School uniforms sky high prices

I went uniform shopping yesterday - a blazer, 2 jumpers, tie, pe top , pe jumper, non-logo'd shorts and a craft apron came to 2p short of £100. Thankfully they can wear generic black trousers, shirts and pe joggers so I have ordered them from Sainsburys with the 25% off, but that is probably another £50 (I have ordered multiple sizes and styles so will be able to send some back)

That school is one with the least regulation items in the area. However the one school that has everything logo'd has very reasonable uniform prices but this is probably because it is a very large MAT and can have economies of scale when it comes to uniform.

Our children go to a very good secondary school, they however have an expensive uniform list. I'd think in total of trainers and football boots my sons cost over £300, my daughter starts this year, and I'm buying as required is not all PE uniform is required all the time, in year 7 they cycle through all sports to let them try them. The only thing they wear clean every day is shirts / blouses so I buy 5, and 3 trousers, 2 jumpers / cardigans.

Michaela it is a parent's responsibility to teach a child from a very young age what it means to be able to afford things, I come from a country where there is no uniform -the Netherlands - and they seem to manage quite well. We were not rich growing up and yes, we did make do with a limited number of choices. My parents taught us to deal with peer pressure. Our school dealt with any hint of bullying - very effectively too.

Between those two things, you really don't need uniform if you get it right. I would have no problems with a simple dress code, but I do object to schools coining it by demanding single supplier logo'd everything. That should be made illegal.

I'm lucky, DD's school is sensible about uniform - only blazer, tie and PE kit are compulsory and are kept cheap, and 6th form is non-uniform. A lot of UK families are not so lucky.

I appreciate that for some people kitting out for school is a real strain but more generally, if there wasn't a uniform, such that one had to buy more home clothes, wouldn't quite a few of the home shirts end up costing £10? And then there would be all the "but paul has an avengers shirt" or "the other girls say my clothes are too uncool" and all the pressure and cost do that sort of thing? And would many girls be happy to spend the year wearing the same 5 shirts and 2 skirts, or would they need more?

Clearly schools need to make sensitive decisions about what they specify, but I suspect that uniform is probably a cheaper way to dress most children than home clothes, albeit of course not all.

Purchase coming all at once can be a bit of a mare though.

Chinny reckon

It's a rip off. My dd lost her PE kit about 2 weeks before the end of last term and I wouldn't get a new kit so soon before the holiday and she literally ended up having to do the lesson in her pants.

This is a massive bug bear of mine. Why should schools be allowed to charge so much for uniform! I can get a pack of two white polo shirts in Tesco for about £4, yet my school insists on having their shirts that have an embroidered logo on them at £12 each. I asked if I could buy the logo so I could sew it on myself but no that's not allowed! Considering how dirty a white polo shirt gets I would definitely need at least 4 which adds up at that price. I think it's about time Mumsnet did a campaign on this!

Academies can do what they like though can't they?

No they can't. They are subject to competition law which means deals with single suppliers are suspect, especially if the school is being paid by the supplier concerned. They are also required to conform to the Admissions Code so they must ensure that their uniform policies don't discourage parents from applying.

Just cut back as much as you can. No tracksuit bottoms for PE - just have shorts or skirt. Just three blouses and two trousers / skirts. That's what we had to do. One blazer etc

Academies can do what they like though can't they?

£200 is believable. When my DD started secondary, the uniform + pe kit + other essentials we were told to buy (Like a French dictionary and scientific calculator) came to almost £350. Her school had regulation skirts, so everything apart from the shirts had to be bought from the specialist school wear shop.

Thankfully I have another DD to pass on to, but it is eyewatering. But late for you - but I bought a few items each month to spread the cost (uniform shop would swap clothes if they outgrew them over the summer provided you had receipt and kept labels on).

OP, at least if you have 3 other children the items can be handed down. Hopefully they will be good enough quality.

Personally I like a smart uniform, within reason (no need for wool blazers - they're really pricey and need to be dry cleaned). They'll be wearing it every day so need to look and feel good in it and the really cheap ones look awful. Overall it's got to be a lot cheaper and less stressful than not having a uniform.

Have you checked to see if the school has a second hand shop?

I thought that there were rules about cost and number of suppliers for school uniforms

If a school is stipulating a single supplier it may be in breach of monopolies legislation. The Competition and Markets Authority want parents and suppliers to inform them of any such deals.

The Admissions Code says that admission authorities must ensure that school uniform policies don't discourage parents from applying for a place. This is a compulsory provision of the Code so in theory parents could apply to the Schools Adjudicator for enforcement. However, I am not aware of the Adjudicator making any decisions related to uniform so I don't know how effective this would be as a means of enforcement. If the Adjudicator considers a school's uniform policy to be outside their scope the government needs to change things so that there is effective enforcement.

DD's new school seems pretty reasonable- most expensive item is the (washable) blazer (it's not a blazer, it's a jacket, grrr) at £45, and there is a huge, cheap second hand shop (jumpers£2 etc). Trousers, skirts, shirts, jumpers are all generic so can be supermarket bought. PE kit is mostly optional other than two tops (again, a massive store in the second hand shop).
Much more affordable than her primary.

£200 sounds about right. Dd1 is starting secondary, and at the specialist supplier I spent £16 6 on: blazer, jumper & tie bundle, 2 regulation skirts (at £19 each!), PE kit bundle - indoor top, outdoor top, shorts and socks, and 3 logo'd cardis for dd2. The company embroider dd1's name on the PE kit tops and shorts, and also in the cardis. Pros and cons there! Just shirts to get for dd1 and ds, and shoes for all 3. The school had a fitting day where we could go and try stuff on which was really useful.

It's pants, but they'll be wearing it 5 days a week for 38 weeks, so cheaper than a school without uniform.

Op I would hold off buying the jumper until October/November.
New trousers and shirts would be needed anyway as (presumably) your DS has outgrown his Y8 uniform.
So additional cost for blazer and tie.
On the PE kit, I would check out the track suit bottoms perhaps you could get plain black instead? And again it's unlikely these will be necessary in September - the weather is often very mild, so shorts would be easier and more suitable at least for a few weeks to help with the budget.

I thought that there were rules about cost and number of suppliers for school uniforms.
Ds starts year 7 in September and I can only get the uniform from one online supplier. Returns policy states they may charge a restocking fee,so I can't order more sizes for trying on.

I paid 500+ for one child to go to a state school. I was shocked but nothing could be bought from Tesco or M&S (logos or unusual colours).

We can afford it but I know lots can't, so I was pretty disgusted.

We really need legislation to stop schools pulling this shit. Guidelines are clearly not working, time to put in something that has teeth. Uniform cost contravenes the rules = OFSTED inadequate. That will make them sit up and take notice.

Can you ring the school and double check you can't use last year's? Most schools have a grace period of a year or two. You won't be the only one affected by this so perhaps they'll be flexible for a year or two.

That's terrible, OP. Maybe buy the uniform but not the P.E. kit and use last year's...see what happens?

I hear you OP.

Our secondary won't let us "shop around" we have to buy all the uniform from their specialist supplier , so we are taking £25 for a blouse😞.

We are financially struggling so it really irks me.

Can you get generic / last year's shirts and trousers, OP?