Which English school is believed to have introduced the first school uniform in 1552?

Christ’s Hospital in England is believed to have introduced the first school uniform in 1552.

The school’s historic uniform included a long blue coat and yellow knee-high socks. That distinctive clothing became associated with Christ’s Hospital and, in a modified form, remains part of the school’s identity today. The school was founded in London in 1552 as a charitable institution for children.

The history of school uniforms is older than the modern idea of matching school clothing. Academic dress had medieval roots, and documented institutional academic clothing appears as early as 1222, when the Archbishop of Canterbury ordered clerks to wear the cappa clausa. However, Christ’s Hospital is commonly identified as the first school to use a recognizable student uniform.

A uniform is different from a dress code. A uniform normally identifies membership in an institution through standardized clothing, while a dress code sets limits without requiring everyone to wear the same outfit. Uniform practices vary widely by country and school type.