AIBU to think that school supplier is charging far too much for for uniform?

[shelsco]

DS2 starts secondary in September and the school has changed its uniform to one with a blazer, jumper, tie etc. DS1 is at the same school but until now has had the old uniform. I've just been online to price up the cost of a blazer and tie for each of them, 3 jumpers each and a P.E. kit for DS2 and its come to £169. I haven't ordered trousers or shirts yet as I was going to get them from supermarkets and obviously they'll need coats and shoes. I also have 2 younger children who are at the primary school but as they don't have to have the logoed stuff their clothes should be cheaper.
Is it just me, or does the cost of the secondary school uniform seem extortionate? I'm sure it didn't cost anything like as much last year for the uniform for 4 of them!
What does everyone else pay?

[phantomnamechanger]

SDTG - yeah, it's no wonder stuff "goes missing" , is it?

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

And how could I forget the blazer from ds2's school (a,different school to ds1's secondary school - don't get me started on that) - it was available from three suppliers, but even the cheapest was £35 and that was a special price for new starters (an inducement to get us to choose a particular shop).

And then dh sponged off a custard stain, decided to iron it dry, and burnt a perfect iron-mark onto the front of it before ds2 finished his first term so we had to buy another one just before Christmas - and without the special deductions the shops,had been offering in the summer, the best price I found was £45!! I was not best pleased.

[marriedinwhiteagain]

Yes tribunal she went to a comp in yrs 7 and 8 and it was 400 - about the same as the indy we sent her to. Blazer was 100ish and blouses were 30 for two, jumper 27, skirt 27, PE sweat 30, sweatshirt, PE kit, incl leotard, dark coat shoes, etc.

The indy uniform was a bit more but they are less fussy about the PE kit.

[pointythings]

Schools do try it on, don't they? This is the single most important reason why I oppose school uniform - because it is used by schools and suppliers to fleece parents.

We are very lucky - DD1's secondary school has really kept costs down. The only compulsory items are the blazer and clip on tie, and the PE kit - total cost £42. It all still fits DD1 as I bought it large and will go another year.

Not all schools are that morally sound, apparently.

[tribunalhelpneeded]

Its just so much money. The next nearest (and just as good) secondary has a school sweatshirt with a logo £17. The rest of the uniform is bog standard, white polo shirts, grey skirts/trousers, PE kit is plain white t shirt and navy shorts/joggers. Based on what we spend on primary uniform it would cost £70 total.

[marriedinwhiteagain]

But if there wasn't uniform you would have the hollister kids out in force with their expensive trainers, etc, and that would be so much worse wouldn't it. Dd will probably do three years at her present school - 150 a year - not a big problem. If we hadn't moved her we'd have got five years out of it (she hasn't grown much).

[tribunalhelpneeded]

Ok but the middle ground is surely to not have everything with a logo and only from one supplier? It could still look smart.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

We moved to Scotland 5 years ago, and that meant moving the boys to a different school, and that really helped with the uniform issue. For a start we were able to get them all in the same school, and secondly their new school had a very sensible uniform policy - black trousers or skirts, white shirt, tie and either black cardigan or fleece or v-neck jumper, none of which had to be logoed, and the school tie. PE kit was any sports kit as long as it was not related to a particular team, and was sensible sports kit.

The S6s (the equivalent of year 13) wear a blazer, and that is a bit pricey (£60 for ds2's last year, iirc), but that is the only expensive item they have to have.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I forgot to say - as tribunalhelpneeded says, despite not being logoed, the children do look smart. And a fleece/jumper/cardigan is so much more practical than a blazer - easier to wash, and far cheaper to replace if it gets damaged beyond repair.

[Oldraver]

The local comp has recently changed its uniform and its all logoed...even down to fancy pants polo shirts with coloured edging the school logo and what I presume is the house name on it, in house colours..

I think I will start saving now

[Enfyshedd]

Oh for the days when I was in school and the only thing which "had" to be bought through the school was the tie. I'm in Wales, and started school full time at 3yo - I had the same tie from the day I started meithrin - that's nursery class to the rest of you - throughout primary school until it was nicked by a bully with 1 term to go. School let me off having to buy a new one as it was only a couple of months, and just lent be one for the school photos.

[RealAleandOpenFires]

OP YANBU...far from it.

I hate it when schools hold parents over a barrel with re:- to "logo this, logo that & btw it's only available from one place".

Parents should refuse to go along with that crap.

I have all this to look foreward too in a few years and I'm not going play this "stupid logo everything game" My son will be dressed in what I can afford (school clothing wise)

[Theas18]

good luck with that attitude at secondary realaleandopenfires....

secondary school uniform is compulsory and as has been mentioned, no uniform would be much more " label lead" . in terms of pounds a week it really isn't expensive

[trinity0097]

I think that schools that have gone down the line of insisting of a particular skirt look so much smarter, some standards of decency enforced then! It might seem irritating when your kid is in yr 7, but by the time they are in yr11 you will be glad that there is only one skirt that they can have!

