to think £18 steep for school jumper

[whatkatydidathome]

dd starts middle school in Sept. The uniform is burgandy so easily available from most shops but they insist on particular jumpers with a logo. These are only available from a small local menswear store (with very un child friendly staff). We also have to buy 2 rugby shirts with our childs name printed on them (as well as logo) so second hand not an option - these are £12 each - plus huge assortment of logo-ed track suits etc. Comes to about £400 - and will need to be rebought each year. I complined to council who said that it was nothign to do with them and that it was assumed that parents accepted the uniform cost when they accepted the place. This is not true as we are rural so this is the only school our children can attend. They also said that it was assumed that parents who coul dnot afford the uniform would make different choices about schooling .

Miss Cromwell - in answer to your question; you can make a FOI request by e-mail, which can be from any type of account - yahoo, hotmail etc, thus allowing anonymity if preferred.

When FOI was first brought in, Government guidelines initially suggested that requests should be made in writing, with a proper return address, however this changed very early on. Even if you made your request by text message, there is a duty to reply.

another argument to use is the waste angle, all these good clothes ending up in landfill potentially.

Very environmentally unsound policy. I cannot see how any school could argue against the waste argument.

Our school gets round that one by sending any donated used items to an African orphanage.

I would not have my children's name on the outside of a uniform; I think it is inappropriate to make it easy for strangers to ascertain a child's name.

I've never had the blazer conundrum to solve, but have got round logos on polo shirts/ sweatshirts by getting just one of said items, then enlisting help of cousin who used to work in a knicker factory adn who has an all-singing all-dancing sewing machine.

I probably shouldn't be posting on thus as am on holiday relaxing and my blood pressure will start climbing again. DD's state Middle school logo polyester fall to pieces after a year jumper is £19.50. One supplier only and 10% of cost goes to school.

They had a bit in the newsletter saying there were some second hand ones for £3. I trotted in and was given the world's most mankiest, falling to pieces collection of jumpers and was completely gobsmacked they had the cheek to ask for money for them.

Was going to rebel and just send DD in plain black jumper but a friend has organised an embroiderer to put on the logo for £4 a jumper so just need to find some plain jumpers.

I was so shocked over the whole thing that I probably over did the gratitude to DS's school secretary for selling school sweatshirts at his school for a mere £8 which seemed a compete bargain in comparison.

BoffinMum, illegal contraband chocolate or sweets gets confiscated. I was hauled over the coals for giving dd1 a mini box of smarties in her lunch box when she was in EY - she was allowed to eat them but only because it was the 'first time'. She'd got them in a party bag and as she was feeling a bit low I thought they'd make a treat.

Have since written to the school now that I am officially a PITA to ask them to justify continuing the choc ban whilst serving choc pudding, custard pudding and fudge cake on school dinner menu. Apparently this is 'nutritionally balanced'.

Molly, my friend who is a scientist raised the environmental impact with the school. The sop to parents is that we can keep one to use as PE uniform (so only eight into landfill in our house then). And as noted he will not pass them on to a school in Africa because the school logo is on them.

The trouble is that if we don't comply it is the dc who suffer. Dd1 was actually threatened with being 'frowned at' because her white PE top had a bit of broderie anglais on the sleeve. No problem this year as we've had to buy PE shirts, too. If they don't have the right lunchbox or disposable bottle then they get it in the neck, not us, and if the food or drink is wrong then it's taken away.

I agree - it is the dc who suffer which is why I feel that it is effectively emotional blackmail.

Sarklerainbow - how do you manage not to?

Emotional blackamil is about right. Control freak will also do. What really annoys me is that they issue these mad ideas and then treat you like you are a bad parent for questioning them.

What worries me reading this is the poor quality of the stuff people are having to buy for silly prices.

DD is in a private school and the uniform is hugely expensive but it lasts and lasts well. Her school coat for example is about to enter its third year of use and still looks almost new although a lot shorter and will probably have a resale value next year. Her blazer which would have been early 80 new was second hand (18) so I've no idea how long its been in use but again it looks and feels new. The jumpers last at least 2 years and probably more judging from the numbers in second hand sales but they are expensive new (32).

I'd go mad if I was paying for poor quality rubbish that fell apart after a term or two but we're not and although its hugely expensive new its worth it after a few years use and we can recoup some cost by selling them on in the second hand sales

We've been looking at a fee paying school for the dc and although the uniform is more expensive it's so obviously better and they too have second hand sales. Can't afford the fees though.

