AIBU to think it's not school's decision?

I think that's ok, as you say school made sure everyone got one. However the OP says they are not in school colours, everyone has a different one.
I also think it depends on the dynamics of the school you teach at...nice leafy suburban school, where parents have kids in a good routine etc ..fine.
School in a deprived area where families face a lot of barriers and helping the children feel regulated and ready to learn is a massive task, not so much.

I'm a teacher - have been for 25 years so I've some idea about behaviour issues.

Year 6 is a special year and, alongside graduating to sit on the benches instead if the floor in assemblies, I think getting and wearing a Leavers hoodie is a right of passage that, if handled correctly, can be really positive.

The only thing I take issue with is some having 1 and some not. The PTA paid for 2 kids whose parents couldn't afford them at my school.

My advice if you have a child in year 6 let someone else do the ordering or make arrangements with the school in advance
Because of a tiny 2 day delay in getting them when it's still nearly 5 months till they actually leave? Somewhat of a storm in a teacup.

That doesn’t say it will happen straight away! They’ll have to find time to do it and it will be a relatively low priority. Don’t get angry, speak to them about it.

My children and their friends loved primary school but they pretty much forgot about it by about day 2 of the summer holiday. None of the leavers stuff is worth the drama it seems to cause.

Yes. This is exactly what I meant in my last paragraph.

I'm a teacher but also a parent.

I started teaching when my eldest was 8.

You end up with a totally different perspective!

I see you're going in tp see the HT today. That's good.

I suspect that part of the problem is that, when hooodies are given out in May, SATs are over and Year 6 is a completely different place to it is in February.

When you offered to organise the hoodie, the school might have just assumed you were being organised by doing it this early but they wouldn't be ordered/delivered until slightly later in the year.

No one in school will have time to organise sorting out/distribution of hoodie at this time of year.

It might be that the school are saying May because that's when they will realistically have staff acailable to do it and will be able to enlist the help of sensible year 6 children to help them. At this time of year, all available staff are timetabled to run additional SATs support groups in most schools.

They might just be saying they physically can't allocate the resources to do doing it until May but will let you collect them.and organise the sorting and distributing before then.

The bottom line is that staff don't have the time to do absolutely everything that is a statutory requirement in the working day they just won't have the time to do this at this time of year.

The HT should have spoken with you directly but they are also.really busy - finding our HT during the day can be impossible on some days! Their heads just aren't in leavers hoodie territory yet.

Other than that, even if parents don't always agree with a school's decision, the school is a workplace for its staff and sometimes decisions are made for reasons that parents won't fully understand because it's not their workplace.

Have you asked the school why you can’t have them?
I used to think some of my DC’s school policies were a bit bonkers until I joined the PTA and later started working for the school and found out there was often instead a very understandable
and common sense reason which hadn’t occurred to me as a parent.

Other half of the class are year 5

That's a lovely solution but unfortunately many schools don't do this, and those in the most deprived areas usually are those with the lowest level of funds from PTA for obvious reasons.
I wish more schools would think about this sort of thing.

At our school the school discreetly told me (with the parent’s permission) who could not cover the hoodies. It is clearly quite sensitive but only I knew. The PTA then transferred me the money for those hoodies and I didn’t chase up those parents. I honestly have no recollection years later who those children were and I don’t make any record of it. If the PTA hadn’t paid I would have spread the cost over the other parents as that was accepted at our school that no child should be left out. The hoodies were a great leveller in that final year of school.

Does everyone have a hoodie? You mention it's only half a class to hand out. I assume from your post only people who ordered will have one, so there might be a lot of children without (half the class) so even more reason to delay handing them out.

Our school do it in May after SATs as part of celebrations and the hoodies are paid for by the PTA so everyone has one (even if they choose not to wear it). As others mention, they still haven't finished primary school and wearing a non uniform item (as yours have chosen whatever colour they want) makes it feel like they are done already and can do what they want. The teacher wants to ensure they are focused rather than feeling they are done with primary school.

