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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About school uniform?

79 replies

headisintheshed · 11/08/2012 16:48

DD1 is off to Reception in September. The uniform list says a red jumper/cardigan with the school logo. The jumpers are £14 each and the cardis are £12 each and I really can't afford them with all the other things to get.

WIBBU to send her in a plain red jumper or cardigan ? Does it have to be the logoed one? I don't want her to get into trouble but I've even searched for second hand and can't find any yet have lots of plain red from nursery that still fit well.

OP posts:
VoldemortsOlympicNippleRings · 11/08/2012 22:45

If you can't afford it contact the school and they will kit you out in one from lost property that hasn't been claimed or what another parent has donated.

To be fair, DS2s jumper has cost me 19.50 but I have only bought one which he will wear 5 days a week for 35 weeks of the year so its not bad value really.

MulberryMoon · 11/08/2012 22:45

Don't worry that your child will get into trouble for not having the logoed top. A 4 year old will not be told off for not having the correct uniform. That would be a bit harsh! To be honest at our school all children did have a logoed jumper as that was what the head said she wanted. (It was the only item of logoed uniform that was required.) If possible I would try and stretch to one logoed cardi so that your dd has the same as the others, but if that is not an option, I would send her with a supermarket one and then ask at the school office at the beginning of term for a second hand logoed one. At our school they are available for 50p.

MrsMangelfanciedPaulRobinson · 11/08/2012 22:48

I would just buy one jumper with a logo on and buy a plain as a spare. None of mine have ever had more than one school jumper each at a time, and it's been fine. They are generally made of an easy-dry fabric.

I think £14 is excessive for a cardi/jumper but as Mrbojangles1 says, over a period of 6 weeks to save for it it isn't too bad. You could economise in other areas, eg look in charity shops and at boot fairs for school skirts and trousers, and get shirts in Asda or Tesco, to enable you to afford it.

MulberryMoon · 11/08/2012 23:06

Have you seen this super cheap uniform from Tesco? www.clothingattesco.com/back-to-school/basic/icat/value-schoolwear/ If you got that you could then maybe stretch to one logoed item? I didn't understand the comment someone made about it being your choice to send your child to a school with a uniform. I don't know of any school that doesn't have a uniform! Confused

JumpingThroughHoops · 11/08/2012 23:08

Wow Jumping, thanks for those useful government links.

Oh you're so welcome, I hope you CBA to write to your school governors and try and change things.

Yes, Jumping, will do not

sarcasm

MrsMangelfanciedPaulRobinson · 11/08/2012 23:10

MulberryMoon whenever there is a thread about schools on here a handful of posters come up with the 'well you chose to send your child there' comment. I think either they are fortunate enough to afford private education for their children so that they have a choice of schools, or they have no children!

NCForNow · 11/08/2012 23:19

Hoops I m pretty sure the OP was more worried about her dc standing out as different if she hasn't got the logo'd jumper. Not about campaigning to change the rules.

tiggytape · 11/08/2012 23:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FamiliesShareGerms · 11/08/2012 23:31

In your shoes I'd buy one logo-ed sweater for the first day, school photos, assembly days etc and plain for the rest. You might find that there is a 2nd hand sale at the start of the new term too.

FamiliesShareGerms · 11/08/2012 23:33

Meant to also say that no-one can tell whether a white polo shirt collar under a "proper jumper" is on a plain or "proper"polo shirt

Original poster
headisintheshed · 12/08/2012 15:01

I'm not too worried about the logoed tops. She mostly wears pinafore dresses so they're covered apart from the collar. I'm going to go in to the local school shop tomorrow. They don't sell this schools uniform but may know where I can find the logo to sew on myself.

I'm going to buy her a logoed one but my fears were that I wouldn't be able to get one in time for term so she may have to go in plain until the order comes through.

OP posts:
NickL · 13/08/2012 11:07

Our school has an iron-on embroidered logo that goes onto supermarket jumpers and shirts. The badges cost £5 for a pack of six.

DozyDuck · 13/08/2012 11:48

I buy jumpers and polo shirts with the logo on just because DS is a bolter and if he escaped he would have a badge on so someone knew where he was from (as he's also very limited verbally) but the quality of the things are crap. They go all shiny in the wash and the polo shirts buttons drop off :( he ends up looking very unloved after a couple of months!

If I felt secure enough to buy the none logo ones I would. Especially for girls, you can get really pretty uniform without logos on it for girls :)

As a teacher there's no way I would report a child for not wearing logod tops as long as they were in the right colours. I've never heard of that being an issue where I live apart from in private schools.

