End the school uniform rip off after price of kit soars to £300 a year.

[HelenaDove]

Families are cutting back on food and heating so they can afford it. School uniform was supposed to be a social leveller so this is beyond parody.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/end-school-uniform-rip-after-18892579?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Agree uniform should be plain bottoms, top and jumper that can have a logo sewn on if necessary.and can be bought from a supermarket and no special gym kit.
It's such a rip of having special uniform providers, Grammar schools in this area are particularly bad for this.

My sons’ high schools were the same. Everything had to have the sodding logo on.

2 different schools throughout their education (1 in special schools) so they couldn’t even pass it on.

I’m so pleased this is my sons last year at school. No more stupid expensive crappy jumpers that I have to pay £25 for. They are bad material and last only about six months as he grows out of everything so quickly.

CAB have been campaigning about this, and other hidden costs od schooling, since about 2005

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/corporate/final-4674-adding-up-04.pdf

Schools are simply not meant to have expensive, single supplier uniforms. But until there is some sort of enforcement action against schools who breach that policy, all we can do is keep the issue in the spotlight. Glad to see a major newspaper paying some attention.

If that's an average, some must be much more than that, because I had to do both my boys in May following a house move. None of the old school uniform would do, except school shoes.
So, £125 in Mark's for trousers, polos PE shorts and top, £40 on logo Jumpers, 12 on non logo jumpers, and 60 on trainers. If I added in another 100 on school shoes, I would be just over the numbers above but on 2 kids. So some poor people are paying well over 300 which is awful.

Agree. Primary uniform was affordable, the secondary is ridiculous.

Yes! Secondary schools are particularly bad for this.

But kids who are at school need significantly less non-school clothes?

The article quotes a parent saying they spread out costs of new uniform over the summer holidays - are they buying an entire new set of everything every year?? I buy as and when and if its not outgrown or broken I don't replace it. I also get second hand logo stuff although I realise that is trickier when at secondary as kids are more likely to want new things.

And our school has two suppliers, but they charge the same price! £20 for skirt, £15 for two blouses, £25 for jumper then there's £60 for the PE uniform. By the time I've added in non-marking trainers, astro trainers, shoes I'm up to almost £300 and that's not buying branded. The only thing I've been able to buy cheap are socks!

Annoyingly the trousers and shirts can be bought anywhere, but skirts and blouses only from official suppliers.

Last year my dd went to high school and the primary school my 2 ds go to changed their uniform, I didn’t get much change out of £650 kitting them out for school

YANBU. My 16 year old has a holiday job in a school uniform shop, as did his older brother.

They've both said the cost of most senior school uniform is astronomical and considering the level of poverty in this borough, it's absolutely dreadful to see the parents struggling.

However, there has been a rise in local 'donate and swap' groups on Facebook so at least that's something.

Something I find unfair and sexist at DDs school they have a choice out of 2 similar skirts £28 each or the one style school girls trousers £28, boys can wear generic black "school" trousers

The skirts are fully pleated and look shit after a few months wear and neither brand fit DD well/at all.

Same at our school, DD's summer dresses and winter tunics are £40 each but DS can wear generic grey shorts/trousers and white shirt!

I spent £48 on a logoed pe kit for dd (year 10) almost £50 for her to wear it 2 hours a week.

I understand to have a blazer or jumper with the logo on but why the pe kit? Unless you are playing sport for the school then why?
If she doesn't have the correct kit she will either have a detention or be put in isolation.

They are taking the piss

Social leveller! Love to know how this works.

Kids know who’s rich and who’s poor. A logo’d school jumper isn’t going to change that.

AND if they are all equal why do they have awards? Treats? Selected for sports teams or trips away?

They need a rethink

I had to buy dcs uniform from John Lewis and the skirts were £36 in 2004. The jumpers were over £30. I could buy a plain blazer and sew the badge on though.

Both of our local secondary schools now provide all new starters with a full uniform. They also have “nearly new” sales.

The cost for some schools is madness. I have no issue with uniform and certainly no issue with smartness but that can be done for a reasonable cost

It's a racket alright. There are no benefits to uniform anyway and having to spend insane amounts of money so that you can be supposedly socially levelled is double think of acrobatic proportions.

Just let them wear joggers and t shirts and crack the fuck on.

I am feeling incredibly lucky that my Ds secondary has a £5 tie and £11 jumper and a £10 pe shirt (that did annoy me til I saw all your costs!!).

Single school supplier for DDs kilt.

I wouldn’t pay a fiver for it in the shops. £36. Horrible material, bobbles after a few washes, all the girls have safety pins holding them up as buttons fall off after two weeks. They could teach the mafia a thing or two

Yep, we have FOUR coloured logos at our school. one for each house. Especially annoying if they change houses or if a sibling is put in a different house so you can't pass down the uniform!

Thats what i thought Fuma

It's well known that some schools in my area delibrately have an expensive uniform (amongst other policies) to discourage certain demographics of people from applying

Friend of DS says that the first thing that people check out in his school are the shoes and their brand. The uniform is pretty standard and not too bad, but his last pair of shoes were around £70! I think I whimpered when he said that. It's surprising how kids can find a way to make judgements.

Not too bad where DS goes for shoes (although his aren't cheap) but the blazers are £60! Annoyingly, in the same uniform shop, blazers for a 'less desirable' school come in at around £30.

And don't get me started on PE kit!

My dc’s went to different grammar schools. The only logo items of clothing were blazers, and pe top and shorts, which weren’t hugely expensive. Shirts, jumpers, trousers etc could be from any shop,