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?

@formerbabe

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

That's what I did for DS!

Water bottle from last year is bully fodder apparently and she didn't take it daily as they didn't need one. Secondary they do. They get FSM but with the pandemic the situation is that she will spend most of her time in a socially distanced queue (yet no dd at any other time ) so she wanted a food flask for soup/pasta/beans. That's an investment I hope!

I'm extra pissed off that because I get financial help I have to go to the shop which means taking all the children on the bus. That's an extra £10 for bus fare and not something I want to do after shielding all this time. They can't deliver as they need a signature.

I'm very grumpy about the whole thing as you can tell

I’m in Scotland and have a DD in S4, nothing is branded/badged except tie and blazer if worn. Uniform is everything black inc shoes, white shirts, no trainers or leggings. Wear what they like for PE.
Maybe it’s time parents appealed to their LA to relax these silly rules & regulations.

At my DDs' school, the PE shirts and blazer are branded and by the rules skirts should be bought from the uniform shop, but few follow that. Buying two each of those plus the ties from the uniform shop set me back more than the rest of the uniform. All told, with having to buy at M&S as they were the only place that had what we needed in stock (DD2 has eczema and awkward sizing), it was about £175 for uniforms.

We also spent about £50 for new bags and stationery (she was home educated for primary so we had plenty of pens and things, but she didn't have a backpack, pencil case, things like that), plus what we paid for her new glasses with specific lens coating and I also bought her & DD1 scooters and locks because where we are on the bus routes, it's unlike they'll be able to ride with the restricted numbers and the route is not one any of us would like to ride on a bike on the road.

you know i think you need to let the headmaster know the issues this change to branded PE kit has caused your family, equally the school uniform shop policy resulting in extra unnecessary expense for you. if you don't point it out, they'll probably never realise. you can't possibly be the only one affected like this.

@EveryDayIsADuvetDay

Typing with a toddler on my lap with 2 hours sleep being 30 weeks pregnant = grammar is not my main concern.

But sure. You are amazing. I am sure you feel so much better having corrected me and righted a wrong of the world 🙄 lovely contribution to society.

£350 for my Y7. I also have two other children but they dont need all new stuff, just shoes and a few bits.
The logo Pe kit pisses me off the most 😡

It's the logo'd AND branded that bugs me. It means that nothing for PE can be passed down to siblings.

Mine are y10 now but I have twins so it was 1k for the two of them.

Same each year

Our whole uniform is logo'd but the PE annoys me the most as its completely ridiculous and hardly used. The have socks, three tops and shirts. Plus astro trainers, football trainers.

On top of the £600 uniform & stationery it’s £100 a month for the bus and the school ask for a yearly £100 contribution.

The local grammars uniform is cheaper and they don’t ask for a contribution

I've spent about £450 for my two, one new starter and one returning) but neither needed shoes or coats and youngest has had mostly hand me down PE kit from the eldest. I think it cost about £300 when the eldest started.

Yes to logo’d PE kit!

I would sooner buy more to have a clean set at home ready to go.
But at £25.50 for a polo shirt, she’s getting 1.

That's a lot!

The local authority here does a grant to parents on benefits, to pay for the school uniform, can you get that?

Mine are at primary school. I'm very fortunate that I had loads of uniform passed on to me, and bought remaining items at the school fair, other than a few new items, so cost was reasonable.

£750 which includes a compulsory laptop

On the plus side my eldest did get two years out of the first lot and now passed down where possible so it does tend to last

I haven't quite finished but probably about £250?

Not new starters, I have one going into y8 and one going into y9. My older one needed a new blazer, £37.50 and a new PE t-shirt £16. School have just announced in the last couple of days that the days they have PE they must go to school in their PE kit. There are optional PE hoodies for £40, and tracksuit bottoms for £25. Of course now they are going to be wearing their PE kits for 2 whole days in winter then shorts and a tshirt isn’t going to cut it!

School have sent an email saying that “for the time being” they will allow the kids to wear plain black hoodies and tracksuit bottoms. However neither of mine have plain black so it either means me buying cheap plain black but no idea how long the “time being” is. Or I just fork out for the school branded stuff? 😩

I dread to think what it'll be like when my son is in seniors... going into year 4 and his blazer alone was £90

Surely in these economic times, with people losing jobs and having income disrupted, schools have to be more lenient with enforcing ridiculous school uniform rules. I really hope some element of common sense will be applied

£360.
Just too much.

DS is starting in year 7 at a state Grammar.
His blazer was £38
Jumpers 2x £18
Tie £7.50
Rugby kit £50 all together
PE kit £32
Trousers and shirts from Next not uniform supplier £50ish
Shoes £45
Trainers and rugby boots from Sports Direct £60
Stationery £45
Bag £38
Coat (already have a suitable plain Navy Joules coat)

So just over £400. To be fair, I’d pay every penny I have for him to go to the school he’s managed to get a place at!

I agree @sqidgebum. I think schools should relax the rules especially considering many parents bought uniform which was not worn for over a term and has now been outgrown

I have a year 8 daughter whose uniform had barely six months wear and has now out grown most of it. They have changed some of the uniform too which will mean better value as skirts and blouses are. Is generic. But even so I'm still looking at £40 for a blazer and £45 for sufficient blouses I can't get blouses big enough in Schoolwear as she went up three cup sizes in six months and not even her sister's old uniform will fit. Thank God there are no costs with transport as we are over three miles away from school.