to think that a state school should have affordable uniform

[brizzledrizzle]

An acquaintance has just been to look at a state school for her 11 year old. A single set of school uniform (blouse, skirt, jumper, tie, blazer plus PE kit which has to come from the approved suppliers) is nearly £250 even before you've started buying shoes.

It might as well be a private school.

Madness. I bet it’s an academy. They are allowed to do as they please, and not just with uniform!

I have tried to rationalise is by thinking that she will be wearing every day for a couple of years, although it probably only works with skirts. Trousers are grown out of more quickly.

YANBU, it's ridiculous. School uniform should be basic polo shirt, trousers/skirt and coloured jumper available in Asda/sainsburys/tesco. Jumper with school logo available but optional. Comfortable and affordable.

It makes no difference whether academy or maintained school. Both can set their own uniform policy.

But I agree that £250 for uniform is ludicrous.

I thought state schools uniforms had to be available from a certain number of retailers within a certain distance of the school. Obviously not the branded stuff.

I knew a school local to me had to change their uniform as it was yellow shirts (proper ones not polos) and they were not available anywhere but through the school.

That's outrageous. At ds1's school nothing is bespoke. You can buy badges for £5 to attach to black jumpers or blazers if you don't want to use the school supplier, tie is £5 and beyond that black trousers/skirt and white shirts. We kitted him out for around £120 and that was w 4 pairs of trousers and 5 shirts.

"They are allowed to do as they please, and not just with uniform!"

Not really. They are still bound by the guidance for all maintained schools that uniform should be affordable, and not usually single supplier.

But it's only guidance, there are no teeth behind it, and poor practice goes unchecked. CAB used to campaign about this (and other hidden costs of schooling) - perhaps they still do?

Our state high school costs around this too.

Like you say meditrina, no teeth. No law to enforce, or statutory guidance, just advice. The only thing vaguely binding is in the school admissions code where it says sth like 'cost of uniform should not put people off'.

Local state high school is similar cost. We also have middle school, so another uniform. Friend of mine with a child at a private school just paid £85 for a blazer though.

Backdoor selection. Outrageous.

My twins are in Y5 and I’m absolutely dreading the hideous cost of this - we need to start saving!
My niece and nephew go to a private prep school where the blazer alone is £140 and they have different uniforms/shoes for loads of different sports and even for drama!

Is there no option for second hand? I was privately educated and other than my very first uniform (due to the school having a new uniform that year) I never had new except for shoes. My parents refused to part with that much cash.

It's used as an easy way of putting off low-income families from applying. It's a bloody outrage.

Free Schools and Academies are particularly notorious for this.

I agree this is crap. Friends had daughters at local all girls schools (normal comps) where the school skirts were £50 a pop! £50 just for a skirt. Jesus wept.

When we were choosing schools I was v impressed with one local (selective) school where the headmaster said that he never wanted any boy to be unable to go to the school because of the uniform cost, or have to wear uniform that was work out or didn't fit. So the school made a point that every item of uniform could be bought in supermarkets or high street shops. All standard colours etc (navy/ black/ white). The only specific school logo items they had to have were a badge to sew on their blazer, and a tie. Both of which were about £10 total.

I see absolutely no reason why all schools cannot follow the same policy.

(And the state schools that do this as a way of excluding poor families often also have no secondhand school uniform system, either, as that would defeat the point.)

It's really time something was done about this. £250 for a single set of school uniform is absurd.
The only neccesary option is either cheap basic uniform from Asda or other supermarket (which is what my daughter wears), or the kind of uniform that most retail staff wear - trousers, polo, hoodie/fleece in the school colours, to be supplied through the school at cost price.

That sounds fairly standard for secondary school.

YANBU.

I really dislike school uniforms, and I wish schools would just have jogging bottoms, polo shirts and jumpers for primary and secondary. And let the kids wear bloody trainers!

That's the cost for my secondary too, it is hard keeping 3 of them in decent uniform! There is just 1 local supplier or you can order from Trutex direct

We have 5 local secondary schools all within 3 miles of home.

2 are academies. 3 are state maintained.

Various different uniform costs.
2 of the schools have girls skirts at £18 a pop.
4 have blazers that are £20-30.
1 has polo and jumper uniform.
1 has specific brand of trousers for boys.

Guess which one performs best?
Guess which ones are academies?

When we were choosing schools I was v impressed with one local (selective) school where the headmaster said that he never wanted any boy to be unable to go to the school because of the uniform cost, or have to wear uniform that was work out or didn't fit. So the school made a point that every item of uniform could be bought in supermarkets or high street shops. All standard colours etc (navy/ black/ white). The only specific school logo items they had to have were a badge to sew on their blazer, and a tie. Both of which were about £10 total.*

The grammar school my kids went to was like this. The most expensive item was the reversible rugby shirt which you had to buy from the school. Of course kids don't want mum buying them things several sizes too big so that they will last, well the PE teacher decided what they were going to have and they all had huge rugby shirts that lasted years, my son's was passed on to his younger brother and then a friends son had it so it was good value in the end.

our private school blazer is £130.....the whole uniform inc PE kit - you're lucky if you get change out of £500!.....

our state school uniform - £50 for primary this september LOL

I priced up uniform for my dts for our catchment primary (Scotland so no academy crap here), and for 3 full changes each of skirt/trousers, polo shirt and jumper, it would be £500.
That doesn't include the school hoodie at £25 a pop, the school jacket at £30 each, or socks, shoes, gym bags etc.
It's an awkward colour, and needs to have the school badge, so only available from one place.
One of the things that pushed me into home educating them!