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?

The school must be strapped for cash and doing this to raise money. Is there a PTA you could speak to instead? Maybe they could introduce a voluntary contribution so that families who can’t afford it aren’t priced out. Or if it’s for a particular project a fundraising drive? If the school is doing it to filter out students from low income families then you could look into suing them for discrimination.

Uniform changes are so annoying. I’ve always bought a reasonable quantity of decent quality uniform; trousers, skirts, shirts etc, with express intention of it being in decent enough nick to hand down. It’s quite frustrating when you find the stuff you’ve kept decent can’t be used any more.

DS’s school changed shirt colour, blazer and games kit this year. So annoying to have to discard five perfectly decent shirts that could probably have done another year.

The school has the cheek to preach about the environment too and then threaten my child with detention because he went in last years colour shirt. No transition period was allowed.

My sons' school did this for their PE kits. I couldn't afford it for them both so sent them in with a generic black kit which looked similar ( tracksuit bottoms, polo shirts etc) in the same colour,but without the logo and orange detail of the official kit.

I received numerous letters home but just kept explaining my situation . It had no ill effect on either of their PE education . Just provide an affordable, similar alternative.
Schools need to understand that we cannot afford expensive uniform.

How the fuck embroidering clothes in any way prepares children for adult life I cannot see.

And yes I do think this is about the new guy making his mark. He's certainly got his work cut out for him. Just recently we had a knife incident. Let's hope that new blazers do the trick. [\sarcasm]

Actually it sounds like what is actually needed is some enforceable rules rather than guidelines. The government needs to make them statutory.

Isn’t it funny how other guidelines are enforced as though it was a rule of law by schools and they act like it is out of their hands when it is actually completely at their discretion.

Try £7 a pair stripy PE socks. My friend who's had 1 DS there and has 1 DS there now says they get put in isolation if they're wearing the wrong socks.

My DD's school had a new head this year and they are bringing in a new uniform in September. There's a transition period, but they are going the other way and making the uniform generally cheaper. Blazers no longer compulsory but optional, logo jumper compulsory (currently the other way round). Logo polo shirts to be replaced with generic white shirt. Compulsory tie. Only one skirt acceptable (pleated kilt style so more expensive). Trouser colour changed from black to grey, to avoid the skinny black trousers girls tend to wear, but can be generic ones. All in all fairly sensible changes.

Socks? Ffs

These schools are there own worst enemy.

Dds has an online supplier. You pay for delivery then pay to return then have to re pay delivery. And if you cant re order til the refund goes back through that's another few days. Order in June/July it can take weeks to arrive. Then if something is out if stock what can you do.

These one supplier and online schools need to factor this in . You cant just replace overnight in a 24 hour Tesco.

I bet the heads have a lot if fun with this

We've been given a dress code for September. It isn't only pupils who have to change! Not allowed to wear leggings yet we have to sit on the floor a lot. I wont add the others as too outing.

You could try going to the Governors. If enough people complain he may change.

My DD10 is in Year 5.
Sweatshirts/cardigans & polo shirts have to have school logo, which only come from 1 supplier. My daughter is 5'7" (her dad is 6'8").
Last summer, when I went online, I found the sizes didn't go big enough for her. Our deputy rang the supplier - they wouldn't let me order online as she is so tall, I had to trail to the shop where they actually had uniform in adult sizes. We bought the biggest they had so no idea what we buy this summer. I did end up buying clothes with no logo from Asda...as it took the supplier so long to get back to me about sizes, but DD doesnt like wearing those as no-one else does. & I work there so a teacher's daughter in the wrong uniform wouldnt look good. I'm already dreading the fun I'm going to have finding uniform to fit her all the way through secondary school.

My daughter's school had a uniform change (navy or grey dresses/skirts to just navy) and a new badge.( infants and junior had merged to primary).
They allowed a transition period of a whole school year so children could carry on wearing the clothes that still fitted. The logo items cannot he bought from a previous local supplier, only online, but there us no requirement for them to wear anything with a logo. Dd doesn't - she is awkward for sizing. I won't buy online as I can't try on and don't want to have to order multiple sizes of things and pay to return.
The logo items are sometimes sold from one supplier as the school uses it t o raise funds (they get an amount for each one purchased).
Others do it, especially on skirts to stop them being worn too short.

I had NO idea schools were supposed to have more than one supplier.

DCs school (standard state academy in special measures!) has one supplier. Everything down to PE leggings is branded with the school name.