The new school jumper for our dc is acrylic - it's so thick they won't be able to tolerate it except when it is freezing. I've raised the issue of the cheap itchiness of it with the school and been told it'll be okay with fabric softener but the care label says not to use it. We've also been told that if we tumble dry them they'll shrink.

the £18 ones are also cheap acrylic rubbish. I don't mind buying acrylic for acrylic prices but object to paying £18 for them.

Ours are £12-£14 but my eldest is only 8 so it's obviously proportionate.

I object to buying acrylic full stop when the old ones were soft cotton mix. But I get apopleptic when I see the same jumper in ASDA for £3.

spiritmum Fri 13-Aug-10 08:38:23
Emotional blackamil is about right. Control freak will also do. What really annoys me is that they issue these mad ideas and then treat you like you are a bad parent for questioning them.

I agree.

There are so many important things that children need to learn, such as respect for others, dealing with conflict, timekeeping etc, that it just seems perverse to pile silly rule on top of silly rule. It means the important ones get lost in it all.

Whatkatydidathome - I have explained to my children from an early age that it anyone questions their uniform they are to say "Mummy chooses what I wear, she told me to wear this so please talk to my mummy" My ds had to say this once when he was five,..... no-one ever came to talk to me then or since. The children always are smart and clean, wearing sensible shoes etc and supermarket bought school colours for the basics. Occasionally my dc ask me why they do not have the bags, fleeces etc but I just say they are expensive and they have coats, bags etc in their favourite colours which is much nicer anyway. Sometimes other mums come and say things to me like I hear that dd came in pink socks yesterday, I just smile and say "that's right, she loves pink". It is just bonkers. As for sending my dc to nursery in their own clothes, every time I see the brand new school prospectus I smile at my dd in a full page spread wearing her favourite stripy t-shirt - small pleasures, at the expense of a ridiculous uniform.

I suspect that the kind of children who will only make friends with ones who wear the "right" trainers from the "right" make - you know, the ones that the uniform is supposed to scupper - grow up to become the kind of governors who insist that you buy the "right" jumper from the "right" shop

I think that the problem is that once the school specify suppliers then there is no incentive to keep the quality good.

When DS started infant school I wondered what all the fuss was about with the cost of school unifrom.

A couple of pairs of grey trousers from M&S, a few plain white polo shirts, and the school sweatshirt for £6. I was laughing.

He's ju7st started high school and I feel you pain.

The blazer, with embroidered logo can only be bought from one shop, as can the logoed PE socks. Logoed socks, FFS!

The school ask for £60 per year per child towards the school fund, which I intended to pay. But because I've spent so much on uniform, I now am not sure I will /can.

I might send my younger DC to the same school, just so I can reuse the uniform...if DS1 hasn't lost/wrecked it all.

Exactly, YOC. One thing that worries me is that it was being sold to parents as the older puils wanting to 'improve their self-esteem' by 'smartening up' their appearance. I did write to the head and query why he was encouraging the not neccesarily very wise link between self-esteem and appearance which he said was a 'very interesting point of view'. I did suggest as an alternative to a whole new uniform there coudl be some kind of award for yrs 5 and 6 whereby they could have sew-on badges. Everything that they earned during their school time (the school has 'endeavours' and 'citizenships' ) plus sports awards, music certs, time given up for volunteering, competition wins, anything that could be independently verified could have gone towards them. Maybe there could have been gold, silver and bronze or something, I don't know.

But nope, an acrylic jumper and elasticated tie is much better for the self-esteem of young people, apparently.

Lynette, it's not a school beginning with the initial H is it?

If so, the governors are onto this and seeing if it can all be toned down as it's got a bit out of hand.

Sorry, 'it' being the new uniform and 'puils' being pupils.

?30 for jumper with crest and ?45 for PE top. both compulsory. Be grateful!!

why are governors so bothered about settign the costs so high? it does seem like it is maybe about keeping a certain "type" of parent in the school

Katy, our school has an unofficial mantra 'it's like prep school education but on the State'.

I don't think with our school it is about keeping a certain 'type' of family away so much as an attempt to project an image of being something that it isn't.

It's also a very middle-class (for lack of better description) area and the assumption on the part of the school at every turn is that money is no object.

People buy into the idea that the stricter the uniform the better the school though ..bollocks imo, hell would freeze over before I would put a nursery child in a tie