To ask the school to buy my children's clothes?

[Ivegotbills]

DS and DD came home from school yesterday with a letter regarding new school uniform. New head is starting in September and he's doing that thing some of them do of making his mark on the school by telling everyone in it what to wear.

They already have a uniform which I have to shell out for every year for the pair of them. Now this bloke is demanding:

• new blazers. Meaning the ones we have and which fit them will be useless.
• logo trousers and skirts from a named supplier.
• branded PE kit from a named supplier. That's right, branded items to run around a field in for an hour a week.

I've worked out that this little lot will cost me £45+£45 for blazers, £63+£63 for trousers and skirts (three of each which I regard as a minimum - currently they're in supermarket clothes which I have five of each of) and £80+£80 PE kits = £401.

WIBU to write to the school requesting they provide these items which they are now stipulating are necessary in order for my children to access their "free" education?

My school did this but it was only new purchase items that were to be replaced with the logo ones. Students were allowed to wear their existing uniform until outgrown.

Otherwise that is a lot of money to stump up!

Yeah, this happened in my daughters school a few years back and it was the same as what you've said.

Are you sure that these rules don't apply OP, I would have thought that new uniform crossovers would always work that way, it's very unfair otherwise

They will more then likely have a transition period where the old uniform can be worn.

If this is illegal then why are so many schools getting away with it?! It’s a blatant form of discrimination. The new head is probably hoping to shed a few of the poorer pupils. Parents really need to stand up to this sort of thing.

Either way it's shit of them. Who gives a toss what they are wearing? Providing they're smart and presentable, does it really matter.

Even if there is a transition period it's still shit of them because kids can be cruel and the ones in old uniform will be "different". Plus then you can't use it for younger siblings if in good condition etc.

I'm dreading when my dc are in school...I feel like I'm going to be "that" parent at this rate

Interesting as all the state high schools in our area have uniform from a single supplier, which i disagree with in principle. Luckily DDs school only the blazer, tie, skirt and pe kit come from there. I can get shirts, jumpers etc from M and S. M and S also have a very similar skirt for half the price but we won't mention that. The other high school we applied to had literally everything from the specified supplier and the blazers are £80 each (skirts £38 each) . When i complained that i thought it was unfair this supplier had the monopoly and that you had no choice to buy stuff at more affordable shops i was shouted down by other parents who seemingly have an unlimited budget that the supplier was a local family business and we should all be supporting them. I made it my mission to buy as little as possible (for example tights, plain pe leggings etc can be easily bought cheaper elsewhere) in the school supplier but most parents do not seem to question it and spend several hundred pounds in there "because its easier".

This is why people need to stop believing that uniform.is for some "greater good" that it's a leveller and hides who the poor people are.

Completely agree. I have always found uniform a strange concept, especially now children are doing more physical activities in school. Surely suit trousers, shirts and ties and leather shoes aren't the best thing for this. I went to pick up my DS early a few weeks ago and they were put in the play ground doing some sort of running excercise, he was in his leather school shoes, not allowed to wear their gym (sand shoes) outside. I bought him black trainers that weekend, I wouldn't do physical activities in leather shoes, why should my child. Also young children in ties is just a stupid idea IMO.

Considering the clothes will be worn for a whole academic year, is it really that expensive?

What is expensive, @CanILeaveNowPlease, is throwing away a perfectly good blazer which still fits because the head's decided he fancies something different.

If this is illegal then why are so many schools getting away with it?

Because parents don't know. Spread the word! Be prepared to shop Academies and Free Schools (who are the main culprits) to the Department for Education every time.

Surely suit trousers, shirts and ties and leather shoes aren't the best thing for this

Especially given how casual workplace dress has become. In many professional sectors jeans and sneakers are the norm now. Even in the most formal sectors, ties are becoming a rarity.

Yet we make teens dress like bank managers from the 1950s.

When I'm dictator I'll ban blazers as part of school uniform. They're ridiculously inconvenient, expensive and uncomfortable, and totally unnecessary. The same goes for ties.

Mind you, when I'm dictator I'll probably ban school uniform altogether anyway.

backonceagain thank you !

My daughter's school is introducing a new skirt because the males cannot control themselves and we can only purchase from one supplier !

I don't know why they don't do away with uniform, and let them wear what they want. My dd school doesn't have one and jeans and hoodies are the same whether Primark or labelled.
There is no difference between the very rich and the very poor.

I don't disagree with school uniform per se, i do disagree with telling parents of children at state schools they have to buy a very specific style of blazer/skirt that can only be purchased from one shop or supplier. The supplier we are obliged to go to has plenty of navy school uniforms for various different schools in local towns. Why on earth can't parents go and buy a navy skirt from wherever they please depending on budget - be that tesco or harrods...? My DS junior school changed pe tshirts but there was a transition period and the items were only £5.

It’s disgusting how difficult they make it, I was lucky my child was starting secondary in the sept they launched the new uniform so we purchased the new one but there were many unhappy parents who’d only had the uniform 1-2 yrs who had to then replace, only yr 11 were exempt from having to buy new.

