End of school uniform

[SkintSingleMother]

Seeing a lot of posts on my Facebook about the above, most expressing relief. I've got one child exiting compulsory education today and two staying in it and honestly the knowledge that I don't have to buy an extra set of clothes for the one that's no longer in compulsory education has massively reduced my stress levels and given me loads of money to play around with buying him clothes he likes, rather than not being able to do so because I'm coughing up £300+ for uniform.

Anybody else feel the same? It's actually really rather lovely.

£300 for uniform is a hell of a lot. Was it gold plated?

Alternatively you may find now they aren't in the same clothes for 9 months of the year that they 'need' more variety of other clothes (and more expensive trainers).

£300 for uniform is a hell of a lot. Was it gold plated?
It really isn't. We normally spend £3-400 too and that's always with 10% discount. It all adds up!

£300 IS a lot for uniform.
What are you buying that costs that much? And where?
Or is it a private school?

I don’t spend anywhere near that.

Is it a secondary school with a pricy blazer and branded pe kit?

Was he at a private school? That's a crazy amount for uniform. I'll be spending more now I've got one going to sixth form not less.

I disagree my youngest today was saying what a relief he had another year of not worrying about what to wear. Yours is especially expensive but in general I think its good value for money considering how long they wear it. Our school also has a raring second hand market so I sell it on and spend it on a day out.

I'm not sure how much I spend per year per child, but even if you buy non-branded it adds up to quite a bit! Uniform certainly isn't the great leveller it's made out to be and can be very hard to afford especially for poorer families. Since Covid our school wants kids to wear exercise clothes on PE days, which is great.

We have to buy a blazer and PE kit from a school uniform supplier and even with that and then supermarket trousers, shirts, shoes and a branded backpack im still not at £200. I'm guessing private school.

DS1 has just finished year 11 and im also glad I don't have to shell out a small fortune on uniform for him anymore. Although his is the cheaper of the 2 (different schools). Its also hardly been worn so I'm hoping I'll be able to sell it on and make a small amount back.
He wants a pair of DMs so might use the money I save on uniform to buy those.

£300 is normal for your average (usually a bit crappy) academy.
My daughter has major anxiety and rarely attends school. She went today because it was a non uniform today. She could wear comfortable clothing she feels safe and relaxed in. She had to pay £1 because it was non uniform for charity. I asked her if she could go non uniform everyday by paying £1 would she be more likely to go. She said yes. Obviously her issues are more complex than that but to me that simple thing of her being able to wear comfortable clothing is something I wish for every school day.
£300, £3 or £3000 a school year on clothes - I don't care but I just wish wish wish it wasn't a shitty crap school uniform I have to spend the money on.

I was gutted to give up uniform at the end of Yr11. Our 6th form didn't have any at all. I would have much preferred two more years of not having to think about what to wear.

I'm looking forward to the day dc can wear what they want (within reason).

I liked wearing uniform as a child, but ds2 don't like it. Their uniform is bland and he can easily get lost in a sea of other school children wearing the same thing. He got used to me dressing him in bright colours and prefers it.

1 blazer*
4 blouses
3 skirts*
3 jumpers*
1 pair Shorts*
1 set of Tracksuit bottoms*
1 hoodie*
Adult sized black flat heeled shoes
Backpack*
Tights/socks
Trainers, white only.
Black parka coat (logos not allowed)

*has to be purchased from only one uniform shop in London, not allowed any subs. These items are branded or specific to the school.

In Year 7 excluding supplies like calculators and pencils I parted with £400. Dd has outgrown a lot of her stuff over the past year, so I expect I will shell out another £200-300 this year.

YH I agree with teen and others, that's a lot for uniform for one child. I just totted ours up (standard state secondary with branded blazer and rugby shirt and everything else from a supermarket) and I reckon I spent about £150, but not all of that every year (blazer lasted 2-3 years), and if I wasn't fussy about cotton shirts and M&S trousers it could have been a lot less.

I spent far more once out of uniform, be warned. School uniform cost about £100 a year, own clothes quadruple that

See none of mine ever wore a jumper to secondary so buying three would have been a waste of money, Ditto three skirts. Who needs three skirts when they wear them for about 30 hours a week? we live very near school tho and mine didn't get very messy.

I am jealous op!

We spent well over £300 kitting dd1 out for secondary. The uniform alone is branded and expensive, then you add in bag, coat, shoes, football boots, scientific calculator and other long list of stationery etc it really adds up.

There are always tons of threads on here about the cost of uniforms at bog standard seconds schools. £200 certainly isn't unusual.
DS1s polo shirts are £18 each. And he either needs a weeks worth or I have to run the washing machine midweek with only a handful of items in.

Not surprising if you're spending that much on it. Uniform is great though imo, non uniform at school is fine if your parents have money, but just another marker of being poor if they don't.

@clary I had one set (apart from shirts which I had 5) washed mid week and tumble dried the jumper and skirt. Each lasted 2 years then handed down, the beauty of having 2 girls, M&S was my supplier of choice

And for comparison he's more than happy to wear plain t-shirts from Asda/Primark. The last lot I bought were £3.50 or 2 for £5.

I spent a lot more towards sixth form clothing than I ever did on uniform.
The average pair of trainers is around £100 for most kids these days and they certainly wouldn’t be worn every day like a uniform would.

Our secondary doesnt have anything you can get from M and S (save tights etc.)

School blouses, school skirts, school jumper and blazer.. school pe kit. Really asds up. Also labcoat with name on.

I've never spent £100 on trainers though! Kids or me...

I thought you might enjoy seeing the school uniform list (and other sundry items) for first term at a boarding school, Autum 1979...

brodiesnotes.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-packing-list-from-1979-for-girls.html

Jo