LucyLastik · 13/08/2012 12:08

This was something I worried about for a while.

DD1 has been at the school since Year 1, when the uniform changed to navy blue v-necked jumper, tie, shirt, navy skirt. HT was drafted in to raise standards following a stint in special measures, so changed the uniform and is very strict about enforcing it. This has not been a problem really, because plain navy uniform is very easy to get hold of.

Last August, the school converted to Academy status. Along with that came a letter that said as we had previously been informed (Hmm no we hadn't) the uniform was changing from September and all children had to wear a jumper/cardi with the school logo on.

DS starts school in September so we went out and bought his uniform. We bought him 2 jumpers (aged 3-4) and we bought DD1 2 cardis (aged 8-9). Dh nearly passsed out in the shop when he was asked for £57 Shock.

After many complaints, the school did offer sew on badges but tbh they are poor quality, just small scraps of material. The logo is printed on rather than embroidered as they are on the actual official jumpers. The sew on badges were being sold through the school at £3 a go, but when you factor in the cost of ordinary jumpers plus the £3 plus the sewing equipment (don't have any of it as can't sew) then you might as well buy the official bits.

I feel that £57 is excessive for logo-d uniform, especially when the rest of it came from Asda and will probably last longer and wash better.

The school's argument is that parents sign a home-school agreement before their child starts and therefore, you have signed to say you will send your children to school in the uniform stated.

5dcsinneedofacleaner · 13/08/2012 13:14

I always buy plain. They get ruined esp by my ds so no way am i paying that much for the jumoers with the logo - they are incredibly poor quality for the price.Most uniform shop will put the logo onto the plain jumpers or you can buy them if its important.

EssexGurl · 13/08/2012 13:46

I would say that you do need the school uniform, I'm afraid. One of our school wear providers will embroider the logo onto items for £5. So, you can pick up a cheap jumper elsewhere and get the logo added. Have you checked that out with the suppliers?

We also have a second hand shop at school where you can pick up things for £1/£2. I got a brand new jumper there for DS for £1. Ask the school about that if money is tight. Might not have uniform for day 1 but you should get something within the first week.

At my DS's school lots of kids went in uniform to the settling in days before they had started! DS didn't - he didn't care but one other child was in tears because they didn't have a uniform. Kids do pick up on these things, I'm afraid.

crosstraineraddict · 13/08/2012 13:48

I've always refused to sign the home-school agreements, Lucylastik.

sancerreity · 13/08/2012 13:53

topknot 'In England primary school uniform is not complusery (sp) regardless of what the school may try and tell you !'

where have you got that information from? I have looked for it and never found it, but i have seen websites for governors saying that they can make uniform compulsory?

NoComet · 13/08/2012 14:01

A lot of our reception/Y1 girls don't wear the logo'd cardigans. DD2 had a her sisters old logo'd sweatshirt and a plain cardigan.

The official ones didn't fit slight girls and the sleeves on logo'd jumpers either fitted for 5 minutes or were huge.

StaceymReadyForNumber3 · 13/08/2012 14:16

How do people get away with their dcs only having 1 jumper? Dd had 3 and we used/washed them all every week. Ds had 4 and usually used 2! I buy supermarket though not logod .

Bumblebee333 · 13/08/2012 14:21

What about asking parents from the year above whose kids have grown out of them? I know i would be happy to pass on jumpers and cardis when my son gets to that age.

Try having to buy a uniform for nursery. WTF?

Bumblebee333 · 13/08/2012 14:21

Sainsburys is so cheap for uniform.

FamiliesShareGerms · 13/08/2012 18:45

DS is a clean jumper every day boy, he gets them so grubby. He's got 5 to ease the pressure on the in-week washing...

Mumsyblouse · 13/08/2012 18:49

I have never bought the logoed jumpers for my two and they have been in school four years. I refuse to buy them as they are nylon/polyester and make them sweat like pigs and look disgusting. Instead I buy M & S pure cotton jumpers or cardigans which are £2 or £3 each and wash brilliantly. I have never been challenged on it yet, but if I was, I would say I would be happy to pay out for a logoed top if it was pure cotton, but as there is not this option, I won't be using them.

Mine have been in three different primaries and no one has made a fuss yet, if they did, you can buy second-hand ones at the school fair or ask to get a couple from lost property.

lastSplash · 13/08/2012 18:58

School office may well be open the week before school starts.

Has anyone asked school office about jumpers donated for 2nd hand or long abandoned in lost property, which are too tatty to sell? I reckon the embroidered logos fare better than the rest of the garment so could be cut out and sewn onto a plain jumper.

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