Ridiculous uniform policy for secondary

Because most people think it's reasonable to just send their child in trousers or skirt and top the right colour with the logo, not to have to buy 15 hugely overpriced and often uncomfortable items of clothing from one specific supplier just to put 1 outfit together.

Totally ridiculous and unnecessary.

Ours is:

Black trousers or black skirt
White shirt
Black jumper or cardigan - no logo
Black shoes or black trainers
Tie - provided by school
No football colours on PE kit - but otherwise wear anything sensible
Blazers only for 5th and 6th years and pre-loved options available

Everything can be bought in supermarkets or the high street.

That is all that is needed and schools expecting anything more should be told where to go.

I also think if plans for this uniform change wasn't being made aware of when parents applied for places for next year then it's false advertising and parents could argue it isn't the same school they chose.
(It's depressing that schools have to market and advertise themselves - but that's the current system 🙁)

Oh OK. Ours came in a few different lengths. They weren't trutex though. Maybe Banner. I actually preferred them having a regulation skirt as they could wear it for years and pass it down, whereas at my secondary we had free choice of navy skirt and there would be a new fashion each year that some could afford and some couldnt.

As others have said this is in direct contravention of the statutory guidance on school uniform and should be challenged.

@Getonwitit is that amount in the prices for 40 years ago or the equivalent?
Because a £47 scarf is almost £190 now and there's no way that would have been compulsory for a typical state comp.
(I mean surely it couldn't have been.......😬)

In Europe, only Britain, Ireland and Malta have uniforms in state schools.
It is an outdated concept that really needs reforming (aka scrapping), along with all the high stakes summative examinations our children have to sit.
So I completely agree with you OP, it is absolutely appalling. And any work place that demands a strict uniform, would always provide it to their employees for free. If schools insist on strict uniform, they should provide it too

Do the skirts not come in different lengths as well as waist sizes?

Write to the governors - schools arent allowed to do this anymore, guidance waa issued to schools to say they arent allowed to enforce lots of branded /logo items as part of the uniform. Oyr local school actually had to change the uniform to reduce the amount of posh logo items following the new rules.

I also have B/G twins so I feel your neighbour's pain.

I think it's ridiculous to make children wear formal office wear to school. YANBU.

Crikey my blazer was £140 and school scarf was £47 and that was 40 years ago at the local state school.

Our school went the opposite direction when it joined a MAT and the uniform/ PE kit was a lot more accessible and affordable. No more schlepping to a town well known for expensive parking for uniform and PE kit from one single (pretty much by appointment only) supplier. We had Trutex trousers, absolutely horrible and never got worn in the end.

This should be the approach everywhere. They can still impose rules around skirt length for example whilst permitting generic supermarket skirts.

The trouser rule is just not feasible for anyone with larger than average legs. No one brand and style of trouser is going to fit every girl (I went through my teenage years resenting the fact that Levi 501s were just never going to happen).Parents really need to push back on this.

This is the uniform policy for the school my son attended. The kids always looked incredibly smart. The head is very aware of the cost implications to families. It can be done.

"To reduce the cost to families, we have limited our compulsory branded uniform to just 3 items – blazer, tie and PE polo shirt. All other items can be bought from any retailer, but must be of the approved style. If you are unsure about any item that you intend to purchase, please contact the school and we will be happy to advise you."

Yeah uniform is ridiculous imo. Just get a logged polo shirt and say everyone has to wear black trousers or a black knee length skirt. That's it.
They say uniform is supposed to help kids look the same and not focus on what everyone is wearing..
But when they go overboard like this school it has the opposite effect.
It doesn't allow for the difference in body types between students.. it doesn't allow for some students being poor..
I went to a stupid grammar school with a stupid uniform policy and as I was poor I had to get second hand uniform.. and it was so glaringly obvious as it was a slightly different style to the uniform produced that year.. you couldn't just get dupes you had to get it from a supplier OR from the schools own second hand store. So it was patently obvious who couldn't afford the uniform.
It's also awful for any girls who are curvy.. because the uniform will fit very differently and they will look very different in it...
Just let everyone choose their own style of trousers or skirt that they are comfortable in and suits them.. thats what schools should do. Obviously have rules about length.. but beyond that leave these poor kids alone.
There's hardly any environment in adulthood where you'd be forced to wear uniform as strict and ridiculous as some of these school ones.
I think they are just a recipe for humiliation.

@FeistyFrankie the issue....
1 - the cost.
Many families will struggle with this. Some may feel they cannot apply to this school - even though it's their local school - because they will struggle to afford the uniform.
This was often how it was pre 1944 when more many the only way to go to secondary school was by winning a scholarship - only to have to turn down the place because their family couldn't afford the uniform. Lets return education to how it was 80 years ago when children were denied it .....yay 🙄.
2 - the style/cut. Teens are growing and are all sorts of shapes and sizes. This is the age when they should be learning what clothes fit and suit them best. If self confidence and physical comfort is low they will struggle to learn.
3 - "wear a slip" - how's that work for trousers 😂 also what do you do if the shirt irritates, or the blazer means movement is restricted or a child has - god forbid - a bit of a tummy.
I also assume you've never met anyone with sensory issues.
I could go on.
I hate uniform policies like this with an absolute passion. They anger me.

It’s bizarre that you can’t see the issue. Where else in life do you wear deeply uncomfortable and incredibly expensive clothing? I work in corporate law and even in that stuffy environment no one wears jackets or ties anymore. I don’t fall out with uniforms but what is wrong with eg tracksuit trousers and a polo shirt?

Parents should challenge it using the statutory guidance www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms

The problem with a new uniform change is that it breaks the local second hand supply chain.

Mind you I'm pretty sure that one of my DC's schools changed the uniforms mostly because they were fed up with so many kids wearing threadbare seventh-hand sweatshirts from the very popular uniform sales run by the PTA.

Have you ever tried to wear slim fit if you aren’t

Its like having a big bum but a tiny waist so the size that fits your bum has a huge gap around your waist

The problem with slim fit trousers is the size you need to get the legs to fit and not be tight fitting could be many sizes over what the you need to stop them falling off you

Sounds like a someone hasn’t taken account of where the school is.

Why can’t schools be sensible and look at designing a uniform that can be picked up in a supermarket and run a 2nd hand uniform shop once per week where the children can buy what they need

If they want to be as good as private schools then why does their uniform cost 3 times the price