Really you should have discussed this with the headteacher if you were concerned over when they would get them.
Also saying that the children know they have arrived is a good lesson in patience. We don't always get what we want immediately and these are 10 and 11 year olds. I would expect all of them (even those with SEN) to be able to understand how to wait. Otherwise I suggest for those children who are struggling you could write a social story about it.

Mine get their t-shirts quite early on in Y6 but their hoodies are handed out on leaving week. They are encouraged to wear the t-shirts for any group events / pictures throughout the year.

Someone messed up when DC1 was in Y6 and the hoodies didn't arrive until the summer holidays. People were advised they could collect in September (we did as I still had other DC at the school) but many people never collected theirs. Such a shame and a waste.

If they are available now it makes sense to let them have them whilst it's actually cold.

You have no idea how difficult it is to keep year 6 focused and calm as they head towards leaving. Some are excited, some incredibly anxious and the last thing they need is such a visible reminder.
Why would you want them to have a hoodie that celebrates then being a leaver 6 months before they are actually a leaver?
The worst thing is, parents with attitudes like this are the first to come and whinge when the year 6s gets too giddy and their little darling is on the wrong end of a falling out, or dropping grades etc.
People wonder why teachers are leaving in droves, childish and selfish behaviour from parents is a huge part of it.

I have taught in poorer areas where not every child would have bought a leaver's hoodie.
We did not allow them to be worn at school because it would not have felt fair on the kids still in a 2 year old Asda cardigan.
They don't leave until summer. Why do you want them in Feb?

Totally agree with you OP.

FWIW our school gave the kids their hoodies back in December! They were allowed to wear them on Friday only in January and have just announced they can wear them every day.

I only ask as I experienced EXACTLY the same thing as you at out sons prep school a few years back. Petty of the schools really!!

It sounds like you took on a job which the finer details weren't discussed. It does seem early to signal its the end if the year in February and just because you got a deal in January doesn't mean school wants children in them now. Also I'm really surprised you think because the hoodie arrived on that day, the schools priority would be to give them out on that day. Why make your child be excited about something you didn't know was happening. I feel sorry for schools having to manage all this stuff as well as the actual job of teaching.

I've read all the OP's replies. Seems to me like a lot of jumping to conclusions. One member of staff has mentioned that the hoodie have arrived and suggested they are deliberately not being handed out yet. OP has not yet attempted to contact the school and ask to take possession of the delivery so just has this rumour.

School have not said officially or even unofficially from anyone actually in charge that they are holding on to the hoodies.

A tenner says it's just a misunderstanding and once OP actually speaks to someone they are quite happy to have the big box not cluttering up the school office.

In my school the order is sorted out by Y6 TAs - it's a big job, as we have 90 children and we wouldn't put it on parents to make sure it was all correct! We never have anyone who doesn't want one, but usually have one or two children that we cover the cost for because of family circumstances, and other parents don't need to know that. Our PTA make a contribution of about £5 per hoodie, so this year they cost £13 for child sizes and £15 for adult sizes.
We always order them near the end of February and expect to give them out before the Easter holidays. The children are then allowed to wear them to and from school and during breaks, but they have to take them off during lessons.

My children only got their hoodies on leaving their respective schools. They did wear them, both after primary and secondary, for a while (though one lost one, think it got left when we went out to eat).

At my school (where I work), I order the hoodies and we give them out on the last day of the summer term. It's part of the fun for that day but only about two thirds of parents buy one, so I wouldn't regard it as fair to let the ones who do have one wear theirs to school, when it's not the others' fault that their parents don't/ can't buy one.

The school certainly don't have to give out OP's hoodies now nor allow the children to wear them. What is the point anyway if they can't be worn to school and they haven't left? OP should have talked to the school about this anyway.

Our school don't do them at all! We have names on the back of the regular school sweatshirt for y6 which they can order at the end of y5 and wear all year. Then we do leavers yearbooks which they get at the end. There are always people wanting the hoodies because other schools in town do them but reading all this I'm glad we don't as it seems like a bit of a minefield!