to think school can cock off with their "patented shade of grey" £17 a pop trousers?

[QoFE]

Normal state secondary school, new head so obvs we need a costly uniform change (less than 5 years after the last uniform change) to reflect the new regime

Despite significant parental opposition (I know because I went to the so called "consultation") we now have to stump up for logoed blazers and ties. Expensive but hey ho, suck it up, whatever.

Except an email has just gone out reminding parents that the trousers and skirts HAVE to be one specific and expensive brand and cannot be cheapy or second hand because wait for it....

they are a patented shade of grey looks like tesco grey to me but what do I know

WTF? Is this even legal? The trousers start at £17 a pair FFS and ones to fit a 6th former are nearly £30

noeffingidea

Most people will be like you and want to get it cheaper.
We deliberately only have a couple of compulsory supplier items because we're quite cost aware so people can get uniform from lots of places.
It amuses me when people complain about a reasonably affordable uniform due to cost but then spend money on status handbags for school.

in fact yes, wtf am I talking about, colours cant be patented anyway, learned that from a designer friend.

Poppypopcorn- we're exactly the same £30 for blazer and £5 for tie from school, everything else black and white including jacket and bag. Keeps it simple and everyone has own choice about what to spend. Primary is grey/ maroon but can get maroon in marks and Debenhams and sweatshirts available from school at £10. It's ridiculous what others need to spend/ hoops to jump through.
My niece is at a state school and it needs to be a wool blazer, a particular colour available only from one shop- her last one was £140!!! Seriously?!

About people insisting that black skinny jeans or leggings are tailored trousers- isn't that easily dealt with by putting 'no jeans, no leggings' in the uniform code? Schools can clearly specify style, colour, length and material without insisting on one exclusive brand

The new head teacher sounds like a right twat.

This with knobs on!

"But I'd love to know who can spend less than £17 on trousers to fit an adult size child to last a whole school year."

You do know that its very unlikely one pair of trousers will last an entire school year.............right???

I'd buy a similar cheaper pair and see if they notice, it's not like they'll be demanding to see the label surely?

My school had a blazer which you sewn on the badge, skirt below the knee, blouse and jumper/cardigan. From what I remember for the most part there were no issues!

No apparently it is a patented shade (patented by the supplier not the school). It's got some blue threads woven in. How fucking wanky is that?

Itcouodbeworse the ones for the older boys are nearly £30. They start at £17, so presumably that is for 11 year olds.

Any school applying to get a to the patent office for a colour and paying the requisite legal fees should be closely interrogated into its spending and shut down for stupidity.

In fact I'd by cheap trousers in the right shade and point out they were manufactured outside the UK be as to see their patent and let the school sue the manufacturer for using their particular shade of grey them the school can pay for all the children's trousers for ever more.

Schools are finding it harder to keep the poor kids out and have to keep coming up with new rules, such as this, to dissuade such oiks from darkening their doors. Once rumour gets around you have to stump up hundreds of pounds for new "patented" uniform, only the wealthy will choose your clearly exclusive establishment. Obviously children in the 'poor' shades of grey will be given some colouring in to do in isolation until they quit, or are driven to poor behaviour and are expelled.

That's what they hope, anyway. Two schools here did it. They said "due to 'issues' with supermarket uniform..." Issues like what? That everyone has it? That it's not exclusionary enough?

Or, in the case of academies, the only thing that matters is profit. Screw learning. Bump up the price of the uniform 'from our single supplier' and install more vending machines. The shareholders demand it.

I agree with PP about abolishing school uniform. My DC went to school in a country with no uniform and everyone coped just fine. No bullying about clothes, no stressing, cheap. I don't get the obsession with uniform in the UK.

Are they confused between trademark and patents op?

OP YANBU.

Marks and Spencer boys school trousers for 15/16 year olds are 17 pounds for two pairs and there will almost certainly be a 20% off deal at some point in August.
Asda school trousers for the largest size are 6.50. John Lewis's basics range are 16 quid for two pairs.

So yes, that's a big old difference and there's absolutely no guarantee that the ones from the suppliers will be any better quality or last longer.

LaArdilla is absolutely right here, its all about pricing the poor out of certain schools.

This is something that really needs government intervention as it is excluding able but less affluent pupils. Only fee-paying schools should be able to dictate uniform teethe nth degree.

This is shameful exclusivity.

I don't know if I would try to get away with a cheaper pair though - sounds like this wanker of a head might be one of those who publicly humiliates kids if they aren't "just right" in respect of uniform.

I don't like uniform changes for the sake of it. In fact, I never got used to the "Four Mary's" in shell suits/

May be worth pointing out that this is counter to government direction on school uniform, which specifically urges schools to ensure there is a choice of supplier to encourage reasonable pricing:
www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-advises-schools-and-suppliers-over-uniform-prices

OP buy just one pair, try and get other pairs as close to the shade as possible (and it will be possible,) and then just interchange them.

Then if they take any action go nuclear with a sad face in the local press.

Sorry - strike through fail.

Well spotted Tennis

" But decent quality ones for £17 seems par for the course."

No its not, decent quality ones are available from around £10 in the real world

At our school the girl's trousers have to be purchased from one uniform supplier and have to be logo'd, the school seem to have chosen the ugliest most unflattering pair of trousers they could find for the girls, so they could force them into wearing the logo'd school skirt, while pretending to offer a trouser option for the girls - the boys can get their trousers from any shop they like!

Your child can't be excluded for wearing a pair of trousers that are grey if you've contacted them to explain you cannot afford the 'regulatory' pair and have bought him a similar pair, it is law that children must attend school so as long as you make every effort to get similar trousers within your budget there's not much they can do. My daughter starts a private school this September & they are strict about uniform but they can be second hand and nothing is patented.