to be shocked that so may kids have returned to school with incorrect uniform?

[PerpetuallyAnnoyedByHeadlice]

Why? Why buy your kids what can only be termed "fashion" blouses and trousers rather than school uniform ones (and this is primary we are talking about). Why allow them to even say they wont wear the normal polo shirts like everyone else? why buy girls black trousers when the rule is grey - why a grey cardi when it should be green?

obviously if someone has moved into area, or has lost items towards the end of the year, things get a little lax and anything goes, but why buy a whole set of new stuff, that IS NOT the uniform - and its not as if its because its cheaper, its not

the trouble is the kids get used to this and parents pandering to them, but the local secondaries will not tolerate it - I await the annual series of front page stories about how petty schools are for sending kids home for having the wrong trousers, or wearing trainers

I can imagine some of these mums marching in and having a word with their DCs eventual employer about their "right" to be late once in a while, or to not want to wear the provided uniform!

but I so always buy DD red tights when they are not on the uniform list because I think red tights look nice.

Give me strength.

If there is a uniform policy why would you deliberately flout it? If you feel that strongly find a school that doesn't have a uniform.

bonkerz, if having spent £3 on the wrong uniform you then refuse to buy the correct uniform you are indeed bonkers. Why single your DD out as someone whose mother cannot be arsed?

some people just do not feel that school uniform is important

particularly at primary age

and as long as the law says uniform is unenforceable, then people are within their rights to "flout" any rules the school may wish to impose

not much point getting upset about it really

YABU - unless you are the head teacher of course...

Yanbu OP.

I kind of want to have a row about this, but I'm just going to skulk off intstead....

After buying/handing down (from ds1) ds2's uniform, I then discovered it will only be for one ter. For the spring and summer terms, it has to be the 'new foundation' unifrom, which is pe kit for the rest of the school. But it has to be logo stuff, so 3 polos and 3 jumpers @£6 someting each, plus tracksuit bottoms. For Two terms . No one made this clear, and it was mentioned early enough as many people thought they were already sorted re uniform. Argh. I'm trying to scrounge hand me downs, byt ter edont seem to be many around. I'm thinking of buying 2 and 3 sizes too big for I can keep for pe in subsequent years.

I am a strong supporter of school uniform BUT....

I think that the advent of very cheap imported clothes from China and stores like Primark/Asda selling school uniform type clothes have exposed just how huge the margin is on school uniform in traditional school uniform shops. Parents simply will not tolerate it much longer.

We all know how much a basic white polo shirt costs so trebling the price because it has a logo on is no longer going to be tolerated. Parents will revolt and I for one am sick of being ripped off.

If school want a uniform they will have to take some responsibility and allow parents to choose from cheaper generic sources and not just hand the whole thing to the local monopoly school uniform shop.

must admit we just moved schoolsnad had a last minute panic to buy dd uniform so she has only one set atm

Ds2 well his required second mortgage becuas ehis secondry school decided to change their uniform and would not mind as not sinc elong brough stuff as he had outshot everything
But has gone back in the new stuff

Ds3 ok he is not quite in correct school uniform as with teachers permisson has been altered what he wears to allow more independance on undressing and dressing but it is the right colours as dont wnat my kids standing out to much

But i must be odd i like school uniform becuas ethen least know what has to be washed and ready by Monday instead of mum but i wanted to wear my favourite top that I put in wash basket 5 mins ago

Mine wear the correct uniform, but I can't imagine ever having the energy to get worked up about other childrens non-reg trousers / skirts / socks etc

There is nothing enshrined in law that says any child of any age has to wear school uniform.
The rules are made by schools which in turn rely on parents/carers to be pressured into all children looking the same.
School uniforms are there for the benefit of the school.

Why do you care so much?

I bought a non-regulation jacket for DS1 because we are planning to relocate and I am not going to shell out £££s on a fancy scmancy fleece-lined jacket with the school logo on it if we're moving house.

