to think that schools should use pens that wash out?

[ChristinedePizanne]

DS has just started school. School tops (with logo) cost £6.50 each - he only has two because they are so pricey (he has some plain ones from Next too). He was wearing one last week and got pen down the front of it - a pen which his teacher gave him to practice his letters with. There are huge blue ink spots all down the front that will not come out despite repeated attempts with Vanish and washing twice.

I cannot afford to buy him a new top so he's just going to have to wear one with ink stains.

AIBU to think that the school should use washable pens?

YANBU! My DS2 had some lovely new white shirts for school, only M&S ones, so not massively pricey, but they are ALL stained with either pen or paint! They were stained within 4 weeks, I can't afford to replace them that often!

Glad it's not just me. Honestly, I have never known clothes to get ruined so quickly, despite the fact that he's been at nursery and pre-school for ages.

It isn't just the pens. I don't know what sort of paint they use at DS2's school, but it was still a bit wet when he came home, yet 4 lots of scrubbing with Vanish and twice through the washer has only got rid of about half of it from his (£12) logo'd jumper

YANBU - my daughter's pale blue shirts are all stained and I'm not replacing them until she outgrows them.

You're talking about the pens that are used with dry wipe boards. Unfortunately, there's no way round it. There are no washable dry wipe pens that I know of and it would be completely impractical to have the children putting aprons on and off every time they are used. They are freely available in my classroom to encourage the children to write.

It's not just the paint and pens! WTAF do they put in the gravy?

And where would they purchase these magical pens?! Because after 12 years of being Mum I have yet to find a pen that really washes out.

at wheremymilk!

DS1 has ruined all his school jumpers with pens, so I refuse to buy the logo ones now. I just buy jumpers from Sainsburys or Asda now, despite the fact that they are a bit darker than the school ones. I am not paying £9 a pop to replace sweatshirts which will be ruined with indelible ink within a week. He still wears them stained, I just feel less annoyed if he's ruining a cheap jumper than an expensive one.

Littlefish - in that case all school uniforms should be navy. I don't want to send my DS to school with tops with pen on them. I also really resent paying a small fortune for tops which are ruined within the first term.

It's not the teachers' fault - but there are washable white board markers on the market, I know, I've just googled. I'm sure they're more expensive but I am going to ask the PTA to make buying them a priority!

my dds clothes are always covered in glue and it does nto come out in the wash neither can you pick it out dry The glue we use in the house for crafts etc you can pick off - what on earth do they use at school?

I just let mine go to school with pen marks. The school doesn't seem to mind and neither do we.

DD2 (8) came home covered in bright green paint that didn't wash out (luckily it was just her shirt that copped it).

What made me is that she had a pristine painting apron folded up in her schoolbag, but the teacher never suggested to her that she should actually wear it.

Cointreau - I had exactly the same. DS has a painting smock that I made (at the school's request) in his locker - never been worn as far as I can tell. He came home with a soaking wet coat the other day because he'd been searching in the jelly for dinosaurs wearing that rather than his painting smock.

My brothers primary school recently decided to paint their classrooms, so as a "fun task" they all abandoned lessons and painted the walls until finished. My mother went apoplectic when she realized that not only were my brothers shirt, jumper and trousers were ruined, he'd ruined his vest and his underpants too! And then when she politely requested that the school pay for a new uniform as she couldn't afford it, she was told that they didn't have the spare cash to splash out, and the only reason they used the children in the first place is because it wasn't "in the budget" to hire an adult to do it!

And then his teacher had the bloody-minded audacity to send him home from school a week later for wearing a dirty uniform!

My mother went absolutely insane. Completely went off the rails at that point!

I agree OP, I bought my daughter 4 school tops (v. expensive) and all 4 are now ruined due to the schools 'wash out pens'. They are so not wash out. What the hell do the teachers think we wash with, industrial type cleaning stuff??? I cannot get any of it out and I have tried bloody everything. Cheap ASDA stuff from now on. I was tempted to bill the school for the cost of the tops. I am still tempted.

I am surprised at this, my dd has 4 school jumpers as she is a messy child (her friend has 1 ) but all stains come out in the wash, her white shirt is rarely on show and the rest of the uniform is black so doesnt show stains. Only her gingham summer dress stained.

She is still wearing last years jumpers, in fact I am putting them away soon for ds to wear next year. I think the colour (royal blue) is quite forgiving. DS's nursery jumpers are yellow which has fared much much worse

Stealth!

The jumpers (sweatshirts) are navy so they may well be covered in pen, I can't see. Thursday is PE day though so I have been putting him in a nice school logo top, knowing that he was going to take off his sweatshirt. That is when the top got ruined.

I went to great trouble to buy the exact shade of yellow that the school stipulates but I am going to buy him pale yellow tops from Asda from now on, given they don't take any care over them. It's ridiculous to expect people to spend ££ on uniform when they don't use pens that don't wash off.

I feel better (sort of) for knowing I'm not alone, but it's not great that there are so many people whose uniforms are being ruined by being in school

I know. My mother still froths at the mouth whenever someone mentions it. She isn't one to hold a grudge but they really managed to fuck her off, and she's a scary woman when pissed!

I don't see how a pen mark ruins a top.

Exactly, that is why i love school uniform, it gets covered in pen and paint, washed and then worn again. A few marks on a school sweatshirt does not bother me.

I'm glad it's not just me that can't get pen marks out of ds' tops. I thought it was the washing machine not working properly I have tried everything, stain removers etc.. It doesn't help that otherpeople's dc's like drawing on his clothes [sigh]

MILK - most ink marks will come out if soaked in milk before putting them through the wash. When you take them out of the milk (overnight is best, couple of hours usually works) the pen will still be there, but will go int he wash. Vanish etc will 'set' the ink.

FallenMadonna - would you go out wearing a bright yellow top with a load of blue pen blobs all down the front of it?