To ask how much your new starter dc's state secondary uniform has cost this year?

[SistemaAddict]

Including shoes, bags, stationary, PE kits, coat, lunch bag, water bottle, flask etc?

Dd2 starts year 7 next week. Dd1 goes into year 9 and needed some stationary, trainers, tights. I've had to tell her she has to use her old bag as I can't afford a new one just yet. Their dad contributes nothing outside of the bare minimum fraudulently calculated maintenance (but that's another thread). I'm on UC and I'll need to ask for an advance to pay the rent. I'm on a course to return to work so this time next year I'll hopefully be better off but that doesn't help me now. I do get some help for uniform but it covers very little. I am very grateful for it though. I've spent £250 but still need to get her a coat. I get her blazer paid for and £30 towards PE kit.

Our secondary has changed the PE kit so that is now not only school branded but also a well known sports brand branded. PE kit alone in trainers has cost over £100 and that's the bare minimum kit. Why do they need branded kit for school ffs?

I am not a parent but am a teacher in a state comprehensive and I know one parent who said our uniform cost her £300 and that's without stationary and bag and those fiddly things. It's all because its branded with a crest. That's it.

I have 2 kids under 2 now. I think I will have to start a saving pot for when they go to school. It's ridiculous.

I remember a few years back spending £450 in the school shop for DD and thinking ouch! That only included uniform and PE kit no shoes or trainers.

All our secondary schools around here have branded uniform and in fairness a lot has washed well so not everything needed replacing in year 8/9 just depends how quickly they grow. My friend has twins and year 7 was very expensive!

My DD is in year 13 and I've pay £85 for three items of PE kit, one item she uses outside of school, so not too bad this year.

I’ve spent about £300 and still need stationery and a bag. Even the sodding skirts have school badges on them which are £20 a go, its bloody outrageous that they are allowed to do this.
I’ve saved some Outgrown PE uniform from older DS And they’ve reversed the colours now so Y7 DD can’t use it. They new head is banging on about uniform infringements being treated seriously FFS.

Does your school not have a contact us if you are on a low income bit? Ours is on the newsletter and is called "supporting achievement Fund". Worth finding out.

Our secondary I think is great, just a tie £7, and a school jumper £15 are standard day to day for clothes that have the school logo on. Therefore shirts and trousers can come from anywhere. PE kit for shorts, two tops (required) and socks is £45. Trainers and football boots are from Sports Direct about £25 each.

Bags, some are branded but most kids have generic black rucksacks, again Sports Direct or Argos. School is strict on shoes so any Kicker labels have to be coloured in with a sharpie.

School supplies wise we bought in bulk, it is harder for the initial outlay when you are struggling for money. But no fancy pens just biros and of course a million pritt sticks

I’ve got 2 in secondary and 1 in primary. I keep DS1 stuff for DS2 (trousers and jumpers and PE kit) but do get him new polo shirts, bag, lunchbox and shoes etc

I’ve probability spent £600 on 3 pairs of decent school shoes, 1 blazer (DD still fit) shirts and polo shirts, skirts, (had been given trousers from a friend for DS1 and DS2 has old ones I’ve kept) PE hoody for DD (logo’d) rugby shirt for DS1, Logo’d PE T-shirt’s for all 3, tights and socks, new bag for DS1 as he old one has come apart, lunch boxes for older 2 as canteen is only doing sandwiches and I can do cheaper and better myself, some odd bits of stationery, and 2 new scho jumpers for DS2 as we don’t seem to have any old ones that fit him.

About £170. Luckily the only branded items are a blazer (£36), and I know from his older brother they dry overnight hanging up when washed so no need for 2, and a PE shirt (about £15). The other big expense is shoes, (£50) and trainers (£27). I am reusing some shirts and trousers from his brother as they're absolutely fine. The rest of the money has gone on socks, topping up shirts, tie, the rest of the PE kit and stationery , including a calculator. He has a jacket that fits over the blazer for now and I'll buy a winter coat next month to spread the cost a bit.

I also had to buy ds1 a new blazer, shirts, shoes, trainers, trousers, PE stuff and a tie. Also new stationery, but not a calculator as he has managed to keep the one he had when he started. So a further £170ish on him. His winter coat from last year still fits well and he usually refuses to wear it anyway so it's in good condition.

So best part of £400 on it all. It's ridiculous really, and our school doesn't go mad on the branding. I think it's wrong. The shoes piss me off the most as they're impractical, especially for those who walk/cycle to school as mine do. Yes, they can change, but you're spending £100 or more so they can look smart in the building, which is ridiculous when people are struggling for money. Next biggest expense is blazers, which are the most impractical items of clothing known to man - not warm enough in winter and boil them alive in summer. I find it affordable, but would rather spend the money elsewhere, but others really struggle and there's no good reason for it.

It's expensive isn't it.

The blazer cost me £40

Need two pairs of trainers for pe...ones that can be worn indoor and ones with studs for outdoors

They can't use their own bag, they need to use the school logo one which is crap quality and falls apart...we need a new one every term. So annoying when my ds has lots of rucksacks anyway.

Even worse we were told we could choose the colour of the PE kit out of two colours. My ds chose and I bought the stuff. When he went to his first pe lesson, he was told the rules had changed and he could only wear the other colour now. Was told he'd get detention if not sorted in a week. Despite this the website still stated both colours were acceptable.

