About year 6 leavers hoodies

In the school I work in, the hoodies are organised by the school. The PTA make a small contribution per child, and any child that wouldn't get one because of the family's financial situation gets one bought for them (the PTA don't know who, we just tell them how much we need them to contribute).The deal is that the children get them before Easter, and can wear them to and from school, at break and lunch, on residential, but they are not allowed to actually wear them during lesson time. Inevitably there are a few grumbles at first about taking them off in class, but we say that's the deal -otherwise they would get them later in the year.

Most of them wear them over uniform instead of a coat, so get lots of wear out of them in the spring, and they don't feel compelled to wear them even when it's roasting hot in the summer, because they've already had a few months of wearing them.

Extra entry for who cares

My Daughter has a Year 6 Hoodie- organised by the PTA to raise a bit of money for the school.

They can wear them for PE days or as jackets to and from school. They still have to wear school uniform the rest of the time.

They can however wear them for their leavers week!

This seems like a sensible compromise!

No way could I wash, dry and iron a hoodie every day for school if it was worn as a school uniform.

😂 you may live near me! And yes, I thought wot? when I first heard of them but the kids deffo thought they were the business. They were also a way of marking seniority int he school and getting used to the idea of moving on from primary. I do know of several school’s that have different ties or sweaters etc as the kids go up the school which I always think is a waste of money, but I guess it is similar in that it marks a transition. The school didn’t do a prom or the like so it didn’t feel like it was over the top.

My child went to a school that was pragmatic. Kids bought the hoodie in September and wore it all year. They were slightly more than a school sweatshirt but as parents knew they were ok to wear in school, they simply reduced spend on the sweatshirts. Probably worked out more expensive all told but my kid wore is until it was threadbare. I think if I was a head at a school in a less affluent area and had experience of kids being left out, I would take a different view.

I know, it wasn't that long ago that leavers' hoodies weren't really a thing for primary school, now it seems the parents are worse than the bloody kids with their moaning and banging on about how the little darlings not being able to wear them whenever they want is worse treatment than Nelson Mandela ever got. Then they'll scream blue murder when the school commits some minor breach of a policy they do care about. I don't know how teachers put up with it, I really don't.

I have 3 kids. They all got them on the last day of school. This was the same in Y6 and Y11. Seems weird to have them for so long before you actually leave.

Ours are only given them on the last day. This seems standard in the schools around us. I guess, they are concentrating on GCSE’s.

Alpols. Just seen its year 6. In that case, can’t see why they can’t wear them now?

In the minority here - I’m quite surprised actually at the responses here.

my son is in Y6 and has been wearing his hoodie since October. They were funded by the PTA.

These kids aren’t committing a crime by wearing the hoodies! Ffs everyone in here needs to lighten up - it’s their last year of primary and if they want to wear personalised hoodies then they should be allowed.

I think for those kids that aren’t allowed to wear them to school, they don’t see them as school uniform so they wear them all the time over the summer and autumn after they’ve left primary.

My kids never saw their leavers hoodies as part of the uniform. More like just a leaving present from the school as they were paid for by the PTA.

I never got one but the rules were the same you couldn't wear them to school

Ours couldn’t wear them but did constantly after they left, I them had them made in to a small cushion which they still have years later.
Much better than putting it in a box

Never heard of yr 6 Leavers Hoodies...jesus , nearly as much potential drama as year 11 'Proms'😆

And what about the child whose parents can’t afford a hoodie? To be reminded of the fact that they couldn’t have one every day? As a teacher, I completely understand and agree with the school’s stance. As a parent, I also understand. Why would you want to flaunt a hoodie in front of a child who through no fault of their own can’t match their peers?

Maybe the school just don't see it as anything to do with them. I've very occasionally seen children wearing them but not actually at our school and I would have always assumed they were organised entirely seperately from it. If a group of parents want to organise a item of clothing with an academic year on it and whatever else then there's nothing stopping them but it isn't official.

I think it's weird any schools or PTA/PFAs are getting involved at all in the handing out of them, subsidising or anything else and I wouldn't expect any non-uniform item to suddenly be accepted as uniform. Hoodies included.

Petty crap! You do wonder about decision makers in schools and their obsession with joyless rules. So glad we have left that world of nonsense.

Bloody hell, who are the spoilsports saying you are being unreasonable?

I already complain about my kids school as they only give the hoodies when SATs end .
At least this year it's still chilly and they have been making the most of having the hoodies, but in years where it just goes super hot from now the hoodies are a bloody waste of money - but yes we all got them - and they are free in my school with money from the leaver funds

I think you are getting an unnecessarily hard time here OP. I have definitely seen this issue raised before on Mumsnet and think it is really mean spirited of the school to only allow them to be worn for one day!.

At DD’s school they also had leavers hoodie and were allowed to wear them as soon as they arrived, more or less for 5-6 weeks leading up to the end of school.

They were so excited and proud to have them, it was lovely.

She still wears hers now and left primary almost 2 years ago.

My kids all wore theirs outside of school months and even years after they left. DS is in year 11 and only just took his year 6 hoody out of his drawer!

Ours have leavers' hoodies AND leavers' t shirts.

The only thing I can think is that if this isn’t a “school organised” initiative perhaps they don’t want this to become the expected norm for future year 6’s if it’s not something they do?

Both my kids were only allowed to wear the hoodie on the last day - this seems fairly normal where we are. This is a real fuss about nothing!!

In 2026 all the children bought a hoodie and no one is or was left out.
What happens next year if there ARE some children left out but everyone expects a rerun of the 2026 arrangements?
Maybe the school is stopping trouble for future years?