To refuse to rebuy five years of primary school uniform

[Schooluniform2018]

Our small primary school has always had a uniform. I have had one child pass through the school into high school and therefore have enough shirts, pinafores and logo cardigans to pass down to my youngest two. Currently in years 1 and 3.

Deputy head was recently promoted to head and promised 6 months ago that the uniform was staying the same with a logo change in the cardigans.

Today they have decided that the colour of the uniform has to change. (Not sure if pinafore/trouser colour is changing yet)

So could we buy new pe kits, jumpers/cardigans and maybe pinafores/trousers !

So I have five years of uniform...enough for my youngest two to wear all their school life, in good condition and they want me to spend a lot of money which I simply do not have to replace the uniform.

Oh and they didn't bother to ask parents opinion, just presented it as a done deal.

AIBU to tell the school that my kids will be still wearing their old uniform colours until they graduate to high school in five years time, as I don't have the money to rebuy new stuff :(

I heard that uniform is optional at primary school, so hoping that will work in my favour.

I am so upset. It is a good school with no reason to change the existing nice uniform, the new one is made by the same uniform shop in the same materials just different colour and logo.

It's a funny thing; I went to both state and independent schools, and in the most deprived area state one, wearing anything but brand new from the school supplier was a brand of shame. In fact, buying it anywhere but from the over priced school supplier was. The ultimate insult was to say someone shopped at a charity shop.

In independent schools, everyone happily wore hand-me-downs and the parents were competitively frugal about it. Girls eagerly shopped in charity shops and gloated about the finds. I imagine it's fairly similar in state schools in rich areas, too. There's no stigma when it's a choice for most, and not a necessity.

Those with kids at indie schools, smiling at the very idea you must buy new every year, don't really understand the culture some schools work within. The more deprived the intake, the more stigmatised and shameful second hand is. In some schools, kids really will be bullied over this. In others, it's the norm.

Report to OFSTED that's funny...

I would contact the governors to ask why parents had not been consulted as it affects everyone of them in the school. Also ask them if uniform can be phased in rather than complete change. They should understand the cost implications to families especially those with more than one child in the school. Our local high school changed logo but existing students could wear old style until left/grew out of. Also another school had complete change and all parents were issued with voucher to purchase one set of new uniform so that everyone was dressed the same. If head is not being given flexible for existing families then the governors are the next step.

Do you not buy your children a new uniform every year ???? Please don’t send them in in the old hand me down uniform they will get bullied !!!!!!

Don’t put that on OP, if you can’t afford new uniform, I imagine she feels shit enough without saying that to her.

Do you not buy your children a new uniform every year ???? Please don’t send them in in the old hand me down uniform they will get bullied !!!!!!

I honestly don't know anyone who buys a new uniform just because it's a new school year, if the old one still fits.

(And if wearing hand-me-downs results in bullying - which it never did, in my DS's old primary - then that's a problem with bullies, not with hand-me-downs.)

When I was growing up my brother and I had new uniform every September, and my parents were not wealthy. Our primary head teacher spent a summer building a school in Africa, they became our partner school, we'd send them letters and they'd write back about different things we were all doing and learning about. We'd send shoe box gifts at Christmas etc. They learned one of our school's favourite hymns and we learnt theirs we have lessons about their culture/religion/way of life and a few times a year the school would ask for donations of good condition uniform that we'd grown out of and it'd be boxed up and sent over as their head teacher had said to ours that seeing all of us in uniforms was nice and he would like the same unity for his students, so it was rate in my school for kids to wear have me downs as us kids would beg to be allowed to donate them when we grew out of them. I'm now 33 and the two schools are still connected even though the head here has long since retired. Oh this was a state, grant maintained C of E school btw.

YANBU, and I bet no parents of Year 6 children will be buying the new stuff.

Do you not buy your children a new uniform every year ???? Please don’t send them in in the old hand me down uniform they will get bullied

What twat said that? No wonder your kids are bullies when you pass that kind of attitude on to them? How about you teach your kids not to bully mine based on what clothes they wear, rather than I buy new clothes so your children won't bully them?

What the hell is WRONG with humanity?! This fucking materialistic attitude we have have just screwing the planet. There is no justifiable reason to expect parents to throw away perfectly good clothing and replace it with something else in a different colour.
Dig your heels in and kick up a massive fuss. Money aside, this is a horribly wasteful, and environmentally irresponsible policy . What a freaking disgrace!

Do you not get a clothing grant you should if your struggling as much as you say you are x

YANBU

state schools need to get over themselves with uniform. All schools IMO should have uniform that other than ties and optional logo items can be bought cheaply in supermarkets.

I thought everyone brought new every September, tops get too short or are not as white by August. Jumpers again too short in the arm or height. Trousers too short or knees have made sizeable marks if not holes. Two jumpers, two tops, two trousers one on and one in the washer and obviously new shoes. £18 jumpers, £12 shirts, £6 trousers £30/£40 shoes, pe kit £20 plus trainers which can be £10. It’s not a a lot to save over the whole school year and is great value for money when you think they wear it 8-3ish 5days a week obviously shoes is more like twice a year due to growing feet. Just over £100 per child primary aged for clothes they will wear the majority of the week most of the year.