I was fuming.

There is guidance in place from the DfE advising schools that:

“When considering how the school uniform should be sourced, governing bodies should give highest priority to the consideration of cost and value for money for parents. The school uniform should be easily available for parents to purchase and schools should seek to select items that can be purchased cheaply, for example in a supermarket or other good value shop. Schools should keep compulsory branded items to a minimum and avoid specifying expensive items of uniform eg expensive outdoor coats.”

There was a bill passed at a first reading before the lockdown which would have made this guidance statutory but for now it is only advisory. A full branded PE kit is clearly against the spirit of the guidance and I would be inclined to contact the headteacher and chair of governors citing the guidance (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/514978/School_Uniform_Guidance.pdf)

I dread to think, given the compulsory school logo polo shirts alone are £15 each. And since the only supplier of the compulsory uniform items has been out of stock of said polo shirts in DDs size since I ordered them in early July, she currently has none for starting school next week. So I've been charged £££, and haven't even recieved them, 7 weeks after ordering. Not stressful at all!

I've got two starting new school as managed to get DS moved into same school as dd starts. I would say they have or will cost close to £200 each. I still need to buy PE trainers. DS didn't need a new bag but DD. I did make just under £30 back from selling DS old uniform though.

@SqidgeBum - I know there is a whole other thread on this, and I usually ignore spelling and grammar in posts, but since you've proudly announced that you're a teacher, maybe you'd like to explain what stationary children at your school need - buses, chairs, trains?
Or did you mean stationery?
No wonder there is so much traffic on the "Chester Draws" thread.

Its about £600 i think, they have recently changed to mostly logo'd stuff. Ive really shopped around and its supermarket stuff where i can.

I agree that prices are ridiculous. I worked in a school in SM and the first thing the diocesan advisor did was change the basic uniform (deliberately easy to buy cheaply) to logos all over so it would look ‘smart’. Outrageous prices for parents especially in that area; the head objected to the unnecessary cost and they got rid of her.

Mine aren't new starters, but I was looking into costs on the back of another MN thread the other day.

DS1s secondary would cost about £160 for all uniform and pe kit. Then he would need shoes and trainers plus bag and stationery.
Thats if you buy the recommended trousers from the uniform shop. I buy cheaper ones in Marks.

DS2s school was £270ish for all uniform and pe kit. He also has to have specific bag which us about £10. School shoes (only allowed certain styles). Trainers and football boots. Then stationery etc.
Technically they aren't "allowed" anything other than the "from £22 per pair trousers" from the uniform shop. But i learnt when ds1 was there they they don't actually enforce it.

Its crazy amounts of money and both have grown so need a lot of stuff replacing. Ex has refused to pay a penny despite not paying maintenance

Around £400, possibly more. I could cry.

"shoes, bags, stationary, PE kits, coat, lunch bag, water bottle, flask etc?"

Surely they have water bottles, lunch bag etc from last year?

@EveryDayIsADuvetDay

My dad taught me when up was a child how to know the difference between stationery and stationary.

What do you call someone who sells it? Answer...a stationer. Hence stationery. It still helps me to this day.

Feels like we're getting off lightly with secondary. Actual uniform (inc PE stuff) about £110. But I didn't buy all of the hoody/tracksuit bottoms/outerwear options there were as DC not that sporty so I suspect the bare minimum kit will do for now, supplemented with plain supermarket joggers etc. New school shoes £50. Bag £20. Trainers still fit, haven't yet bought all the incidental stuff like tights, stationary etc. Will need a new lunchbox and £5 for a locker key. So no less than £200, and probably more once we're done.

I've also had to replace all the activity specific uniform/shoes/etc recently, and that massively adds up. I suppose it all adds up anyway over the months in a usual year, but lockdown meant we didn't notice them growing out of things and now it all needs doing at once. September is expensive this year.

£57
No I haven't had to buy from scratch, however I have had to buy more uniform than I would normally so we can wash it every day.
He has 4x shorts
4x poloshirts
4x sweatshirts
I bought half that new.
I also had to replace his games top as he's grown considerably.

About £400 for everything. DS is going into Year 7. Could have been cheaper but for the bloody logos on everything including trousers! Plus £70 per month going forward for his school bus! Good job I only have the one 😂

I have Y8 this year, but last year it was about £400. The blazer alone is £140 ( state grammar).

@formerbabe - I made the mistake once or twice many years ago - and was loudly told in front of a large (but otherwise very quiet) office that E is for envelopes.
The colleague was very old school, and averse to bad language, but I suppose a natural extension is A is for arse.

Not a new starter but Yr9 Outdoor PE top £24:99!!!
They also need an indoor one. Shorts. Socks. Football boots. Trainers. That's just PE kit.
This is an inner city state secondary. Year 9 do PE once a week!

The blazer alone is £140

[faints]

I wouldn't spend £140 on a jacket for me, let alone DC... that is outrageous.

I really don't see why with the blazers we can't just buy the badge and sew it onto a plain blazer ourselves. On my ds blazer the logo is seen directly onto the pocket of the blazer...I'm quite tempted to unpick and remove the pocket and sew it onto a cheapo supermarket blazer...not sure my sewing skills are up to it though