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

I'd like the kids to just wear clothes - that's it - smart casual - within decency rules

Local 6 th form has 'business dress' for student - local college has no uniform rules -

Both have equal pass rates

Uniform doesn't show up poorer students - kids know who's got money and it's not about uniform

DS school insist on 5 different shoes - school shoes PE shoes football boots astros outdoor trainers - it's a joke! And they get behaviour marks for non compliance

I wouldn't like to invite all head teachers to buy a full set of uniform and shoes PE kit and stand there and iron and label it all and then make a decision

M and S and John Lewis certainly don't charge 30 quid for their largest size school trousers. They charge between 8 and 18 pounds depending on the range - the only way you can go over twenty quid is if you insist on wool mix.

I don't blame you for being pissed off, that is outrageous, seriously who does he think he is? I would get in touch with the board of governors about this, you won't be the only feeling angry.
Ds uniform has to come from one shop, and everything, except the socks has the school monogram on them.

Maisypops is spot on.

So ban skinny trousers and have a minimum skirt length?

Yes I think almost every school in the country does this but a good proportion of kids and parents don't follow this at all.

I do know of a school which has quite a specific uniform but which served a deprived community and which gave every child a full set of the specified uniform items
Surely that money could have been better spent elsewhere

We had the same in our school (private one) but I just bought normal grey trousers and nobody ever said a word...

Parents ignore bans on skinny trousers and girls roll up their exceptionally tight skirts. That's exactly why these tartan kilts and prescribed trousers are coming in.

I'm in Scotland, we have a patented shade of blue for the blazers, it means they are £45 instead of the average £30.

They don't even wear that well and becasue I have rabidly growing boys, I've had to buy new nearly every year.

I complained, aparantly the pupils chose it. Fine, give them an input but don't let them choose and exclusive colour that costs more for no reason. The pupils who chose it are now no longer even at school. They could clearly just choose the nearest available standard colour.

I agree that this is ridiculous and I hate arguing with students and their parents regarding uniform as I work in a large secondary in a deprived area. The uniform needs to be cheap, clearly explained and readily available. It should not feature trousers you can only buy for £30 from a specialist supplier.

Although, just to be pedantic about it (sorry!) to all those who say you can't patent a colour, just look at Yves Klein. But yes, new HT sounds like a plonker.

But if a child turns up in skinny trousers or a girl rolls her skirt too short then you put those kids in isolation, or detention, or send them home with a note. No need to force everyone to wear exclusive, expensive trousers.

Exactly noble.

If 95% of the school just followed the basic uniform expectations and supported the school following basic rules then most of these silly prescriptive single supplier things wouldn't need to happen.

When I was in school tie and school sweat shirt were the only 2 fixed pieces of uniform thay had to be bought from the school shop (and even then you could wear a plain black jumper if you wanted). Speak to teachers who've been teaching years and they say that attitudes have changed to following basic rules over the years.

Parents ignore bans on skinny trousers and girls roll up their exceptionally tight skirts. That's exactly why these tartan kilts and prescribed trousers are coming in.

But the head needs to just be assertive and say 'your child's clothing does not conform to our uniform guidelines' when there's a problem - prescribing something expensive and sole supplier gives people MORE reason to avoid the 'correct' uniform, not less.
My DCs school insists on correct uniform, without a single supplier (common colours, available cheaply, school sweatshirt available from 3 diff suppliers, who compete, and deliver to your door!).

Parents get a letter and email if their DC wears incorrect clothing, and the school has spare uniform which the kids have to change into, or of they won't they are sent home.
There is v little problem with incorrect uniform (polite reminder letters go home every term, so everyone knows what is expected), and as everyone wears it, no one seems to want to be the one who gets sent to the office to change!

barbarian
We do. And that's possible when it's only a handful.

When you're taking over a school where 50% of the school can't seem to understand/follow basic uniform rules then it's more problematic. Plus within that cohort there's the people who appear on 'angry people in local newspapers' with a story like parent and child ignored rule. School said they would be sanctioned. School sanctioned. Parent is furious that their child was put in isolation because 'they're only trousers/trainers/facial piercings'

But then we get back to the point, does it really matter if they wera skinny trousers or a short skirt etc. We have a uniform code and as long as there is general compliance then no-one gives a toss. One of the highest performing schools in Scotland.

