To want to challenge the school - uniform affordability

[whyhaveidonethis]

My DS2 is starting secondary school in September at a different school to the one DS1 went to. Today I bought the compulsory items on the uniform list and frankly I am pretty disgusted at the cost and the compulsory items. Not only the blazer but the school jumper, rucksack, toe, PE bag, PE uniform (shorts, tracksuit trousers, T-shirt, and rugby top) have to be embroidered with the school logo along with the grey in every way the same as ASDA own brand school trousers have to be embroidered. WTF? £24.95 a pair for school trousers that would otherwise cost £6 in the supermarket. You can only buy from one supplier and so they have you over a barrel. The PE bag alone cost £12.95. The rucksack £22. It's basically a bloody blue rucksack I could buy for £10 elsewhere. Why the hell does every pupil need to have identical bags? Surely that's a recipe for disaster? They also all have to have the school coat which is embroidered with the logo. I didn't dare ask how much that cost.

I'm hopping mad. How is this in line with Department for Education guidance which states schools should: consider the cost, the available supply sources and year round availability of the proposed uniform to ensure it is providing best value for money for parents....and, ensure that the PE uniform is practical, comfortable and appropriate to the activity involved, and that consideration is given to the cost of compulsory PE clothing.

I am right on my high horse about this. I have a good income but live in a deprived area. How on earth do those on benefits afford this?

WIBU to legally (or otherwise) challenge the uniform policy?

Bloody outrageous! The only compulsory ittens my kids have is a Blazer with logo (£31.50), tie (given by the primary school when they left), pe shorts (£5). After that you're free to buy your own clothing as long as it's black. They can have whatever bag they like too.

Utterly ridiculous. I'm baulking at my ds's primary uniform (he starts in September )because he has to have logo jumpers but this sounds well out of line. Every kids having the same bag sounds completely silly. I'm guessing people buy second hand or simply ignore the list and send their dc in plain uniform.

I thought our secondary was bad! We have to buy school issue jumper, polo shirt, rugby shirt, rugby socks. Everything else you can get what you please the students can even wear all black trainers of they wish.

Demetedpixie it's ridiculous. I'm a school governor of a different secondary school (DS1s) and everything including the blazer can be bought in ASIA except the school tie. They sell badges for the blazers which you sew on.

How much have you spent in total?

ASDA. Not Asia ; although you can probably buy it there too 😂

You are absolutely right it's outrageous but there'll be plenty of people along in a minute to tell you that you should have chosen another school .

Labradorite so far in excess of £220 and I've yet to buy the school coat. Or any of the non compulsory bits. Plus I've only bought 2 pairs of trousers and 2 shirts as it's financially crippling to buy the 5 otlf each I'd normally buy.

Not acceptable at all imo

Extortionate

That is a lot of specific items. Especially rucksack, PE bag and coat!

Outrageous but that guidance on uniform ain't the law I'm afraid.

If you do want to challenge this ( and you are 100% within your rights to do so) a much stronger suit is quoting what the School Admissions Code says about criteria and practices that can be seen to discriminate against those from poorer backgrounds. The School Admissions Code has more force than the uniform guidance.

Let me.guess: does this school in a disadvantaged area have fewer children eligible for the pupil premium or children with SEN than would be expected given its situation?!?!?!

OP is it a private or grammar school? That sounds restrictive for a state comp

You could challenge it, sounds a bit OTT. Or you could work with the parents group to set up a second hand uniform shop that collects outgrown uniforms and sells them for lower than ASDA prices. That's what we do to ensure equitable access to uniform items at our school - it works really well.

Is it an academy?
When DD's school was considering becoming an academy one of the sticking points was that the management of the academy chain could make loads of potentially unpopular decisions about the uniform. Fortunately it still remains under the local authority.

Just checking: state school in England right??

Ohnothanks good point. I'll go investigate that.

It's just an ordinary Academy school in a village.

Why the bloody hell should parents waste their time setting up a second hand uniform shop?!?! Change the actual rules that specify this mad policy in the first place. Anything less is facilitating social injusrice. Gavel!

Academies are renowned for this. When I was at secondary school the only compulsory thing was the school jumper with logo and the tie. Everything else could be bought wherever you wanted.

That school has since become an academy and made it into the local news for sending children away due to the socks they were wearing . Utterly ridiculous.

Enterspacecapsule unfortunately that's not possible....you can't recycle the uniform as every year group has a different colour associated with it...so the school jumper for example has a yellow trim if you are in year 7 and a green one for year 8. That colour then follows them up the school so they are the same colour every year and each new year group is assigned a different colour.

If you look on the DFE's 'compare school performance' website it will show you how the school compares to other nearby schools on free school meal intake and SEN characteristics.

Good grief. Their uniform.policy sounds absolutely barking. Are you sure this school is well led and managed??

I agree with the person who suggested using the Schools Admission Code as the basis to challenge the school. With the examples you gave. Especially with sole suppliers.

Even the private schools round my way don't have a compulsory school bag.

Pinkvoid is right. Academies seem to think that parents have bottomless pockets.

Their uniform policy is outrageous. I would be contacting the chair of governors to complain, and the local paper.

Ohnothanks its supposed to be. It's rated good by OFSTED but at risk of putting myself the headteacher got done for a criminal offence and kept his job so now I'm concerned. The problem is we have moved and the next closest school is over 5 miles away.