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?

Our school might be the only one ever to have a more favourable uniform change. The new head is really hot on poverty proofing the school.

Uniform was always optional but the set uniform was all from one supplier logo'd etc, put in by the previous head for the usual make it look like I'm doing something reasons and was quite expensive, and many new parents felt compelled to buy it as

Now there is absolutely no uniform but there are still school colours so if people want to buy uniform they can stick to those. I'm surprised how many do, probably about half the school, but they can buy the uniform anywhere and for as much or as little as they can afford. Or the kids can wear their own clothes, which is what the other half of the school does.

Guess what effect not having a uniform has on the school?...... absolutely none. The school is still standing and the children are still learning. Plus the school is so colourful, it's wonderful!

Yes, I would definitely be asking about a transition period - which is totally standard practice. When you need to buy new uniform, you then get the new one - but not before.

Logo trs and skirts stop them wearing non regulation items such skinny tight trs because no matter how many times you tell them certain items aren't allowed, there will always be some that think the rules don't apply to them and parents who don't think it's important to support the school in this.

Oh do stop moaning and work out the cost per wear!!! There's no need for multiples of everything - all three of mine had one blazer, one skirt/pair of trousers, 4 shirts and bunged in the washing machine/tumble dryer at the weekend. Girls' blazers lasted them 7 years. Yes a phased approach would be better but it's not like you have to buy it tomorrow.

Your girls blazers lasted them 7years? You talk a lot of shit.

I don't. It's the truth. They aren't tall, like their mum.

You lady are extremely rude.

You talk a lot of shit.

Not at all.

My blazer lasted 7 years too. I basically stopped growing at 12.

DH never grew into the shoes he was bought for first year secondary with ‘room for growth’.

Cost per wear means nothing when you dont have the money to re buy even basic amounts.uts not a cost you would consider at that point if your current uniform.still fitted just fine

I don't disbeieve that your blazers lasted 7 years (probably looked like shit right enough). If you have a girl that is on the small side and had an early puberty then you wont necessarily have a lot of growth to contend with. However, when I was at high school, I grew 9 inches in height - feet didn't grow at all though. My Dss were tall starting high school but ended up at 6'3 so went through a blazer virtually every year. they were also a weird blue colour so went very faded over the elbows quite quickly. At £45 a go and with both DSs the same size so no hand downs, it is an expensive business.

probably looked like shit right enough

Unnessarily bitchy, no? You don’t need to wash blazers much, so not in my case. And you did look like you were accusing the PP of lying,

I agree that they’re an expensive (and pointless) piece of kit though.

Dont need to was blazers much?

They are 100 % polyester. You dont wanna leave it too long in between.

Our blazers and skirts require no softener.

So separate wash if 3 items .

Wasteful

You dont wanna leave it too long in between.

I don’t think mine was polyester.

In any case I had a shirt and a jumper on underneath it and it was barely on tbf, so no, it didn’t need washed much.

Unnessarily bitchy, no? You don’t need to wash blazers much, so not in my case. And you did look like you were accusing the PP of lying,

Eh! I totally believe they lasted 7 years, but having picked up from high school for 6 years, I've seen some of the blazers that have been worn for many years and they look like shit by then. And in what world do they not need washed regularly? Ds1 wasn't too bad and probably just need chucked in the wash every few weeks but DS2 needed his washed virtually every week.

My dc unfortunately have to wear 100% polyester blazers.

My sense of smell isn't particularly acute but even in winter, when due to the outdoor waIk-ways between classrooms the synthetic fibre/teenage body combination problem is at its lowest ebb, the whiff of "eau-de-secondary school" is tickling the nostrils after a couple of weeks.

Headteachers seem to come and go much more frequently these days and I think that, unless the school is prepared to pay for it (and therefore act in a financially incompetent manner given the cut backs in education in recent years), then a new head should not be permitted to alter logo'd elements/or colour of the school uniform if it was changed at any time in the previous 7 years.

but having picked up from high school for 6 years, I've seen some of the blazers that have been worn for many years and they look like shit by then

I’ve answered all this above and yes, it was bitchy.

but having picked up from high school for 6 years, I've seen some of the blazers that have been worn for many years and they look like shit by then
Kinda proves they cant have it both ways though doesnt it. That they cant have some expensive and pain in arse to source uniform and have kids look smart and presentable.

And it also proves that this leveller shit is just that. Shit. As if people cant tell those who have brand new fitted blazers and those that have been handed down or bought over sized and only one so its washed and worn to fuck.

Go to the press with this and get more parents on board. There should be a phased introduction.

Poverty proofing the school day is a thing and in my area there's been a city-wide programme to look at everything from the uniforms to trips and things like World Book Day.

Senior school kids are looking at making second hand uniform a cool and environmentally conscious decision.

I don't think its unreasonable to want/need 2 skirts or pair of trousers.if they got dirty one day, i wouldnt want to wash, dry and iron for next day (pleated skirt doesnt look great if not ironed). Dd is small but getting her a new blazer after nearly 2 years as hers looks really scruffy. It was £34 so not mega expensive but the buttons fell off within weeks! Also 1 set of shirts she had outgrown in 1 term, i was glad they were m and s ones and not school branded!

Uniform isn't really about leveling no matter how much they say it, it's really about control and power tripping. It's perfectly possible to have DC wear normal clothes without it being a pissing contest and Dc will find something to bully others over whether or not they are all wearing the same clothes.

Fully agree wax

For a developed country England educational standards are shit in alot of schools. Other countries manage just fine.

Its bullying that needs addressing most of all.

Our School did actually provide all existing students with the new uniform design free of charge. They completely changed the colour of the jumpers.

Most schools seem to be going that way nowadays, ours currently has specific skirts & jumpers (both of which switch to a new colour after two years), blouses, blazers, ties, pe kit, coat, bag, i think even water bottle??? And these are all logo'd or different to anything you'l find outside of the one school approved shop.

Interesting reading about some PPs comments about this one shop only rubbish not being allowed - it defo shouldn't be. Give it a few years and it'll infiltrate down to primarys too.

For a developed country England educational standards are shit in alot of schools. Other countries manage just fine.

I'm not in England but ours are shit too.

As i said earlier, i'm ambivalent bout uniform if a sensible approach is taken then, meh.

However what I can't believe is how schools have been allowed to get away with dictating hair styles etc.

Fine to have rules about what they can wear within school hours but not to dictate what people look like for the hours that they don't attend school - i'd have told them to fuck off with that shit.

Fine to have rules about what they can wear within school hours but not to dictate what people look like for the hours that they don't attend school - i'd have told them to fuck off with that shit
Goes against everything you were brought up to think and everything you teach hour children doesnt it.

Never judge a book by its cover
Dont bully peppe for being different
Dont be cruel and mean about other peoples appearances.

Except school

Yiu are unteachable and unemployable if your skirt is more than an inch above the knee and comes from.asda.

I'd like to see these head teachers turn away fire fighters police or paramedics for a tattoo or a bar through the nose.

"Please mam don't give me CPR in the street as I have a heart attack you are in jogging bottoms and your hair hasn't seen a brush in two days"
Yeah never gonna happen.