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AIBU?

AIBU to think that school supplier is charging far too much for for uniform?

86 replies

shelsco · 21/07/2013 21:09

DS2 starts secondary in September and the school has changed its uniform to one with a blazer, jumper, tie etc. DS1 is at the same school but until now has had the old uniform. I've just been online to price up the cost of a blazer and tie for each of them, 3 jumpers each and a P.E. kit for DS2 and its come to £169. I haven't ordered trousers or shirts yet as I was going to get them from supermarkets and obviously they'll need coats and shoes. I also have 2 younger children who are at the primary school but as they don't have to have the logoed stuff their clothes should be cheaper.
Is it just me, or does the cost of the secondary school uniform seem extortionate? I'm sure it didn't cost anything like as much last year for the uniform for 4 of them!
What does everyone else pay?

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Enfyshedd · 21/07/2013 21:17

Do you have to get the jumpers & PE kit from the "official" supplier?

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noisytoys · 21/07/2013 21:28

DD is at primary school and we just get the basics from whatever supermarket has the best offers and the logod jumpers are £10 each. Even with decent (£40 ish) pair of shoes her whole uniform is less than £100 all in. I dread when she goes to secondary school.

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LustyBusty · 21/07/2013 21:30

Do they really need 3 jumpers each? When I was at secondary school I had a similar uniform and only ever had 1 jumper at a time, if I got it dirty I either had to sponge the mark out myself or go cold... Surely even just 2 would be ok?
And I think you're getting off fairly lightly. 16 years ago when mum bought me 1 blazer, 1 tie, 1 jumper, 1 skirt, 1 PE sweater, 1 jogging bottoms, 1 polo shirt from the uniform shop I'm sure it was over £200 Confused. When I grew out of them, only the jumper, sweatshirt and tie were purchased from school shop (they were the only conspicuously logo'd items!)

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soapysam · 21/07/2013 21:33

I didnt bother with a jumper for DD for this school year just gone and I'm glad I didn't, she would never have worn it! Their school is a new building so the heating is sound. If its the sort of uniform policy that requires a blazer to be worn at all times, would a jumper be necesarry?

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Whereisegg · 21/07/2013 21:34

I was talking to my sil the other day.

Her sons school have just just changed the uniform to stuff with logos.

Pinafore dresses are priced at £37. Each.

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tb · 21/07/2013 21:35

10 years ago dd's blazer in a 5-year old size cost £60, For the last 7 years she's not worn uniform.

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LilacPeony · 21/07/2013 21:37

Is that state Whereisegg?

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Loshad · 21/07/2013 21:37

don't buy them 3 jumpers each Shock they probably won't wear them! one each, or even 1 to share...., wash overnight if ness or then but another if desperate, i bet you won't need to.

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CSIJanner · 21/07/2013 21:38

Can't you register the school and upload the logo to tesco and use their embroidered service instead the official supplier? I was told this might be possible..

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LilacPeony · 21/07/2013 21:38

That must have definitely been private school uniform tb?

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shelsco · 21/07/2013 21:42

Yes the jumper and P.E. top has to be the logoed ones so I can't get them elsewhere. I think I will have to cut the jumpers down to 1 or 2 each as I can't afford the 3. It's just I had 2 each to begin with this year and it was a nightmare as one would be in the wash dirty and quite often the other one had been left at school so they wouldn't have one for the next day. I didn't have time after work to get it washed and dry for the next day.
Apparently the none of the kids wear the blazers but they have to have them in their bags when asked and they are asked quite regularly! I figured it would be cold with just a shirt. It's an old school so its boiling in Summer and freezing in winter! Maybe I should forget the jumpers, just don't want them freezing!

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shelsco · 21/07/2013 21:42

Yes the jumper and P.E. top has to be the logoed ones so I can't get them elsewhere. I think I will have to cut the jumpers down to 1 or 2 each as I can't afford the 3. It's just I had 2 each to begin with this year and it was a nightmare as one would be in the wash dirty and quite often the other one had been left at school so they wouldn't have one for the next day. I didn't have time after work to get it washed and dry for the next day.
Apparently the none of the kids wear the blazers but they have to have them in their bags when asked and they are asked quite regularly! I figured it would be cold with just a shirt. It's an old school so its boiling in Summer and freezing in winter! Maybe I should forget the jumpers, just don't want them freezing!

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HollyBerryBush · 21/07/2013 21:47

Lobbby the governors to change suppliers - both Tesco and M&S do logo'd uniforms now and I think BHS does too (but I havent investigated that one yet)

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phantomnamechanger · 21/07/2013 21:56

its a nightmare - DD 1 will be in Y9 , DD 2 Y7 - both are the same size so cant hand anything down! but add in to that the change of uniform this year - 2 full sets of everything - eek!
blazer £42, skirt - yes, a set, bespoke blimmin skirt - £26 each, jumpers £19 each
I have bought one skirt each, one blazer each, 3 jumpers to share between them, plus school tracksuit and skort and polo top for PE and it has come to over £300. they will need trousers for the winter too as it can be cold hanging around at bus stops!

the only think I have been able to do on the cheap is the plain school blouses and sky blue hockey socks.

