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.

Or am I missing something

Maybe the fact that a big outlay is not financially possible for everyone?

Sleepsoon cross post. That was for Zibbidoo

Our DS school started trying to encourage children to wear logo sweatshirts. DS needed a new one so we bought it. The sweatshirt shrank, and left so much fluff all over his polo shirt, that you'd think he had a dreaded skin disease. And because the logo didn't shrink, it was all rumpled up.

So we bought 100% cotton sweatshirts from Debenhams the next year.

On the other hand they have recently switched from grey and black trousers/skirts to black only. DS was in Reception when this happened and about half the Reception class seemed to have at least one grey item from a sibling, and I can still see some in older years have them now (current Reception I think are almost all in black only). With sibling hand me downs I suspect it will be not until his year goes into Y6 that they all vanish.

We hand down trousers and jumpers, and PE shirts, not polos because of the white board stains, but the Reception classroom was very grateful for a whole load of spare polos at the end of last year.

DS will be in at least his Y1 trousers in Y2 but DD isn't going to be big enough for his Reception trousers when she starts Reception, but she can have them when she gets bigger (she's both 2 1/2 years younger and very small for her age).
So I imagine most things will be worn by DS for 1 or 2 years, have a rest for a year, then be worn by DD. Except polos.

I was talking about a sense of smell. Mine is keen. As is dds. From the odour coming off some of the kids, I assume not everyone is the same. Where did I mention your eyes?*

You didn’t mention my eyes. You chose to ignore the apparently grubby aspect of these clothing and referred only to smell. You’re implying my you children smell and I can’t smell it I asked if you think I’m blind too because I just can’t see the grubbiness either?

From the odour coming off some of the kids, I assume not everyone is the same.

You are correct. Not everyone smells.

It's entirely a vanity project for the new head. An easy, utterly superficial and meaningless but visually dramatic way for him to piss on his new territory.

I don't know what I'd do in honesty - I'd want to refuse to buy the new uniform because the only reason for being out of pocket due to it changing is to massage the new head's ego.

However I also wouldn't want to make children feel awkward to fight my battle/ stand up for my principles.

The best thing would be a parents petition against the change, coupled with letters to the head copying in the governors asking for an explanation of the educational benefits of the new colour taking into account the fact some families will suffer financially replacing hand me downs from older siblings and friends, and being forced to pay new prices.

Schools are supposed to consult with parents on changes to the school uniform. This might also be useful reading assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/514978/School_Uniform_Guidance.pdf

“Would you wear a grubby jumper to work”

Upside - if I was a still 6 year old girl or boy it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest going to school in a grubby jumper when I would be tearing round the playground with friends playing “British bulldogs” or similar . I am not and my ability to tear around anywhere is somewhat diminished. tbh such comparisons don’t really work - although if it helps, at a push, my work would rather I was there on time in a grubby jumper than turn up late or not at all.....happened when DCs were young and kindly wiped sticky fingers on me etc which I didn’t notice until sitting on train .....As Mummy pointed out - being smelly is a different matter....

Hi, I'm Jamie and I have grubby children. They have three to four secondhand jumpers each, so I can send them to school in clean uniform. I don't think that's unreasonable. When they come home clean, I get them to change out of uniform to save it for tomorrow, but that isn't always possible.

I absolutely could not get away with one or even two jumpers per child. If our head suddenly changed the uniform, it would be financially difficult for us.

Zibidoo
You sound very wound up about nothing. It was kindly meant. How would I know if your kids smell? I’m still baffled about the eye comment and twisting my words. All I know is that the yr5&6 classrooms are notorious for pongs and my dd isn’t going to be one contributing to this.

OP is your school a green school or is that just an Irish thing?

YANBU OP. This would make me so angry.

It's a proper money-making racket school uniforms I tell ya.

Isn't it just?

New starters joining reception might also have hand-me-downs waiting from siblings. Don't pass on the burden to them. School should instead just have a longer grace period, it'll just take a few cohorts before all the children are in new kit. Maybe the new head will change his tune if he realises he's signing up for a decade of mismatched pupils.

You sound very wound up about nothing. It was kindly meant. How would I know if your kids smell?

You were kindly telling me I couldn’t smell my children? Really?

I’ve explained the eye comment. Would you like me to do it again in smaller words?

Min only ever had one logo jumper each for photos. The rest of the time they worse a coloured jumper out of Tesco/Asda/Sainsbury’s A’s did the rest of the school.

Tesco et al don't give their goods away free, either, sadly. Which is why my kids are in secondhand Tesco jumpers.

She is a she. The head I mean and a nice lady. I don't think it has occurred to her how much money it will cost some parents.

The PE kit have a sewn logo and in school colours (which are changing). Top and shorts and cost £20 from the school shop. I have four sizes which I swap between all my kids as needed.

The bare minimum would be 4 jumpers and two pe kits and 4 summer dresses. £132 and a further £200 (ish) in the future.

I haven't got £132

As others have said. Surely you can buy non logo supermarket jumpers and cardigans.

If school dresses are non logo then sell them on.

You need a meeting with the head as soon as possible just to explain this to her and show her how ridiculous it is.