Most of the kids at the school I work at have max 2 jumpers, one on one off, I would imagine that most only have one and it gets washed at the weekend if necessary. I would make sure that you have 5 shirts as it is these that get sweaty, and you can by them cheaply elsewhere.

[MsIngaFewmarbles]

Do they need 2 jumpers if they have a compulsory blazer? That will be an extra £30 :(

[twinkletoedelephant]

I have 3 sets of uniform to buy twins id's just starting and Dd changing schools minimum we could get away with is just under 150 buying shirts polos trousers shoes trainers etc from Tesco

No idea how we are going to find the money. And that's only buying 1 logo jumper each for the dt's. :(

Plain jumper in Tesco £3. From uniform shop £16 only difference is the logo

[looneylovegood]

DC school has logoed items avalible if wanted, the also changed supplier after complaints from parents about price, from a privet run one to tessco. Also while the uniform is blue shirts and navy skirts/jumpers and that you are allowed to have some in black and white if you explains to head teacher why. Also no P.E uniform.

[pointythings]

To all those supporting the rip-off - what's so wrong with the middle way solution proposed by some people here? One logo item for classroom work (a blazer or a sweatshirt) plus one item for PE (a shirt). The rest to be in set colours but available from any high street supplier.

marriedinwhite for some people £150 a year is a heck of a drain on the budget. And that's not counting multiple children and replacing lost or damaged stuff. Sole suppliers and any but the minimum number of logo'd items should be banned.

[HouseAtreides]

DD1 is starting secondary in Sept... At the school with the most expensive uniform in town :( Just for starters:
Blazer £40 (smallest size, larger sizes cost more)
School skirt £36 (fucking £36!! Each!! for smallest size, larger costs more)
School blouse/shirt £16 each (a particular shade of pale jade green which no other suppliers do)
That's just the start- the list is exhaustive, including ballet pumps/leotard/leggings, hockey boots/socks/gumshield, etc etc. Gaaaah.

[lljkk]

I started a thread about costs & what OP is paying sounds fairly typical (sorry). I am looking at a final bill around £300, too. I could have only gone cheaper, really, if I knew where to get some 2nd hand. They should have a transition phase where old & new uniform are both acceptable, though.

[marriedinwhiteagain]

But pointy things it's only 150 because she moved at the end of year 8 and we paid 450 for three years. Had she stayed where she was it would be 80 per annum.

Surely people know what secondary school uniform costs and plan for it; just like some people pan for a new washing machine or even university fees. 80 per year on clothes (probably plus a pair of shoes they will need anyway is not unreasonable). If they weren't wearing uniform they'd be wearing other clothes which cost money - probably a lot more than 80 per year.

[Xihha]

YANBU, school uniform does cost way too much but your's really isn't the worst around, DD starts primary school in september and its £285 for her basic uniform and that's before I've even looked at shoes and PE kit!

[shelsco]

Well it does sound like I'm getting off lightly compared to some but I must admit I didn't realise quite how much more expensive secondary uniform would be. I have 4 children and have bought uniform for them all this year but because DS1 was in the old secondary school uniform (still logoed but cheaper) and the other 3 were in the primary uniform (also logoed but with supermarket PE kit etc) I spent nowhere near what I'll be spending this year.

As someone said it might only work out at £5 a week and if I'd realised just how much it would come to I would have put away the necessary money but because I didn't I only put away my usual amount for uniform and now am going to struggle to pay for the rest. It's easy to say it only works out at a certain amount a week but as I can't pay for it weekly (unless I get a credit card out to buy it) that doesn't really help!
Obviously now I know what it costs I will start saving for next year.

[HouseAtreides]

Oh I've known and budgeted accordingly for this whopping bill but it will still stick in my craw when I hand the card over!! It's a bloody monopoly, one supplier who makes a fucking fortune.

[pointythings]

marriedinwhite there are people in the UK with children in the state system who are relying on food banks. Schools could hold down costs by not insisting on sole suppliers and logos on everything - state schools! To my mind that is immoral behaviour - squeezing money out of people who have no other choice and no option but to pay up. Schools could make do perfectly well with a minimum of logo'd stuff and allow parents to shop affordably, but they choose not to do this.

Meanwhile the uniform suppliers are laughing all the way to the bank and schools are no doubt creaming off a share.

It's also anti-competitive practice and if you're in favour of a free market it runs counter to this also - the big uniform suppliers know they don't have to compete on price or on quality because they know people will be forced to buy their stuff.