Would you pay this for one pair of school trousers fuming!!!!

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

School have emailed to say as from September they will be changing the school trousers and skirts and that we will now have to buy from the uniform shop. The changes are that they have the schools initials in black embroidery on the black trouser 🙄. The skirts also have the same but are below the knee etc.

They apparently negotiated a good price and one pair of trousers of skirt could range from £18.50 to £24.50!!!!! Are they absolutely mad I pay £10 for two pairs which fit the school criteria, they are standard smart black school trousers we have never had issues over ds uniform. I normally buy 4 pairs or at least 3 no way could I afford or justify that now!!! I also have to buy a new blazer has ds has only lasted a year due to the poor sizing. Small was was a good a fit but next size was abasolutley massive and the guy at the store himself said there was a vast difference in sizing so I dread to think what the trousers are going to be like. I'm so angry at the school as they are punishing everyone because an minority are disobey the rules. Not mention to they are probably getting commission for uniform sold 😡

I ranted about this before, dds blazer was £79, skirt £36 & jumper £30, the PE kit, without trainers was £198. This is for a normal big standard state school. By the time we bought shoes, shirts & other bits kitting her out for school cost close to £500. It is a bloody disgrace.

You should get as many parents together as you can ... use social media ... and group refuse. It's an outrageous change, and indefensible. IT also violates government guidelines to ensure the basics of school uniforms can be purchased affordably from a variety of suppliers.

DfE guidelines say that there should be more than one supplier of uniform, or at least, they did last year when I was researching this as a Governor. When the LA school I taught at changed the uniform, every student in Year 11 had a blazer supplied, because it was felt to be unfair that parents should have to pay for a garment that would be used for only a few months.

That's the trouble with academies though. They make their own rules. I wouldn't accept it though; there must be significant numbers of parents who object.

At my local uniform shop the skirts go from £19 to £24 depending on size. Why do uniform shops do this. In
ordinary shops skirts and trousers are usually one price for all, regardless of size. I wouldn't mind but the materials cheap and flimsy too.

My DS was threatened with suspension if he didn't wear the correct logo'ed trousers.

Ours were the same price with £4.50 for the logo (4 different house colours) - complete con

Even more of a con was the Heads wife uniform shop (there was 2 in the town Trutex & her non chain one) was awarded the contract to supply ALL uniform.

Now that really kicked off

The changes are that they have the schools initials in black embroidery on the black trouser 🙄.

So you probably won't even be able to see the logo anyway with black on black. YNBU.

Not sure if someone has already said this but Tesco will embroider your school logo onto their school clothing if you request the school to send them the template. There's details on the website. I think it's free.

Not sure if the school will release it though if it's a money spinner

Blimey Nancy that's a lot!

Secondary school uniforms are bloody expensive without adding shirts and trousers to it! My DS13 only needs blazer (£60) jumper£30 ànd PE tops (long £20 and short £15 sleeve) from uniform shop, school provides ties, shirts are any white, trousers any black, shoes black non trainers. Looks like a bargain atm.

If there is no room for manoeuvre on this, could you get a custom T shirt/workwear place to embroider the initials on the cheaper trousers?

Another reason academies are not a good idea.

Another example of how they advertise being for all and community sprited but actually only want 1 type of student.

Those are ridiculous prices. I was annoyed that I have to buy skinny fit trousers for ds (£15 each 😡) rather than standard stuff.

Isn't there a phasing in period? Our secondary changed uniform (used to allow grey or black skirt/trousers now only black) and there was a 12 month phasing in period so kids could continue wearing current uniform (and presumably grow out of it) before parents replaced with the correct colour.

My ds has logoed uniform there are two suppliers one of which is Tesco. The polo shirts and fleeces are around 1/3 more expensive than standard but they are good quality. I just bought a size up and they start out baggy and become fitted.

