another school uniform debate

[LittleSilver]

DD1 started school in Jan. I bought her the full uniform.

DD1 got a new headmaster in May. At the end of term I got a letter saying amoungst other things that "due to popular demand" they were changing from a plain aeterx t-shirt to a logoed one for PE.

Now, DD1s shirt still fits her, nothing wrong with it in the slightest and I am really loathe to charity shop it for thsoe reasons. Plus money is really tight; it means a trip into the nearest town to buy said t-shirt, so petrol and parking on top of tshirt. I'm feeding a family of 5 on £40/week, that is money I can't afford.

I fully appreciate the school uniform rules, but this one seems wasteful and silly. It goes without saying that I will buy her a "proper" one as soon as she grows out of the old one.

AIBVU?

Yanbu

I wouldn't bother just for pe

the DCs school have an optional logoed t shirt, mine have never had it. they have plain white Ts ... i wouldn't buy one for PE either

My ds is a lot older than yours, but once I'd bought two logo'd t shirts and he lost them both within weeks I started buying packs of plain white ones from Asda which cost about £2 each. He's never had any hassle about it.

Usually when changes in uniform happen here they have are phased in over at least a year or so. This means that it can be bought when you would normally be replacing outgrown uniform. IMO the school is BU.

YANBU!

has the school said she must have one for september? If so then they are being unreasonable.

I very much doubt that you would be expected to change straight away. I have never know any uniform change that wasn't phased in over a significant period of time. I would imagine that the idea is that the next time you would have bought her one to buy her the new one.

There are children at my son's school wearing jumpers from two uniform changes ago (sibling hand-me-downs I dare say) and that is perfectly acceptable.

What others said, just continue having her wear the "old" shirt as long as it fits her and nobody complains to her or you about it.

Lots (maybe 45%) of kids at our school are still wearing the "old" uniform, I expect this to be true for years to come.

Most would phase it in, so you 'd probably be expected to get it by next September say. Buy it at your convenience, rather than make a special trip, and perhaps she could wear the plain one out of school anyway if it still fits by then.

We have made some uniform changes at our school over the last couple of years and the management Team expect and accept tehre will be a transition time...

We changed colours this time last year but the old colours were perfectly acceptable as uniform throughout the last year as they realise that not everyone buys a full new set of uniform every year. This year they are phasing out one colour option (we had an option of white green or black polo shirts and they are phasing out black as an option) but again, they have said that for the next year that will be fine, just don't buy any more black ones...

Your school should express the same understanding...

Complex uniform requirements are used as a weapon to keep a school middle-class. If those the school want to keep out shows signs of initiative in meeting the rules, the rules are changed to make them feel bad again. My daughters' school insists on names being embroidered on sports and other items, presumably so as to make it clear that people who hand clothes down between children aren't wanted on the premises.

There is a vague argument that uniforms limit bullying and competition. But jeans and a tee-shirt would solve that. More complex requirements, like enthusiastic descriptions of (expensive) foreign trips - my daughters' school has replaced a form-bonding trip to Wales with one to France - are a conspiracy to make it clear to people that they aren't welcome.

Is this a state school? If so they cannot insist on the uniform. I would also write a letter of complaint, maybe citing the Sutton Trust, who regularly complain about uniform being used as a back door method of selection.

You could also mention that changes in school uniform should be with consultation with parents. (But heads who say there is overwhelming support for x, are often those who will argue their point is obviously right even when every parent disagrees.)

I wouldn't buy the new t-shirt btw. My DCs school always say existing pupils can still use old uniform.

DC's school has a very sensible arrangement. They sell iron-on embroidered logos (99p) and we buy polos and sweatshirts from the supermarket. Works out a lot cheaper and more convenient.

It's not legal so don;t worry

And they should introduce a swapover period: we have a change of colour this eyar but with a 3 year swapover so nobody is forced to buy when not needed

I have never seen a uniform change where they don't allow the old uniform to be worn for a transition period so I should think she would be fine to wear it for a while.

Who would "demand" this? The best you might get is apathy from some parents (with the rest generally against). The HT sounds like he is making this up. YANBU, might be worth mentioning this to parent governors as this could be the beginning of a whole remodelled wardrobe for your DD as the head makes his mark on the school.

It's the new head marking his authority isn't it? Like a dog peeing up a lampost.

I'd use the old one, if any questions are raised say that you'll replace it with a new one once she outgrows it but money's tight and you can't stump to that right now with minimal warning. I'd never question or quibble that - from having my teacher hat on there (but then I'm one of those realistic ones who doesn't go off it when non-school shoes appear 2 weeks till the end of term cos they've grown out of their old ones and things).