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.

Bumble Even if she doesn't purchase it all at once, it's still going to add up to that much.

Money spent in small amounts is still money.

While we're on this topic, a local academy to me seems to have carefully chosen their uniform colour to make it impossible to obtain supermarket jumpers. It is not the standard primary colour, oh no.

I am panicking..I have no spate money. I was not expecting this bill. I was so happy when I paided for oldest child's year 6 clothes, as I knew that was it for primary age clothes...But I was wrong.

I am feeling frustrated and angry....pointless colour change which dies nothing except cost sone parents more money.

Surely you won’t have to buy anything until at least August? That gives you some time to scrimp a bit.

I will hand down between the youngest two.

But I still don't have the money to invest in the new uniform. Even just £132 for this year. It is a new bill which I didn't have yesterday. :(

Happened to me too eldest DD had red jumpers and summer dresses, whilst the middle 2 were in infants they changed it to burgundy jumpers with pink dresses.

Only school dresses in pink that near fitted were from M&S so had to kit 3 x DDs in brand new uniform in the September and then keep buying new for the older one. All those hand me downs from the very eldest utterly wasted

Do they even need summer dresses? I never wore one. My sons seem to manage without them.

Sorry but I think the op is right and think people have been harsh. If money is really tight, no you can't just suddenly stretch even over a few months to buy new uniform.

OP you won't be the only one sending your children in the old uniform, no they won't be bullied and the school will have to lump a changeover period.

There's no way even the most unreasonable head will expect this to come into force straight away.

The absolute worst case scenario is next September. That's the worst case. So this from next academic year, not this year.

I would go back to the school on cost and on waste. Point out that failing to take an adequately phased approach may be discriminating against lower income families and is environmentally wasteful.

Even if you would have to replace some of the bits on the uniform you have that is not the same has having to rebuy the whole damn lot when you have perfectly good clothes sitting in the wardrobe.

YANBU OP but I do think in general you’re being a bit hysterical.

You don’t have to buy five years worth of stuff now. You might need a jumper each, and a couple of school dresses each. Or keep your kids in pinafores until the end of the year.

You don’t need two jumpers each, especially not at that age. One is enough, baby wipe them if they get stuff on them and wash at the weekend. I do this with three boys, they have a new top every day but same jumper (too small because my husband is an idiot who bought the SAME size to replace ones they’d outgrown but never mind )

I would definitely be getting together with other parents to challenge the head though.

I will look at the cost of supermarket jumpers when I find out what special colour the school wants however

1. I still have no money for new uniform
2. If the kids are in different jumpers than everyone else, they might as well stay in their current ones and save me an additional bill.

"OP you won't be the only one sending your children in the old uniform, no they won't be bullied and the school will have to lump a changeover period."
I hope you are right :(

At the very least existing children should have until Sept 19 before it is brought in.

I had forgotten about the new PE kit too it did mean forking out £££ more...

Join the PTA. You will then have input on these things. It will change to the new style gradually for sure. Free education for three children.... it's not too much to pay out for a bit of uniform here and there.

Even if you have to have the new jumpers for September that gives you 4 months (and a bit) to save for them. 19ish weeks. That’s £2 a week.

Zibidoo
Honestly we are going round in circles. And now you’re getting insulting. Some people have a really good sense of smell. Others do not. Those with an exceptional sense of smell may for example put it to good use such as perfume makers or wine tasters etc.

You are a stranger from the internet. I have no way of knowing if your sense of smell is more keen or less keen than mine. All I know is that some parents unwittingly send their kids to school smelling of stale sweat. And it’s not just one kid in a class. It’s a real issue in the upper primary years and beyond.

Perhaps you should think before laughing at people and then you wouldn’t get comments you don’t appreciate.

If you look at the information I linked to above you have some good grounds for speaking to the Head.

I won't be bothering the head.

I sent one short emailing to the Office asking them to consider rolling it out from reception year on year. I hope it is considered, if I am lucky the head might read it and do it.

Perhaps you should think before laughing at people and then you wouldn’t get comments you don’t appreciate.

My children were being called gross and smelly and crud encrusted I’m sure that was all meant kindly too. Right? All because apparently your children come home from school smelly and sweaty (but mine are the gross ones??) logic fail.