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

But it's fair enough really, it's a way for the school to raise funds.

It would be, if schools were allowed to do this. But they are not. It's the suppliers who make the profit.

Cauliflower again, how on earth is this resolved by choosing an extortionate uniform? Just how? Pita kids will still roll up their skirt/have shirt untucked/tie their tie round their head like rambo and pita parents will still ignore the frustrated teachers trying to enforce the rules - only now, the parents will have more ammunition as they'll be able to complain about the price too.

Well that's your problem. At ds1's secondary it goes like this:

First uniform infraction - note home (for Y7s, if item is wrong colour/cut) or verbal warning (recorded on centralised system) if something like skirt rolled up.

Second uniform infraction - detention

Third uniform infraction - sent home to change/internal exclusion.

According to the Head they spend relatively little time policing uniform because both parents and kids know breaches aren't going to be tolerated. Same with hairstyles. Same with poor behaviour.

School is a comp with a mixed intake. Very successful. Very over-subscribed.

Cauliflower - or in a different world, teacher sees child with skirt rolled up, realises that this in no way affects how information goes into child's head so ignores it and walks by.

If every child has their skirt rolled up and no-one cares then it loses it's shock value and becomes the norm so in effect it really doesn't matter. It only becomes a problem when school decide to make the rules rigid for no appreciable value.

YANBU!
Am doing my order for my Y7 DD and it's not just the logo'd clothes of jumper/blazer you buy from the official supplier but every piece of PE kit is mandatory via the supplier including long socks AND also the plain black skirts and trousers AND it's all online so I'm having to order extra just in case none of it fits. AND the two different types of sodding black trousers look identical (and exactly like boys trousers). Is it too much to have a shop that you could try on these clothes so you can buy something that's a tiny bit too big without falling off them but not exactly the right size so that it's tight in September.
Fondly remembering the summer 7 years ago when I bought 5 polo shirts, 2 skirts and 2 cardigans from Asda for £10 while I'm spending over £200 on state school uniform that's still not including shirts/shoes or mandatory tights (for skirts).

I do think, though, that we - both parents and schools - have an odd relationship with school uniform because, in the 'general public mind', smartness of school uniform / appearance of school pupils is very often conflated with quality of discipline (and by inference quality of education) at a school.

'X is a great school - whenever you see their pupils out and about they always look so smart and neat'

'Y is a really poor school - have you SEEN the way the girls wear their skirts really short? And the tightness of the boys' trousers?'

(My favourite personal example is, when moving to a new town 'A school is really good, they wear shirts and ties at primary. You should avoid school B - anything seems to go there. Some of the girls even wear stripy tights'.

Under these circumstances, you can understand why heads seek to make uniform look smart, because they know - especially if they manage the go the whole hog of plaid skirts and / or blazers with braid to get 'the private school uniform look' - it will instantly raise the cachet of the school amongst the general population. Bizarre, I agree, but IME true EXCEPT if a school already has a very good entrenched reputation, in which case it can afford to have a more relaxed uniform policy without its education being judged.

What a load of bollocks. Was there ever any consensus in the last threads whether other countries manage to educate their children sufficiently with no uniforms at all? School uniform isall about snobbery as far as I can see

Very true can'tkeep.

Oops! Just re-read my post. It looks like im being rude to previous posters. I meant I think school uniform is a load of rubbish, not that other posters were talking rubbish. Sorry for any offence

Can't you see that it's not just a case of "just being assertive" ?
I can, that's why I also listed the schools disciplinary approach for incorrect uniform. BarbarianMum described another schools approach.
It can, and has been done, and I explained this - you have just chosen to ignore most of my post!

You can't patent a colour. The school is lying.

It is simply not legally possible.

Fook that!

