Australia's Science Forum

I have searched and it seems most schools either supply lab coats or don't use them. Are there any schools out there that have a lab coat as part of the school uniform? For example, students who do cooking/food tech classes need to provide their own aprons and tea towels (we have spares). I have been thinking/talking about getting lab coats for our school for a while but there isn't enough in our budget to just buy them all in one hit.

Has anyone set up a system where students buy the lab coats in year 7 and then trade up sizes as they get older and then sell them back to the school when they leave? So one payment when they start (I guess it could be called a deposit) which is returned/refunded when they leave. If they want to keep their lab coat at the end then they just don't get their money back but they have it for if they want to do science at uni.

It is just in the "initial idea" stage at the moment and I would welcome feedback on if you think a system like this could work. If there was a particularly bad spill I would launder them, however they would be responsible for caring for their own lab coats and I would give them a good wash when returned. I am in a private school.

Hi Rosalie,

We use aprons for junior classes (vinyl type) that are hung on hooks in the labs. We provide lab coats for seniors that they care for during their time of senior science and at the end of Yr12 they wash them and return to us for the next lot coming through.

I wipe down the junior aprons once a term with disinfectant.

This works well for us. Sorry, i am unable to upload a photo at this time.

Thanks Loopy, We don't have any wall space in our labs. The benches go right around the 3 walls and then obviously there's the teaching wall at the front. It's such a bad layout! My prep room is already overflowing and I don't have room to store lab coats. there is one small area near the door in one lab with a few hooks that currently has lab coats for seniors (our senior classes are small). I honestly can't work out where we will store them which is possibly part of the reason there aren't many...

Hi Rosalie,
We only have cloth aprons that all students use. They get washed usually six monthly and I replace them as needed.

Hi Rosalie, we have lab coats as part of the school uniform. We do have a stash of 'lost property' ones that we keep in our office and hand them out to students when they forget theirs on the day. With Covid though we have launder between each use (thankfully we have a washing machine). To discourage the students loaning ours for 1 period then needing a wash they have to sign out the borrowed coat. 3 times borrowed in a term and they get work management.

Our parents committee have been involved in selling off used lab coats or doing a swap when kids need different sizes. Maybe speak to your PFA.