to think £92 for PE kit is extortionate?!?!

[seeitoldyou]

My DD will be starting at a top grammar school in Sept. Up until now she has been at a below average state primary (which just got slated by ofsted). I am giving you this background to emphasise just how unfair it is that the parents of intelligent kids from poor or normal (us- 2 parents working, own home) backgrounds are essentially penalised for wanting our children to attend a grammar school. We, as a family, are so pleased for DD to attend this school as I think it will be the right place for her. But I can't help but feel annoyed that the school is charging so much for essential items. By the way, I have checked if I can buy some of the kit elsewhere and have been informed that I cannot as all the kit has the school logo on it! Don't even get me started on the actual school uniform........

Sorry I meant to say local and national press, I have been drinking Cava. Not being sucked into paying for extortionate uniform enables one to do that.

I wouldn't send my ds to a grammar school either, he will be going with his mates to the school 5 mins away wipes out potential in one swoop

twinklypearls- it's great that you challenge your most able pupils daily. But my DD's experience so far has been a very different story. It is a testament to her and her alone (not the school in any way at all) that she is the way she is now and has not given up and become totally demoralised with school. I know I will get some MN teacher's backs up but this is the reality of what we as a family have experienced ever since she started school- lack of challenge, not a single child on the same 'wave length', no adequate 'gifted provision' and no understanding of how sensitive and perfectionistic such children can be. I am hoping that she will encounter children who are similar to her at her new grammar school (of course there are also lots who have come from prep school and have been practising for the 11+ since the age of 7!!).

Very odd all this. I've had/ got seven at a top grammar and I've only ever had to pay a modest amount for PE kit. Logos? Not here. A few quid each for flimsy polo shirt, flimsy gym shorts, rugby shirt (no logo), rugby shorts, rugby or hockey socks. £20 in all? There's an optional hoodie but that's synthetic and a reasonable price too.

We do have a second hand option as well.

Clearly doesn't affect sporting prowess or academic results.

Certainly no social cleansing in this neck of the woods.

YANBU but I thought that schools were given guidance to prevent them from effectively deterring parents from opting for their place of education because of the cost of uniform these days? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm not then it's certainly worth making a fuss about.

I recall my own school days of a VERY strict uniform policy, all which had to be purchased from one single shop and realise now how difficult that was for my lone-parent mother. That's not something that should still be happening 35 years further down the line.

And well done to your DD for her achievement, btw, I hope that she'll be very happy and successful in her new school. :)

Agree with DBF.

Our school has a policy of watching the cost of all items of uniform and the stockist is the same low cost stockist for every comp around.

If there is a real need then a parent can apply to the school for assisitance.

You should certainly have a word about the cost with the school: if one grammar can make sure that cost is very carefully monitored so that that in itself doesn't deter (and also provides help for those in real need), then why can't they all?.

Same here, you have to order from the school. But... saying that it is really good, solid quality and if you buy it one or two sizes above it should last ages. I have had to buy Hockey, Cricket and Rugby kit but do expect years out of them (except footwear of course). Even the blazer was school only, but it is great quality and will last him another year I think.

My other DC went to comp and replaced his blazer every year it was like a rag. His football kit had exactly the same thing with name on back of shirt, school logo etc. He lost his whole kit in the first term! Had to replace it all.

At least DC2 looks after his!

Freegle is a good place to ask for area specific hand me down uniforms for FREE.

Seeitoldyou I agree with your comment, I couldn't do it to DC2, he was different and would have been a crime to send him with his mates.

Normal secondary school kit does not require anything other than white t shirt, i.e 2.99 for a polo and navy shorts 1.99 for a football shorts pair.

Neither of my children have ever had to have football boots. If they needed tracksuit bottoms they wore an addidas pair that they already had.

I'd estimate a normal secondary school kit cost nothing more than £20

You should make a request on Freecycle. My neighbour's daughter got into the grammar where we are and she got quite a lot of stuff from there. She managed to get a blazer and some PE kit.

I suggested she put a card in the local Sainsbury's board and she got loads of stuff from there too at very little cost.
I have two granddaughters at the local girls grammar and it's a constant struggle.

The school knows exactly what it is doing. It is keeping people lower down the social ladder well away from its school by every means possible, thereby creating a pupil population that is as homogeneous and easy to teach as possible, leading to the best possible academic results for the school. It's the same with fancy prospectuses, expensive semi-compulsory school trips and drawing catchment areas very carefully. And it's not supposed to be going on.

I would ring up the head of the PTA and ask for advice about this. They may have a stash of second hand or lost kit you can 'borrow'.

BTW it cost us £400 to kit DS1 out for his comprehensive school in Y7 and a further £200 last year as he had grown out of so much of his stuff. I spend £600 a year on fares to get him there, and £400 a year on language-related trips (exchanges) that are pretty much compulsory as it's curriculum related, overseas and the entire rest of the class is going. It's a helluva lot of money.

One of my sons went to the Royal Grammar school in High Wycombe. When I got the uniform list, I thought they must think he's a bleedin' centipede!
Different shoes for everything. Black plimsols, football boots, white plimsols, trainers for cricket....
Having said that, the school were great. They have a philosophy that no child should be penalised because of the school they attend. He went on all school trips, including the ones abroad, and the school footed the bill.

Yes, our normal comp requires at least £130 to kit out for uniform including PE kit, not counting trousers and shirts which can bought anywhere. The items are all badged and can only be bought from one shop. They are strict about uniform.

However, if uniform was banned, there would be the issue of constantly evolving fashions, meaning the clothes would be harder to pass down to siblings.

It is normal and £20 for football boots is cheap, don't get me started on football boots (my DS hates football so we have to buy new ones and they get worn once a week for 20 weeks at most, then we have to buy new ones).
The good thing about girls is they like skirts to be short, so they don't need new ones when they get a bit short.

SeniorWrangler !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where does this conspiracy stuff come from?

Check what you actually need - for example our school lists a fleece ( as well as a sweathshirt top) but no one ever wears it. ALso the sweat top might be logo'd but the trousers can be any basic black ones ( even if they say it should all come from a specialist supplier).

Buy big - hopefully it will last longer. PE shorts for example can easily start at knee length and end up crotch length and will last 3 years :o

Our school does a second hand sale so Ive never bought anything new, but it does take a huge amount of work to organise it. Mind you - they store evrything from one sale to the next which is a huge effort - you could do it on a much smaller scale by having it as a 'bring your labelled stuff, and come and pick up the proceeds (50% of sale price) and any unsold items.'

My daughter moves schools in september, I have added her pe kit total and its £138.60 - not including a hockey stick and boots. But that is private school, and we bought it all last year for our son so had an idea of costs. What annoys me is like the uniform, the girls version of everything costs a lot more.

a dentist parent has offered to fit all pupils compulsory gum shields for rugby and hockey at a cost of £70! thank goodness we can arrange that ourselves for free!

My DD is at grammar and the PE kit cost that much, my neice's who is at an academy's cost even more as they need dance clothes too, YAB an bit U as that is simply what things cost, nothing to do with it being a grammar. I am hoping to only have to buy one more set of these during her time, as they have absolutely no wear on them with a year so far's use.

Have managed to kit ds out for about £100 so far using M and S 20% discount and school's 2nd hand shop. However much of the sports kit has recently changed so not yet easy to get 2nd hand - that will probably cost as much again and ds isn't even sporty !