Dress code

Should nursery staff wear a uniform? Sarah Jewell reports on how chains decide what their staff are going to wear Nannies and nursery nurses have a long tradition of wearing uniforms. The image of the nursery nurse dressed in a demure cotton dress and starched white pinafore endures from Victorian times when a uniform was considered essential to give the wearer an air of authority and reinforce the notion that 'nanny knows best'. Today the image has changed and the emphasis is on an informal, relaxed appearance, but uniforms are still worn in many nurseries.