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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think primary school uniform price is ridiculous?!

209 replies

TeaLover2468 · 27/06/2018 10:59

I'm new here but just wanting some perspective.

My dc's school has just updated the uniform policy, I've always thought it was expensive but now its getting a little silly.

Logo school jumpers £17.25 + each
Girls M&S Summer dresses £12+ each
The boys summer shirts £12 + each

On top of that they need

Logo PE tshirt £8.50
Logo PE hoodie £ £13.50
Specific PE Socks £ 5.50

This is without thiings like shoes, shirts, pinafores coats and backpacks, Logo PE bags, Hi-Viz.
Plus an Optional blazer at £30.

Is it unreasonable of me to think spending £200+ on one child a year on primary school uniform is ridiculous?
I always knew secondary schools were expensive but that's over £1300 for 6 years of primary school.
That could buy a car!
AIBU or is it getting a bit silly now?!

OP posts:
Racecardriver · 27/06/2018 11:01

That doesbt seem that much to me. Surely it wouldn't really cost any more if you were sending them in casual clothes?

Buddyelf · 27/06/2018 11:02

Same here - my youngest starts this year and its going to cost a fortune - I'll have 2 in primary school.
The logo cardigans are £12 each, I normally get 3 so I have one on, one in the wash and a spare. That's £72 before anything else. Pinafores, shirts, tights, logo PE tops, logo book bags.... its expensive. Even if you pop to asda or Tesco for bits which is what I do it all adds up.

sparklepops123 · 27/06/2018 11:02

It gets worse when they lose stuff !

Original poster
TeaLover2468 · 27/06/2018 11:03

It would be a hell of a lot cheaper to send them in casual clothes!
They dont go out in £17 jumpers for a start...

OP posts:
QuantamBaby · 27/06/2018 11:04

YABU, I don't think anything you've quoted there is particularly expensive.

Kids need clothes for school wether it's uniform or not, you only need a couple of jumpers, dresses from M&S wash very well and will last a couple of years....

It's not ridiculous.

Scotinoz · 27/06/2018 11:06

Yes, mine starts reception this year and the uniform price list is ridiculous.

Like you, £18 on a jumper (no logo, just has a stripe to make it non standard) for my 5 year old to spill lunch down/get glue on/etc.

There's an optional school coat for around £50. School shirts which are £13 for one. It goes on and on.

Thankfully, only the bag, school t-shirt etc are essential so the majority can come from Tesco. Given that specific shirts etc aren't essential in our area, I don't understand how the stockist actually makes any money stocking them

happinessiseggshaped · 27/06/2018 11:07

The only thing anyone in my sons school uses that has the logo is a jumper or cardigan and the book bag. Everything else you just buy from supermarkets. Cheaper than buying normal clothes. Unless they are a private school Im pretty sure they cant insist everything has the logo.

Doyoumind · 27/06/2018 11:08

There do seem to be a lot of items with logos on, which is overkill. Also seems to be a bit more than I pay for items with a logo on. The school are more than likely making some money from this.

Original poster
TeaLover2468 · 27/06/2018 11:09

On its own not not particularly expensive but I'm surprised at how many people seem to have a spare £400 knocking around in august to buy uniform?

QuantamBaby my M&S dresses don't wash well at all and are grown out of in a year.

OP posts:
Paddington68 · 27/06/2018 11:09

Label everything

Winosaurus · 27/06/2018 11:10

I work for a national school wear company and those prices are ridiculous!
Are you buying from a shop or via the school? Sounds to me like they’re heavily marking up items.
Logo’d knitwear should be no more than around £12-14
PE T-shirts around £5 with logo etc

Take it up with your school office and say you’re unhappy with the cost of the supplier they’ve chosen. They have a legal duty now to provide cheaper alternatives or source other suppliers

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 27/06/2018 11:10

£200+ on one child a year on primary school uniform
you mean for clothes that they are wearing 5 days a week? No, it doesn't sound very much at all.

Is it a brand new uniform? Can't you purchase second hands items? Most school have nearly new sales kind of things.

If you start adding up how much your children cost you over their life, you will find out you could have bought yourself a house, it's not the way it work Grin

I spend a lot less on clothes since all my kids are at school, they don't need so many "casual" clothes, and the don't need more than 5 sets of uniforms each. I do laundry as much as the next mother, but I like to have enough for a couple of weeks of clothes.