There should, I think be an option to purchase the logo badge, that could then be sewn on, would make it a bit cheaper.

I resent the fact that the uniform, despite being £££ is shocking quality, my youngest son is very light on clothing, I can always charity shop/sell it on after he’s grown out of it as it’s always in good condition, but even with him, the blazer buttons came off within months(and I can’t find the same size and shape replacements at any local sewing shops) and the blazer lining is coming away from the blazer at the back, for something that cost £40+ I think that’s terrible.

I also have a bee in my bonnet about the fact they insisted boys had to have rugby shirts, as well as pe shirts, but the girls don’t as they don’t play rugby, so if you have a boy, you shit out again money wise as the rugby top is another £25

They changed the PE kit at my kids secondary school. I didn't even know till they grew out of it and went to buy a new one. Because they just stopped stocking the old one and let everyone buy the new when they needed. So the new year 7s had the new one, and everyone after that just bought the new ones when they needed to. No fuss.

There's no way I could afford to buy a whole new uniform for 2 kids either, it's ridiculous.

DD started secondary in September and her school had a new head who did exactly the same thing OP - introduced blazer and logo skirt/trousers. However, the school PAID for every single pupil’s blazer. And although we were expected to buy the skirt, he actually had a change of heart before the new school year and ditched the logo, so we could buy any old black trousers or skirt.

It’s disgusting how difficult they make it
It's also incredibly ill thought out

There are yr sevens who arent far off the size of grown men.

Girls bodies change alot between 11 and 16.

Trying to squeeze kids the size of adults and kids at varying stages of development into the same few select designated items is a recipe for disaster.the same item looks different on every body and its humiliating for kids to be sent home for non compliance whilst in regulation uniform.

How are those children meant to feel about themselves

And parents having to spend a fortune on adult clothing and worrying it gets spotted when they have little in the way of options of what else their kid can wear seems ridiculous an unnecessary stress

The biggest local secondary here did this some years ago Aside from the fact that I was a single parent and each child's uniform was £150 for only one of each item, they also managed to nearly bankrupt the local shop who had ordered and paid for the previous uniform!

This particular uniform was so hideous that both my girls were in tears having to wear it. It included a waxed jacket that STANK; I hung it on the line for most of the summer and still the smell remained.

It needs solidarity from ALL the parents to stop this happening; they can't exclude the whole school.

Have you spoken to other parents because I'm sure there will be others that feel the same? Then you can try and ask the school for at least a transition period of 2 years or whatever. If a lot of parents complain then hopefully you can make a difference.

It needs solidarity from ALL the parents to stop this happening; they can't exclude the whole school

I'll probably get shot for saying this but that wont ever happen. For many parents ( except us lot here ) , I think there is alot of snobbery behind it all. If no where had uniform how on earth would we know their kid went to the outstanding school in the posh side of town if they look just like their sink school counterparts in the crumbling comp down the road.

I'm ambivalent about uniform. When our high school changed theirs, they played the long game. New uniform was required for all those starting at the school in first year. Anyone else who was buying new anyway were welcome to also buy the new colour. Anyone already wearing the old uniform was welcome to continue until it was being replaced due to being outgrown or worn out etc. That was the rule for each subsequent year starting and before long everyone was in new colours and no-one moaned at all.

It's alsoworth noting that some schools send home or give detentions or Marks on reports fir not having the right equipment. Imagine having to pay 400 quid to get through the doors unchallenged then being sent home cos the scientific calculator will have to wait til next pay cheque

When I'm dictator I'll ban blazers as part of school uniform. They're ridiculously inconvenient, expensive and uncomfortable, and totally unnecessary. The same goes for ties.

I shall ban pretty much all school uniform.

My ideal would be no uniform but since people don’t seem to like that I would go for:

Black, navy or grey below the waist. So trousers, shorts, skirts, whatever.

Plain black trainers or shoes. No obvious logo.

Plain polo shirt in black navy, grey, white, burgundy.

Logo jumper in choice of black, navy grey, white, burgundy.

Done. Comfortable. Cheap. Ability to dress for the weather.

I would ban high heels for girls. No need for girls to curtail their ability to walk for some outdated notion of beauty at school.

State school? Single supplier is against the rules - will find link.

There aren't any rules. There is DfE guidance but the DfE doesn't enforce it and won't take any notice of parents who complain about unfair uniform - or any other - rules. All the state schools in my county have a single uniform supplier.

There's no point trying to reason with head teachers: they won't listen to anyone. If you have an effective board of governors (rare in any school; unknown in academy chains) it's worth trying to get them to control the head. Otherwise, the best thing to do would be to organize as many parents as possible to ignore the new uniform rules, but this is extremely difficult to do.

I would expect at least a two year transition period. DS is likely to get three years out of his blazer and at least two out of his PE kit and trousers (in year 8 now). That would be the bare minimum to cover one child outgrowing uniform, not considering parents who planned to hand down uniform or to buy second hand.