Luckily, though I think it is all very pricy compared to the M&S stuff I have previously bought, DH has a well paid job (no holidays abroad, no posh cars or big TVs, no expensive hobbies or clothes etc but we do have a good quality of life) and although we might wince a bit we can afford the uniforms. how some families will manage I really do not know.

I hope the stuff wears and washes well is all I can say, as I expect lots of people will be relying on being able to buy second hand/hand on to family & friends from next year.

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Twattybollocks · 21/07/2013 21:59

I had to buy dd a skirt for y3 rather than her pinafores. £39.99. Forty bloody quid for a skirt! I hope it washes and dries itself for that money!

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Theas18 · 21/07/2013 21:59

Uh?

Secondary school uniform- 2ties 2 blazers,6 jumpers and a PE kit ( logoed shir footy/rugby top and shorts as a minimum I guess ) for £169 and you are not happy?

That's less £5 a week for clothes worn by 2 boys for a school year of 40 weeks isn't it? Some my last longer/ be handed down.

Sounds fair to me. You can add cheap shirts and trousers - we aren't allowed

Just checked dd2 school outfitters (and local comp is same prices) . This is for the smallest ( kids sizes, if you have adults they are significantly more due to vat)

Blazer £33 , sweatshirt jumper from £14, school shirts with logo £13 , skirt £16.

Didn't look at PE kit.

Dd will need 3 shirts , 3jumpers ( she stinks if uniform isn't washed daily!) and a new skirt. This is replacing 2yr old uniform and some of dd1s jumpers that were handed down - its all wearing to holes ( school bag damage!) She wants a blazer though she doesn't have to have it so well see

However PE kit lasted dd1 5 yrs and will see dd2 out (except the bits they changed lol)

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greenfolder · 21/07/2013 22:05

i am not sure-but i bought my dds 2 jumpers each September (they were £25 quid each) and within week they would loose one, by Christmas they were wrangling over the remaining one they had between them.

Now i buy dd2 one jumper in september- if she loses it she has no jumper . Oddly enough, she has never lost it. She sticks it in the machine and dries it over night when needed.

wish i had known this 6 years ago

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Theas18 · 21/07/2013 22:08

Btw my top tip for buying uniform for growing kids if you buy more than one expensive jumper etc if get one that fits (with growing room) and one in the next size up. Worked fine at primary and until sweaty pubert hit!

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Yonihadtoask · 21/07/2013 22:15

It can be expensive but stop and think before buying.

DS will be gping into y11 in September. His blazer from y7 lasted 3 years. I bought it quote large, at £65 I expected it to last.

I buy shirts from marks n Spencer when they have offers on uniform. Trousers I buy from wherever has his size. M n s, and Matalan. He has one tie.

I bought jumpers but he never ever wore one. It's not cool ?? They hVe to wear blazers all the time anyway.

PE and Games tops, school colours and logo, hd is still in Y 7 purchase. Only wears once a week, so I aren't gping tp get him any more.

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tribunalhelpneeded · 21/07/2013 22:16

DD is starting secondary and they have logoed EVERYTHING.

1 blazer
1 v neck jumper
3 shirts
2 skirts
1 pe polo
1 skort
1 hockey shirt
1 pair pe socks
£270 Shock

She also has to have 3 pairs of shoes, school, trainers for PE and bladed (?) Boots for rugby.

This is a state school. I'm dreading 2 years time when DD2&3 both start :(

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Yonihadtoask · 21/07/2013 22:17

Oh, and no one at DS school wears a coat.

Save your money on that one.

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marriedinwhiteagain · 21/07/2013 22:18

About 400 sounds about right to me. Don't understand why they need three jumpers each. Doesn't the school hold 2nd hand sales?

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tribunalhelpneeded · 21/07/2013 22:21

Married, for a state school uniform? Really?

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SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 21/07/2013 22:24

When ds1's PE kit went missing, when he was in year 9, I had to price up indoor PE kit, rugby kit, official school kit bag, two pairs of trainers and a pair of rugby boots. We could only buy it from the school, and it came to over £125. The rugby socks alone cost £6.50! Some schools royally take the piss.

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CinnamonAddict · 21/07/2013 22:24

Sounds cheap to me.

Paid £300 for each child to kit them out for secondary. And that's with minimum clothes, trousers and shirts from supermarkets.
The sports kit alone for one child was about £150. Every item had to have name embroidered on it. That's state school btw.

School has just changed sports kit supplier and thankfully will have one year interim, otherwise we would have to pay £150 again, after one year, and everything still fits.

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