I am so grateful for school uniforms, it really cost so much less and is so much easier to manage. Who cares if a jumper is a bit faded because it's not brand new.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 27/06/2018 11:11

I’ve bought a couple of logo jumpers and some plain spares. I was interested to see how little size difference there is between the next size up so hoping things will fit for more than a year.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 27/06/2018 11:12

how many people seem to have a spare £400 knocking around in august to buy uniform?
you only need to buy a full uniform with all the trimmings when they start reception, then you just buy as you go along and as they grow up. The expense is spread over the year until they start Secondary - and they don't really come as a surprise.

If they didn't have uniforms, you would still need to buy summer and winter clothes anyway, they outgrow their clothes from one season to the next, at least a school jumper is always the same.

Rocinante1 · 27/06/2018 11:14

My order for my 2 kids was £136 for the term starting in August. That got me 5 PE joggers, 3 v-neck jumpers and 3 round neck PE jumpers. I've got 1 of each jumper left from this year so they will each have 2 of each. It also got me one school bag and one tie. The other has his school bag and the from this year.

Still need to get the unbranded stuff; shirts, grey trousers, black gym shorts, socks.

I think most school uniforms are costing a fair bit now.

beingsunny · 27/06/2018 11:14

Does your school not have a second hand uniform shop?
My son just started kindy, all his polo shirts are ruined with pen and paint, it's winter here now so I'm going to go to the second hand uniform shop and buy trousers and long sleeve polo shirts

QuantamBaby · 27/06/2018 11:15

Really? My M&S dresses have been worn by both my DDs for 2 years each and are now being passed on to younger cousins to wear... and they still look good I promise...

I buy bigger sizes - they spend a year growing into them and a year growing out of them Smile

Odoreida · 27/06/2018 11:16

That is very expensive, our state primary logo jumpers are around £7. They get immediately stained with marker pens etc, everyone loses theirs and wears each others and quite a lot of children wear a non-logo one in the same colour. Seems fine to me for little kids.

stargirl1701 · 27/06/2018 11:17

I have a bigger issue with the plastic in most school uniform. DD1 starts P1 in August and the official school logo clothes all have plastic in them.

Original poster
TeaLover2468 · 27/06/2018 11:22

Winosaurus Thats the suppliers price list we can only get them from one supplier. I will be voicing my concern.

ikeepaforkinmypurse I have to replace most of it once a year because of things like jumpers with paint on and trousers with holes in the knees.

I just assumed with primary schools you usually buy branded jumpers and PE tshirts and everything else is generic.

Obviously thats not how its done anymore Confused

OP posts:
BlackInk · 27/06/2018 11:23

I've just started a post along these lines under Education / Primary.

My DC's primary school has just decided to change the uniform colours and enforce a compulsory logo'd jumper which can only be purchased from the school.

The new logo'd jumpers are £10 each. From a supermarket you would pay more like £6 for two. This is a large increase for families on a low income!

The point of my original post was that I'm pretty sure that state primary schools in England do not have the right to enforce any uniform, let alone restrict where parents can buy from?

OP the prices you're looking at are extortionate in my opinion! Are they all compulsory or could you buy the dress from a cheaper shop, the PE kit without logos etc? Is it a state school?

Pythonesque · 27/06/2018 11:24

Don't buy new uniform every year - buy with growing room, turn up hems if practical. Choose trousers that you can let down. For example, my son has had I think 8 pairs of trousers in 9 years of prep school, 2 at a time, two pairs of games shorts (didn't need to replace his slightly large in reception shorts until year 7!). We certainly haven't replaced shirts more than every couple of years either. Maybe 3 jumpers altogether.

But also, if there is a lot of logo-ed stuff, encourage the school / parents association to run a 2nd hand shop. It helps enormously!

SheepyFun · 27/06/2018 11:24

That seems pretty expensive to me - DD doesn't wear uniform (despite going to a UK state primary), and I typically spend £5 - £8 per dress from Tesco (or Asda, or, if I'm feeling really flush, Sainsbury's). They've lasted reasonably well, plus she can wear things she finds comfortable. Win all round!

Theknacktoflying · 27/06/2018 11:25

The govt policy about school uniform here asically, there should e consideration of costs. If a uniform has been changed then surely there should also be a phasing out and acceptance of old kit?

That sounds like an awful amount to be paying for uniform ... don’t quite see why there has to be logo’ed PE sports kit

Chickychoccyegg · 27/06/2018 11:26

you can get the same summer dresses for £5 in any super market, same quality (we have both m and s one is no better than any other)do you need that many logo items? my kids school is optional about logos, my kids don't like the logo stuff, so mixture of supermarket and m and s , cardigans, shirts/polo shirts, couple of skirts, it's not cheap buying loads, but if you buy as much as possible from supermarkets, it's easier to replace/top up as needed.
m and s have 20% off school wear at the moment, so maybe a good time to start stocking up