To think school uniform is too expensive?

i saw one person on fb marketplace and looked fairly regularly. The school sale mostly had the supermarket items and what branded items they had were in a poor state.

I think everyone knows that 😂
But secondhand is down to luck and you can't guarantee it.

Probably not everything though if you can pick up a few second hand items that is going to help.

You've said that twice now.
Not everything will always be available secondhand. Sometimes people have no choice but to buy new.

Second hand uniforms.

I don't have to use it but I suspect that it is like school where you send an email if you need assistance. I organised the year 6 Leavers hoodies and we had a few familes who needed the PTA to help out. They sent an email to the school office and the PTA covered the cost.

How do you access the hardship fund? Do you have to go cap in hand and beg - show your bank account - I can't see how that's not a humiliating thing to ask for.

Good that they have a fund. I'm in Finland where being strict on uniforms is for the army, not for kids activities!

Our have a hardship fund of you genuinely have trouble affording it. They are pretty strict here in the shire!

I remember them saying when my oldest joined that while they prefer everyone to have the uniform, they wouldn't want any children to miss out just because their parents couldn't afford to buy it. Very different to my days in the Girls' Brigade where we had uniform inspections every week!

Ours have to wear shirts and neckers for Remembrance Day parade and for decorating the town with pink for cancer awareness, packing shopping and all other sorts of community events. The would not be able to attend without their shirts. Luckily they don't insist on the trousers as well!

I never sewed on the badges after the first bunch my oldest got 😂 they've never said anything and my kids only wear the uniform for making the Scout promise and the neck scarf (which was provided) for camps.

My DS is in Scouts and they insist on the official shirt as well as the necker. Where else do you sew all the bloody badges on?! 😂

Second hand uniform.

second hand uniforms - facebook marketplace.

I echo a lot of the sentiment above. It is costly and they should at least be comfortable and good quality. The new rules for 3 -4 mandatory branded items definitely helps the initial outlay of uniform costs but there are ongoing replacement costs when dc inevitably loses some kit in school and there is almost zero chance of recovering them (even when labelled). Thats part of the problem too.

That’s awful - but none of it is unfortunately surprising, down to embarrassing your dd about the state of her skirt - suggesting uniform stops bullying over clothes? No it really doesn’t - it just teachers doing the bullying rather than other kids.

But it’s not entirely free is it.. I have to pay for ridiculous branded clothing that is 6 times more than the supermarket equivalent, specific shoes that are not worn out of school, however if they wear allowed to wear trainers for school they would wear them in and out of school getting more wear out of them rather than growing out of them, “excellent packs” a ridiculous pack each child MUST purchase from the school with “school essentials”, even though they still have last years pack with plenty of life in it I have to buy a new one. Specific sport socks and ridiculous white socks that get ruined in weeks but have to be replaced because our children get in trouble if they are stained or turned grey, not to mention entitled people putting them down for not having pristine white socks. We now have to buy specific house clip on ties, the half a dozen ties that we’ve picked up over the years in charity shops are no longer allowed, we are 1 week in and my ND has lost her brand new ladled tie because it’s clip on, she never lost any of her old tie ties. Then there are the “compulsory” school education trips we have to pay for. Contributions to toast, constant “fund raising” for school equipment and supplies. Both my DDs schools would not have the necessary equipment and facilities they have if it wasn’t for parents money, tools and time we put in. £800/year each on bus passes even though my DDs go to the nearest feeder school… the costs just goes on and on. So no the education system is not entirely free, neither is it just a matter of “basic parenting on buying clothes” the clothes allowed are not “basic necessities” but over priced alternatives that schools specifically require for no real reason, otherwise they remove our children’s basic rights for an education if a teacher decides they aren’t happy with the slightest part of what out children get sent to school in.

A perfect example, we are on UC not by choice but currently a necessity that dosnt cover our basic pre UC outgoings, I contacted the school as they won’t allow my DDs to wear the exact same skirt but supermarket brand £9 for 2 that’s £4.50 each, I have to buy them £32 single branded skirt, the school gave me a skirt each for 2 DDs, one with a busted zip we couldn’t use the other well worn and bobbly, I did my best with the bobbles but on day 3 my dd gets pulled up for the state of her skirt, this is the same skirt supplied by the deputy head less than 7 days earlier. I obviously called the school to complain but not before my dd was embarrassed and humiliated in front of her classmates.

Well I guess your economy is better then.

I pay 40 euros a month more tax than I would in the UK but I don't have to pay council tax on top of that so actually I pay less tax and get more.

I must be lucky with my son's school. They previously only had 5 branded items - Blazer, tie, 2 PE tops and PE shorts. They've dropped the shorts for plain black. Tracksuit is optional branded only but any dark skins are allowed underneath which most boys have anyway. Everything else is completely unbranded. They have to have trainers and boots but as they have a 3G the super cheap mouldies from sports direct are pretty much all you can find. And trainers - he just wears his home ones.

Uhm wear and tear. The fact I have to wash his own clothes a lot more regularly when we hit the school holidays.
My 13 year old is not really into clothes. But even he wants to wear Nike and montirex. His latest own clothes shop of one montirex top, one montirex pair of trakkies and one Nike hoody set me back close to £200.
I sent him on a school trip last term in a brand new montirex top and he got ink allover it. Had he been in uniform it would have been a 5 quid shirt ruined. I wouldn t like to deal with that on a daily basis.

My experience of being a parent and also working in a private school is that the 2nd hand shop is a major player.

I bought a jumper for £3.00 for my DD they retailed at if I remember correctly over £25.00 - it was virtually brand new - I can only presume that the school hadn't worked out for them - or they'd had to move suddenly. Summer dresses were normally a couple of quid. Some parents asked for the money from the items sold, some donated to the school funds.

I would have parents phone me up asking me to go through the 2nd hand shop and look for a blazer in a specific size. It was all part of the job and I was happy to oblige - I can't remember how much we sold those for - I think the parents set the price as they were selling.

I have said this on another thread but as a child - not at private school - my DM bought my blazer 2nd hand - it lasted until I left and she sold it on. My school skirt also lasted me the 5 years at secondary school - but then clothes were better quality in those days

How do you know?

Not as many clothes as if they were wearing them every day in school.