The issue of school uniform has been hotly debated for years and most schools have now gone the way of the blazer, tie and badge brigade.

But, dotted around the country, there are schools that get great results despite the fact that pupils aren’t required to wear clothes that match.

In Europe, uniform is relatively rare and yet countries such as Norway, Spain, Germany and France still seem to produce their fair share of well-rounded, well-educated, well-behaved adults.

Here at home, the education secretary, Michael Gove, believes wholeheartedly in a uniform approach to uniforms. A recently published white paper urged all schools to introduce not just uniform, but blazers and ties and the coalition's new  behaviour adviser, Charlie Taylor, advised schools to enforce stricter uniform codes to encourage better discipline.

The Conservatives have been linking high standards, strict discipline and what children wear for years now. ‘The best-performing schools tend to have similar, if not the same, best practices,’ said a 2007 policy paper. ‘Strict school uniform policies, with blazer, shirt and tie, and with a zero-tolerance of incorrect or untidy dress.’

Sartorial strictness appealed to Labour as well. Charles Clarke insisted that "uniforms are good for discipline and school ethos, giving pupils a real sense of identity with their school". And Ed Balls suggested that local authorities encourage schools to adopt ‘smart’ uniforms and strengthen ties with ‘uniformed’ organisations such as scouts and guides.

Headteachers and governors have found it hard to resist such pressure. More than 90% of all secondary schools in England are now thought to insist on uniform, while the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust reckons all 347 academies enforce a strict dress code. Many local authorities say they have no non-uniform schools at all.

State schools that are bucking the trend cite the importance of treating children as individuals, with rights and responsibilities and of focusing on the important issues of teaching and learning. They believe that too much time is spent addressing issues such as shirts not being tucked in or ties not being correctly knotted.

Another claim often made for uniform is that it papers over divides between rich and poor children, making bullying less likely. But it tends to be obvious even with a uniform which children come from poorer homes.

As for the connection between results and uniform, back in 2007, the Conservatives pointed out that only one of the top-performing 100 state schools was non-uniform. Yet such statistics work the other way round, too. Despite dressing their pupils in blazers and ties, more than 40 academies last year failed to reach the government's ‘floor target’ of 30% of pupils with five A*-C  GCSEs including maths and English.

Supporters of uniform insist that it improves behaviour and builds community spirit. Pupils ‘enjoy the sense of pride they get from wearing a smart uniform, and the smarter the better,’ according to research by Oxford Brookes University. The findings were well publicised; the fact that the research was sponsored by the Schoolwear Association was less so.

" The Guardian: Are School Uniforms good or not?  

Do school uniforms promote discipline and a sense of belonging, or are they a pointless, outmoded tradition? Two school pupils argue the pros and cons"