to urge you all to label every single item of uniform/ clothing that your child wears or takes to school in september?

[gymboywalton]

Doesn't have to be a sewn in label, just a name in or on everything. A laundry marker would do. Put on jumpers, shirts, p.e , bags, shoes....especially p.e pumps! Please put a name in coats too!! And on bags and water bottles- those sticky labels you can buy are ideal for this.

I work in a school and this week I have spent so much time trying to find items of clothing. At this time of year, the lost property cupboard is overflowing. It is heartbreaking seeing lovely coats, smart trainers and hundreds of identical jumpers all with no name on!!!!

There is no padded tongue on girls shoes.

An older child took home part of DD1's clearly labelled PE kit and brought it back about a month ago after having it for about a year and a half. It doesn't prevent fuckwittery like that unfortunately.

My children have everything labelled, in both proper labels and pen.

Since September ds has lost
1 pair football boots
1 pair pe shorts
2 pe tshirts
a coat
1 pair school trousers
2 jumpers
2 polo shirts
2 water bottles

dd is doing better this year and has only lost her entire pe kit and one polo shirt.

I check lost property at least once a fortnight but their stuff is never in there so I assume someone else has taken it.

Children go to breakfast club daily and are collected by a childminder half the week, this has made it a bit worse as I'm not there to say lunchbox, cardigan etc as a reminder when they run out without it. But really I don't know how they can lose so much stuff.

My children at home put their clothes into the wash and put them away once washed, they get out their own clothes to wear and get themselves dressed. They pack their own pe kits which then stay on their peg for 6 weeks(I do check these). They are responsible for emptying their lunchboxes and putting them ready to be washed and for remembering to take lunch, water bottle and bookbag each day. I'm not sure exactly how much more I can encourage them to be independent...

I've just raided lost property again. Managed to reclaim ds' two jumpers, both clearly labelled with his name.

Also found his coat, which has not been in the bin any of the times I've checked it since he lost it in October. Funnily enough it smells of washing powder. The named neck label has been cut out but they missed the names inside the pocket and on the bottom hem. Too small for him now.

I bought Flappinglad new, expensive kit in year 7. All had name tapes. One tank top was lost a couple of weeks in and reappeared in July clearly having spent the year under a bush somewhere. The other jumper (they have house colours on them) disappeared on October, only to reappear in July with the name tape ripped out. Clearly someone had been using it all year until their son grew out of it. Now, I graffitti the house colours in an obvious place so that it can't be nicked again. Name tapes can be got rid of, labels cut out but obvious marking on a light coloured bit can't. Shame there are some dishonest people but then again the jumpers aren't cheap and if you are on a very low income yet your child is cold, I can see why some might be forced to opportunist means.

Like many other schools, we sell donated/long lost uniform at a very reasonable price (£1-£2 an item). We also have a school uniform shop in school and use Pupil Premium money to subsidise the cost for children who are eligible for PP. Or if they prefer parents can buy the uniform from whichever shop- although logoed items are only available in school the uniform policy does state that a plain item is acceptable. As well as that, when a pupil has lost something and we know the family can't afford to replace it, we have been known to give them something out of the spare clothes box.

So there really is no excuse for anyone to be stealing other children's clothes!

I don't think that money necessarily has much to do with it actually.
My DCs went to a small school in a fairly affluent village. There were several parents who had form for pulling out name labels and keeping items. They definitely weren't hard up!
My friend, who was one of the only parents with kids on free school dinners, often lost items but was still scrupulous about returning things that her kids ended up with by accident.