FWIW, I went to a primary school with no uniform, a secondary with a strict uniform and I have turned into a fine upstanding pillar of society. Do you think it's because of my fine secondary school uniform policy, or despite my dreadful slack primary school policy?

My next door neighbors parents were dirt poor and he was made to stand on the satge in assembly and ridiculed by the head about his blue blazer when everyone else had black on.

No doubt it was a hand me down or on special offer but really do we want a return to that or shall we all just worry about what our own children are wearing ?

There is nothing enshrined in law that says any child of any age has to wear school uniform.

Really is that true, because I know people that have turned down places at "better" schools because they couldn't afford the uniform and I also know mums who eaten cornflakes for weeks to buy the uniform which seems tragic if that's the case.

Cant say I normally notice others uniform, but the start of term one of the girls in DDs primary school class had grey uniform shorts on with over the knee socks - far too Brittany Spears IMO.

What still shocks me (and OMG I feel ancient) is girls wearing trousers to school. We'd have been beaten, sent home, expelled or executed, instantly...

Breastmilk, there was a story in the press a few weeks ago about a school that has banned girls from wearing skirts - it's because they all wear such ridiculously short skirts and are apparently unaware of the signals this sends out.

I was so so glad that I isseed out of having to wear trousers to school. I'd have hated it, it really would have ruined my whole school life at secondary age.

missed out on

My DS wears full correct uniform as I choose to put him in it. Other children don't as their parents choose not to.

My DS can argue all he wants - I will not give in or pander (he doesn't at the mo but is only 6)

Other children can argue and be pandered to all the parents choose.

Basically I know there are children in DS class who don't wear the correct uniform but couldn't actually tell you which ones iyswim - DS could

Just be grateful you won't have to explain to your boss why you have to leave work to go and put your 11-16 yo in the correct uniform - whilst trying to explain why they have incorrect uniform in the first place.

YABU what others do is their choice.

Have fallen foul of this today and am a teacher

Ds(6) is properly kitted out apart from plimsolls for PE. He was born with talipes and plimsolls are just not supportive or padded enough. It's compounded by him being narrow at the heel, high arched so he's gripping with his toes to hold them on. So I bought him the plainest pair of pull-on trainers I could find that didn't cost the earth - but he tells me today the teacher said they're not appropriate and he has to do PE in bare feet.

LOL at "executed instantly" for wearing the wrong uniform!

I've just remembered that our secondary school skirts had to pass the "kneel down and if it does not touch the floor its too short" test. And we were NOT allowed trousers till what is now year 10.

I cannot believe that some people will resort to name calling even on such a dull thread. MN at its saddest again - if you have nothing sensible to add why resort to name calling?

And to the poster who said about the headteacher ridiculing the poor kid in the wrong blazer - that sort of thing is totally outrageous. And hopefully a thing of the past. But sadly kids will be kids and they do notice when someone is wearing the wrong thing - & I genuinely wanted reasons why people may do this.

And although it may not be a legal requirement to wear uniform, most schools do have a home school agreement which you sign saying you will agree to all the school policies - this includes seeing that homwework is done even if you think its a Bad Thing. It should also include the uniform

I DO however object to the schools who insist on logoed everything, which makes it hugely expensive

thanks for all the sensible comments

DinahRod - thats a bit extreme- if DS needs appropriate but different footwear for a genuine reason there should be an exception

I find the whole school uniform thing 'must wear thisa logo-ed top' thing strange as I have never had to wear a school uniform. Web wore whatever we liked in secondary

Dinahrod - FFS slip on trainers are hardly spiked running shoes as to what the problem is. DS' school are like this tho btw.

Well a really anal uniform policy would put me off a school because I would think they had the wrong ideas - an obsession with petty rules usually goes hand in hand with narrow-minded attitudes and a tolerance of bullying. DS' current school has a dress code of white or blue, shirts or polo shirts (or school logo t-shirts), grey trousers/shorts/skirts/pinafores blue sweatshirt/cardigan (you can get logo ones but they are not compulsory) and 'sensible' shoes. They are sufficentily sensible not to get pissy about things like sock colour. Its a great school.