I just spent £45 on a kilt today plus £3.99 for 2nd class delivery! £50 for a blazer...£24 for a PE top! It’s ridiculous

The British obsession with uniform is just ridiculous IMO (I am British). It smacks of harking back to times when men went to the City with their umbrella and bowler hat (ie a uniform). Times have changed!!

I am a professional and whilst the men wear suits, they generally only wear a tie to client facing meeting. Women wear "smart" but no need for suits.

Other counties manage perfectly well without it. How about plain leggings/ jeans and a plain hoody as uniform?

Children know whose parents have money and whose doesn't. It shows in many ways which doesn't include uniform.

Rant over.

Isolation for wearing the wrong socks? Good grief, what do they do about behaviour that's genuinely problematic?

Isolation for wearing the wrong socks? Good grief, what do they do about behaviour that's genuinely problematic?

Well if theres time to worry about socks when sports direct sell perfectly good plain black/blue football socks fir under a fiver, then there cant be any bad behaviour at the school.

I mean no one would be worrying about socks hidden by jogging bottoms.or shin pads when they have bullying or knife problems.

Would they.....

They should at least sell the badge you can iron on to a blazer pocket. Have you asked for the logo in digital form? Our local shop will embroider items for £2 each so still cheaper to buy a supermarket brand and get the logo put on. With regards to initials, stitch your own on? I remember doing that at secondary for my own PE kit.

Our school did this in July last year. Announced new colour. I purchase uniform (finances and job meant Gf to buy in July as no wages in aug and sept) then in aug got email to say it was white shirts only. I'd bought purple polos (had previously been blue polo)
I refused to buy again and school bought, wash and iron the shirts. DS goes in purple and changes into their shirt.

My DC have similar stupid priced uniforms and kits but imagine my pain when 1 year after DD1 started at the School, they changed the entire uniform to mark 25 yr anniversary. All year 8-11 were allowed to stay in the ‘old’ uniform which was discontinued when DD was only 12 and I did not know what size she would be at 16 so I ended up with a right load of old shit.

DD2 went in to the school that year in a new uniform so there has been no uniform sharing either!

Also all kids have to carry around a uniform card and if they forget or lose the card (even if fully dressed in all the right clothes) they would get a detention

Bloody hell this sounds ridiculous. £7 socks and isolation if you're not wearing them? Great way to get families struggling financially on side!

Great way to get families struggling financially on side!

They dont want then.there. that's the point.

And parents dont want their kids associating with them either so support it.

Win win

I end up feeling a bit sorry for teachers.

A new Head comes trotting in, all shiny and keen and say. 'Hey, I've had an amazing idea which will turn the school around, improve results and discipline. Let's change the uniform!'

He then looks round the room expecting to see awe and amazement at this genuinely innovative idea. Instead he sees all the teachers' eyes rolling into the backs of their skulls. They all know that once more teaching and pastoral care time will get wasted on ensuring that 4b have all got the right socks on.

Any teacher not enthusiastically enforcing the uniform knows that they will be marked down for performance management.

I can only assume that there is a manual issued to new Heads which has a checklist. First item is 'make your mark' crossed out and replaced with a sticker saying 'change the uniform' sponsored by ACME Uniform suppliers

My DDs PE kit is all branded Canterbury stuff, and then you have to have the child's name embroidered on it which obviously costs extra. Although, having said that, it's probably worth it because you can't appear in someone else's stolen £60 jacket and insist that it's yours. But it also means it can't be handed down between siblings...and then there is a different kit to buy if you are selected for a team. Plus hockey sticks, tennis racquets etc. The PE and games kit cost more than the uniform, and it's only worn for an hour and a half a week.

Logo polo shirts to be replaced with generic white shirt. Compulsory tie. That's a step backwards. I'd love it if DS could wear his logo polo shirts year round rather than just summer term. I hate the white shirts with a passion. The awful things have been soaked to get the cuffs clean and are in a pile waiting to be ironed, where they will likely stay until September.

My DDs PE kit is all branded Canterbury stuff, and then you have to have the child's name embroidered on it

Schools- you must embroidery your kids name onto the pe kit. this way theres no second hand nonsense with new starters.

Also schools- dont put pictures of your child in their uniform pr anything with their name on it on social media in case someone identifies a kid in the back ground and the child needs protection.

Protection a goes out the window when trying to make your school full of posh rich people though