Yes, i moan about the blazer since they've chosen an expensive colour, but they otherwise don't care what version of black trousers or skirt or shoes or what brand of white shirt is worn. And why should they? Not all pupils are the same size or build and the School issue trousers may not be a decent fit for everybody. It's bad enough getting a blazer the right size as they decided to not supply long versions any more so in order to get it long enough some DC would need to wrap it around twice - I was lucky enough to get the last Long version from the storeroom for DS.

wax
Yes it does matter.
I'd happily teach in a school with no uniform, but if we have a uniform it's not difficult to just follow it just like I have to follow a staff dress code when I'd rather wear jeans.

Otherwise you have a uniform but then don't expect people to follow it. It becomes set homework but don't expect the kids to hand it in on time, tell the class they need to be silent but accept whispering. After all, the rules are just rough guidelines that can be followed as and when people feel like it.

So pricing them out of the school is the way to go Maisie ?

Why not just insist on Tesco trousers or Marks and Spencer style x?

Really Maisy? So do you have to buy your trousers etc at a fixed supplier even if they don't fit well? Last time I looked, all teachers are no nearer to all being a similar shape than the pupils are - it's all a waste of time. By all means crack down if a pupil is wearing red joggy bottoms rather than black trousers, but does it matter whether the black trousers are tight or loose?

Just make the policy not so rigid and then you don't have to spend all day ensuring compliance and people will probably comply more.

What is wrong with white shirt, black trousers or skirt, black footwear plus plain jumper/cardi and blazer/tie in school colours? Job done.

Oh and uniform is nothing to do with homework

I've cut and pasted this from a Government publication, www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/514978/School_Uniform_Guidance.pdf - School uniform, Guidance for governing bodies, school leaders, school staff and local authorities September 2013

The bolding is mine, for the parts I think you could use.

The importance of cost consideration

The School Admissions Code 2012, which is statutory guidance, states “Admission authorities must ensure that […] policies around school uniform or school trips do not discourage parents from applying for a place for their child.” No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend, a school of their choice, due to the cost of the uniform. School governing bodies should therefore give high priority to cost considerations. The governing body should be able to demonstrate how best value has been achieved and keep the cost of supplying the uniform under review.

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.

Governing bodies should be able to demonstrate that they have obtained the best value for money from suppliers. Any savings negotiated with suppliers should be passed on to parents wherever possible. Schools should not enter into cash back arrangements. Exclusive single supplier contracts should be avoided unless regular tendering competitions are run where more than one supplier can compete for the contract and where best value for parents is secured.

The Department for Education has produced guidance on general procurement issues for schools and academies (see ‘Further Sources of Information’ below).

Could you buy generic uniform items and claim that they identify as wanky-rare-coloured-ones-with-school-logo?

Just wondering .. .

I went to a grammar school that was ridiculously rigid about uniforms. Jumpers, skirts, summer and winter blouses, PE kit, EVERYTHING had to be bought from one particular independent shop and were all unreasonably priced (and bloody impossible to iron).

Practically every girl in that school still rolled up her (expensive, exclusive) skirt til it barely covered her bum. Unless there's a magical skirt shop somewhere where the skirts are charmed with anti-roll-upable spells I don't think this problem will be resolved. Teenage girls will find a way.

Hahaha schezenfreude!

The idea behind kilts as school uniform skirts is that they're less roll-upable - and of course they're more adaptable to different body shapes - as long as you get the right waist size it will look acceptable.

Kilts, or just pleated tartan/checked skirts? kilts have a plain panel at the front and are a wrap style with buckles making them adjustable in waist size, pleated skirts are pleated all the way around and may or may not be checked or tartan but could just as easily be self coloured.

Patented? It takes a loooong time to get a patent - years, not just a few months.

Also, I may be wrong but I don't believe a colour can be patented. I doubt you'd even get design registration for it.

I call bollocks on this!