, a school tie can be an interesting wardrobe choice at a semi-formal event or even business meeting.

School ties are clearly here to stay. Like uniforms, they have an assured place in many societies, and for good reason. As author and historian Alexander Davidson said, “Uniforms give schools a sense of identity and cohesion. When some aspects of society have become much less certain, uniforms suggest schools are there to provide certainty and order.” That can be very reassuring in these uncertain times.