I meant to add for the initial uniform then another £40/£50 on shoes half way though the school year.

My DD's school changed the colour from royal blue to navy blue for the cardigans jumpers and summer dresses and also said that the shirts/polo tops could no longer be pale blue but white only when previously they could be either - we were given 9 months for the changeover but did say that they understood if parents made the change gradually so as they grew out of uniform you replaced it with the new colour - luckily the branded uniform is optional so it wasnt too bad but then I only have one child at primary - I would speak to the school and see what options they have for those that would struggle to replace everything in one hit

Congrats if you can keep shirts white and jumpers bobble free that long! I never can

I thought everyone brought new every September

You thought wrong. And the word is bought, not brought.

Meeting went better than expected.

1. She agreed grey was valid option alongside black as the cheap option.

1. She was upset/angry about my point of rich and poor choices for girls uniform. I said I didn't think the governors and her had thought about it.

1. She said no tender was done on bespoke items, just went with their preferred and expensive supplier and was horrified when I pointed out that it was illegal not to have an open tender process for bespoke items.

1. She agreed to consider allowing cotton open necked shirts. I think this will be no.

1. She agreed to relook at ties. I hate them. I hope they will be made optional or just for older kids. I think this will be a no.

1. I asked for a longer time to allow older uniform to be worn. I asked for three years. I think this will be a no.

1. She agreed book bag and pe kit are optional...hurrah.

1. I asked her to consider approving a £5 polyester jumper with option of adding logo for free (once school pays £15 and uploads the logo file) in a similar colour to her bespoke £18 one. No idea if she will but I think they are obliged to accept a cheaper substitute. The list said as much. Just said we wouldn't be able to find a match...but I did.

Spoke to a few parents in the playground...all happy with the grey option rather than tartan.

I really hope the school now get further quotes for the tartan stuff and get a better deal.

Now to spread the word in the playground about the amended uniform list.

So better than I thought. As I said the head is a lovely lady. I think she got carried away with the lovely ideas without considering some of the practical issues.

Schoolunifor2018
Buy each girl two summer dresses and an eBay mock cardigan which I found that is nothing like their expensive one but similar colouring and only £5. They can wear them all year...which a couple of kids do now with the old summer uniform. This avoids the tartan v black problem and the new shirts and the problem.

I would do this, I did do this with DD’s new PE kit this year. I also printed out the School badge on transfer paper and ironed it onto the chest to match the official embroidered ones. Our new head teacher changed the uniform last year. Previously polos (logged and plain) to shirt and tie. Sweatshirts and cardigans replaced with new style knitted logoed versions. Blazer added. Logo PE kit added. Same trouser/skirt colour fortunately.
It was supposed to be implemented immediately but lots of children still wear the old logoed stuff and nothing is said. My DD is in the shirt tie combo simply because her logoed polos had seen her through 3 years and needed replacing anyway (too smalll rether than tatty) I gave them to PTA and some other child now has them. I went down the alternate PE kit route as I refused to pay £14 for a football style topic bright yellow. The embroidery part was rough and scratchy so DD would have needed a vest on with it to avoid it rubbing her nipple as logo placed low down. Not ideal in summer when it is boiling and she’s running about. I bought a plain fruit of the loom cotton t shirt in the same colour for about £3. No one has said anything and if they did I would be straight up at school to tell them why she has the unofficial version.

Also all your stockpiled old uniform (the unlogoed stuff) can be sold on via eBay to help fund the new ones. If you have 5 years worth of shirts/ skirts and summer dresses you might be able to sell it in bundles for each age group and raise enough funds to cover a new pinafore or skirt each. I know it won’t cover all that is needed but it will help towards the cost. You can also check on there for pre owned closed neck shirts which could work out better value than buying new.

Well done OP.
That sounds like a really productive meeting rather than 'I'm pissed off you are making changes'.

Have you sent a follow-up email, confirming was has been said.?

"Have you sent a follow-up email, confirming was has been said.?"

Yes :)

Plus I will be getting a few tartan quotes myself. I am pretty sure their preferred supplier buys stuff in and only sews the badges on. So if I can find their supplier and cut out the middle man, we should save a few quid.

The only point which I worried about was writing diwn that the school had too get more quotes or open an invitation to tender for further quotes on their bespoke stuff in order to protect the school legally. I worry that will annoy the school but it is their legal requirement. They can't use the most expensive shop in the area because they want to. They need to ensure best price for the parents.

Go you!

"Go you!"

I am feeling righteous today.

I know the school might change their minds on all points next week but at the minute I am feeling confident.

Plus the 5 parents I spoke to all wanted to stick to grey. If a good percentage of the parents also agree, then my kids can also wear grey without worrying about bullying

Go you indeed - but I do agree with the PP that we need to teach our children not to bully, we must not buy new school uniforms every year in order that our children are not the victim of bullies..