To not buy 'regulation' school uniform

[Edenviolet]

Because firstly it is much more expensive (1 school logo polo top for £7.50 when I can get two plain ones for £5).
Secondly the list states "only shirts (l/s or s/s) with ties. NO open neck blouses for girls. Dd2 hates tight things near her neck or feeling restricted thread hated the shirt tie combo even with top button undone so I have got her blouses with an open neck as she will be comfier.

Db was horrified (his daughter is also starting school at the same time) and he said I am wrong to deliberately get the 'wrong' uniform

It's non comparable really middleagedmotheroftwo. An adult with (presumably) no other health issues and a four year old child with a medical condition requiring her to have two cannulas inserted and to wear two pieces of equipment one with a tube that gets in the way. If I can make dd more comfortable then I will do regardless of uniform policy.
That said, I was unaware you could get l/s polos which I hope the school will be ok with as they too are not officially on the list.

In all honesty, she'll be warm enough with a short sleeved polo shirt and a jumper.

My older two dcs were always freezing in winter, also we have quite a long walk back I think that's why I'm anticipating dd2 getting cold as well. I think we all just feel the cold!

hedgehog - can I just mention again my point about communication. Make sure that the school are going to tell, not just her class teacher, but everyone who could be responsible for her about the insulin pump. It really is important information for us teachers to know. And I can guarantee that it will mean that she wont get into trouble for the things you've mentioned if everyone knows. Make sure they include any lunchtime supervisors in this - we had a particularly nasty one at my primary school who was really obnoxious to my anorexic friend in Year 6.
I'm sorry again for leaping to conclusions before the whole story - thanks for important lesson.
She will be fine. Although understand fully that you're worried about change - any change in routine can affect insulin levels for a variety of reasons.
Good luck to you both.

I think you're being a bit silly not to think the uniform matters at all, but if you can get away with the non-logo polo shirts, you should just do that. Kids can be cruel sometimes, but in my experience, they can be unexpectedly sensitive about poor health or poverty issues if they know what's going on, rather than something they don't understand.

My mum handmade my school skirt in secondary school... It kind of matched the uniform ones but not really. I was a scholarship kid, and though no-one ever ever said a thing about my skirt, I really felt conspicuous. I hated it. Then my dad lost his job when I was at the end of the lower fifth (year 10?) and I got a uniform grant - it was the best thing ever. I got a brand new blazer, skirt and shirts for the first time ever for the upper fifth... They'd changed the style of skirt that year too, so I was one of the few girls with the new style skirt. It felt so good not to be wearing hand-me-downs or stuff that kind if matched but didn't really. My friends knew that my new clothes were from the uniform grant, but I never felt they looked down on me because of that, I was just glad to look right, finally.

As an aside, a couple of people mentioned up thread that they'd need five polo shirts. Would most people change a primary school child's shirt every day? Disclaimer: I'm six months pregnant with my first child so really don't know what's common practice for school children.

Dd always had a clean shirt daily. They get grubby and sweaty or grass stained. Or lunch down them. I bought more than five because I dont have many whites to wash them with. It's a miracle if they make it to the gates clean tbh

This is one of those pointless threads where you are going to do your own thing and are not really asking if you are been reasonable at all...Simply a statement of fact this is what I am doing

I wouldn't worry about the uniform you have bought, it a all sounds fine, both the long sleeve polos and the blouse. It sounds like you have enough to deal with without the added worry of the uniform. I imagine most of them will wear non-logoed polos so it will be the odd ones with ties that will look odd. As long as the uniform looks fairly OK it will be fine.

You know what - this whole issue is one of the reasons my DD is going to the school she is and not to the other, better-rated-on-paper, school she was offered.

The Head of her school is practical. Yellow polos not wearing well....? Fine, chuck 'em, wear white. Grey pants a bind to find... black's fine.

Shirt and bleeding tie on a four year old who's got enough bloody challenges ahead starting school...? She wouldn't even dream of asking for it!

Yet she's ruthless about blatant breaches - no trainers, no wild hair colours, no leggings etc - but basic uniform, she's completely sensible.

The school do insist on logo'd jumpers/cardigans etc (unless medical issue) - but they're bought by the school, sold on at cost. There's also about five options and styes, including a fleece. They're cheaper than BHS/Marks etc, and better quality than Asda and the like. DD's from Nursery still look new, despite a year of wearing, washing and tumble drying.

The result - a school that looks homogenous and smart without stupidity!

If she can do it, for a school with 450 kids in a not-great catchment, at the same time as taking it from being in Special Measures to being the top-testing school in the LEA for KS1 and 2, in two academic years - why on Earth can't everywhere?

I'm a fan of school uniform, but not when it's expensive, deliberately uncomfortable and impractical. Not in Primary!

OP, speak to the Head and explain. Hopefully, they'll be like our lovely Lady, and they'll see the need for an amendment!

If a child has medical issues preventing uniform compliance I'd expect the parent to communicate that to the school so that they are aware. Giles I'd hope any decent school would make adjustments for your daughter.
Parents just choosing to do their own thing though are a royal PITA ime.

George Asda Product Code: 4707192
Hope your daughter has an great first day at school

Parents just choosing to do their own thing though are a royal PITA ime.

And it affects you, how, exactly? How are these parents a PITA to you, specifically?

They certainly affected me when I was teaching. It was difficult and time consuming if parents didn't communicate if there was a difficulty.

Maybe parents just assume that teachers, in common with parents themselves, have more pressing matters demanding their attention that having a conversation about shirt collars.

Anyway, if it helps at all, you can at least console yourself with the fact that it is no longer an issue for you.

*than

Maybe parents are unaware that teachers are often instructed by school management to make such things a focus of attention even when they'd rather be getting on with actual teaching. Believe me I would rather not have had to make lists of uniform non compliance at the beginning of every lesson and follow up instances of it in my form group.
But yes I do take some consolation from not having to do that any more.

So is the real problem the 'PITA' parents or the management? Because I can't honestly see what effect someone wearing a non-uniform jumper would have on a teacher's ability to teach, if you took the lists out of the equation.

You either have a uniform or you don't.

Live with it.

What happens if you don't tell kids off for slightly wrong uniform? Who would know?!

Do away with uniform! It's ridiculous as it is.

If you disagreed with the uniform policy you should have sent her to a different school.

The op said they changed policy in July, She has older children there.

OP, just send her in what you like. No one in the real world will care.