DC schools has uniform colours for 7-9 and then change 10-11. Most of it has to be bought from the school shop skirts £25 approx I buy 2 and DS needs trousers from M&S he is tall and very skinny and they fit best but again similar price and needs 2 pairs. Not an Academy but church school. This is what you have to pay - have to say the quality is very good and hard wearing. Hopefully my dd yr10 skirts will be handed down to younger dd eventually!

That's cause for complaint, IMO. I have no problem with cardis/jumpers/sweatshirts costing a bit more because they have a logo/embroidery/school colour border. You can get away with one or two of those AND buy them with a little bit of growing room.

Trousers, skirts and coats though should be generic as long as they are the right colour and vaguely close to a recommended length.

Dd always needed the trousers from Next with the adjustable waists that I could yank right in (tiny waist, long legs). Likewise her skirts were never below the knee because the tiny waisted ones were designed for younger/shorter girls. I just wrote an explanatory note for school.

When she joined her secondary school it even stipulated a "school coat" only available from John Lewis at about £60. 😱😱Needless to say I refused to buy it. I think enough people must have complained because after six months we were allowed to send the girls in any black or navy coat.

Sounds as if you need to compromise with jumpers/cardis but politely refuse to buy the £24.50 trousers. And explain why.

"When considering how the school uniform should be sourced, governing bodies should give highest priority to the consideration of cost and value for money for parents. The school uniform should be easily available for parents to purchase and schools should seek to select items that can be purchased cheaply, for example in a supermarket or other good value shop. Schools should keep compulsory branded items to a minimum and avoid specifying expensive items of uniform eg expensive outdoor coats."

There's the official government guidelines!

My kids' secondary 'smartened up' the uniform of logo sweatshirt and supermarket black trousers/skirt when it became an academy.

The trousers are about £20 and the jacket about £40. If the trousers get dirty they have to be washed the same night, so tough tits on my kids if I'm away (and DH wouldn't notice) or working late. They have to go to school with dirty trousers as I'm not buying two at that price for speed-growing teenagers.

I have to be honest and say I'm always wary of how good a school is when they change the uniform.

Always smacks to me of basically having problems and In order to appear to be tackling issues they change the uniform as it's such a visible thing.

People attribute such magical powers to uniform it's just clothing. I would put money on the fact that changing uniform has little impact unless In conjunction with many other factors and in those cases if you were tackling bullying, making students feel safe, improving learning support, creating a welcome environment etc I bet uniform would play zero part in reality.

I am always very sceptical of uniform changes as it is symptomatic of misguided priorities. Although I'm sure many people would disagree with that but I've just heard of a primary school not that far away which has had a problem with knives being brought in. So there are clearly much more important things to deal with in many places a logo on a skirt is just bull shit.

Something supposed to he a leveller costing nearly a months rent with this sort of one supplier nonsense proves it's just a joke

Yes the supplier is Trutex and my previous experiences from them have not been good anyhow, quality inconsistent, orders lost or delayed. Plus it's out of town so 2 bus's for some people to get to. I already have to pay for logoed blazer, tie and PE top. If the logo is on the back pocket then really what it the point unless it's to do with style and a good money spinner!!! They aren't even allowed to take their Blazers off.

Our maintained school has recently introduced compulsory logo skirts for the girls.boys trousers are non logoed.

I agree with the person who said about uniform and image.

I know one local school where they won't allow children to take blazers off even on journey home (and police it!) but they have a major bullying issue they do not tackle.
But if they have the outward standards they hope people will take it at face value.

Ah the goalpost moving school. Insist that blazers are worn to and from OUTSIDE school but if someone is bullied outside school its "nothing to do with us as its outside school"

A school that uses mentally abusive tactics like this themselves arent going to care about bullying.

I dont have DC and im horrified at the prices people are having to pay.
I just asked DH what his answer to this would be if it was us and we had had DC and he said his exact words to the school would be NO FUCKING WAY!

^
👏👏👏

Helena I'm glad I'm not being unreasonable then 😂😂