I do accept that it must be very hard for staff to get kids wearing correct uniform if the head does not back them up with a sensible set of sanctions. I knew one head who sent home letters, in a primary school saying girls weren't to wear make up, please, because it might be harmful for their young skin!
IMO, heads need to assert themselves and state what the rules are, without making up reasons, just enforce the rules because they are the (perfectly reasonable rules).
I think the fancy uniforms as a means of getting uniform worn correctly is a complete red herring - a very cheap uniform will look smart worn correctly, and an expensive one will still look a mess unless the rules are maintained.

Personally I couldn't give a shit what kids wear as long as they're reasonably covered. However I work in schools with codes of conduct which I have to follow, so my own personal beliefs are not of interest.

No school will ever accommodate what all parents want. We can see from even this thread that some fee "ignore it totally" is the best response to an internal exclusion for the 3rd offence.

Aiming for "general compliance" and ignoring some because the majority are fine is not really fair.

WAxonFeckOff - Is the careers guidance at this school that they can go on to be Bluecoats at Pontins? That's what they look like!

And schools leave themselves open to problems with "sending children home" for incorrect uniform, unless it's them changing and returning - what if parents don't give their permission for their child to leave school or they can't come to collect them or refuse to? They cannot just send them off site like that.

ha ha Allthebest that blue is exclusive don't you know! More likely to be at Oxbridge, Sanford or Harvard! It looks slightly less bright in real life.

If parents refuse to let them go home to change they go into internal exclusion for the day. Effect is the same - everyone knows where they stand.

Patented colour?? Are they applying for Dragons Den??

Barbarian people can (and have) claimed that this discriminates against a child whose parents refuse to pick them up or let them go home and those who do, when the child can return to period 2 in the latter case.
Not saying I agree or disagree but again, not seen as acceptable by everyone by any means. The effect isn't the same, but it is the school trying to manage the situation.

Barbarian,

What do you do about children who you know come from families who cannot change that item - so for example a child who comes in with the wrong trousers / shoes but you know that the family is in no position to buy another pair of trousers / shoes until the next pay / benefit payment day??

When I worked in a primary with a very very high percentage of deprived families and those from chaotic homes, we simply used to clothe them from the 'spare uniform' box (including washing, drying and reissuing items as needed). Does that type of thing happen at secondary?

I've found Asda's trousers to be as good as if not better than M&S. Unfortunately the shops don't seem to have cottoned on to children having to be in school until 18 and that not every child is short and stocky.

Last year we finally found some 33" inside leg trousers for my son in fhe right colour. Shame he's grown again. Can't find any charcoal grey trousers in 35"+ anywhere.

Over the road at DD school, the kilt ps are £50 and there is only one stockist. Hand made in Scotland which is their justification for such a ridiculous price. Oh, if your child has a bigger waist than 28" you have to pay VAT too.

Actually i asked the Head this last month. She said that the parent writes a note explaining the situation, this is lodged with student services and a pass given and business continues as usual (ie no punishment). She's a great woman - combines a rule of iron with common sense.

A few colleagues and I clubbed together to buy shoes for a poor soul at school. Otherwise school uniform that is lost property and unclaimed goes into a wardrobe and we give it away to those needing it after it hasn't been claimed for 6 months.

heads need to assert themselves and state what the rules are, without making up reasons, just enforce the rules because they are the (perfectly reasonable rules).
Yes. Like I say to students, I'd not be a worse teacher if I chose to get both my eyebrows and my lip pierced, but the staff dress code says no facial piercings so it stands.

a very cheap uniform will look smart worn correctly, and an expensive one will still look a mess unless the rules are maintained.
Very true. I wonder if it's to stop 'but so and so is wearing...' but I'd be more than happy to uniform check each morning if it meant having a cheaper uniform (ours is pretty reasonable already).

Aiming for "general compliance" and ignoring some because the majority are fine is not really fair.
True. Because that's how you end up in uniform messes to start with and it sends the message that not all kids are equal.
I'd happily have a general dress code (e.g. black formal trousers, white non fitted shirt, blazer, smart shoes) and then insist on it being followed to the letter.