Parents of Y11 pupils, are you going to buy uniform for 8 March?

[SomewhereUpMyArse]

Our school has sent out a newsletter which amongst other things tells us to ensure pupils have uniform that fits for 8 March.

Now I did get some new trousers, shoes and shirts for ds2 back in September, he barely wore them due to isolating a couple of times (school instructed) and ofc hasn't since December. He's grown almost two inches since September and so the trousers now don't really fit and the shirts look a bit stupid. But do I really have to get a whole load of new kit for what will be at best eight weeks' wear after which he'll never put them on again? He is six foot 3 and a half so I have to buy men's clothing for him anyway, it isn't cheap and I'm literally buying it so he can go to school for eight weeks having missed about half a year altogether due to covid. It just seems stupid. What are others doing? YABU= suck it up buttercup, them's the rules. YANBU = send them in in joggers and bite me.

YANBU in the slightest. However I doubt the school will budge. I recall reading somewhere that you could get council grants for school uniform if you are on a low income, could you perhaps see if you can access that?

If you are buying new then buy it 1/2 sizes bigger so it will last until Sept. You can always take in hems and then take them out again.

Or suggest that the school PTA hosts a second hand uniform sale as it'll help raise school funds. Plus, it will help parents buy low cost uniform which will be used for a short time. You should highlight that lots of families have been affected financially by covid & aren't in a position to buy new. I'm saving now to buy new for September & most people will be doing similar, they can't afford to buy new twice in a year.

Why can't you just buy normal trousers? He's going to need them soon anyway when he wants to start attending job interviews. Black trousers are pretty much a staple.

YANBU to not buy school uniform but YABU to send him in joggers. It will just cause problems, if he gets away with it then why shouldn't the rest of the school. If you don't like it then you should have chosen a school that doesn't wear uniforms.

Ok, so first of all, is the uniform something outlandish?

If he needs green trousers & a green/orange checked shirt & a green badged blazer, then the school should be at least considering letting y11s attend in 'smart casual attire'. They could spin it as preparation for dressing appropriately for sixth form. It would be a pragmatic solution to the fact that loads of families will be in the same boat, & foster goodwill. It should not be beyond the ability of a competent SLT to devise a dress code & enforce it (schools with sixth forms manage fine).

If OTOH it's black/grey trousers & plain white shirts, plus a school jumper, then I don't think that's an unreasonable ask.

A boy in his late teens really should have access to an interview/funeral combo - buy them on the generous side obviously if he's still growing! In fact Asda used to sell perfectly acceptable machine washable suits for about £30 - one of my teaching colleagues used to pride himself on the fact that his entire working wardrobe consisted of two of them on weekly rotation...he wasn't a fashion plate, but he was completely presentable.

For anything logo'd, I think you could reasonably contact school & see if they've got a suitable jumper or whatever in lost property. If they don't, I think you could further push for a plain item in the appropriate colour.

I get it's bloody infuriating. I'd literally replaced my ds's entire uniform this time last year to see y11 out, & then he never wore it & it all went to charity.

But I think it'll be easier if you look for compromise solutions rather than just refusing. There are benefits to uniform - it's a well trodden argument on both sides, but the vast majority of schools do have a uniform, & they're honestly not just doing it to piss off parents. You have my full sympathy though - the buggers grow like weeds at this age.

I think a lot on here still aren't getting why "just buy a pair of basic black trousers" may not be possible for many families. Shops are CLOSED. Those that are open (supermarkets) you are not allowed to try on. Unless you 101% can guarantee what you purchase will fit you will need to order/buy several pairs. Many people simply do not have the financial situation to purchase multiple items. Yes the unsuitable ones can be returned for refunds but if you only have £30 spare for school clothes you can't buy multiple amounts can you?

I understand the frustration with schools and shops being closed. However black trousers and a shirt isn't an unreasonable request. Do you really want to take up teaching staff time having to deal with uniform issues (that could be sorted)?

OP clearly knows the size of her child so can order from a supermarket. Unless you have outlier body proportions, the majority of clothes fit if you order the size you are and check measurement guides. Yes the fir may not be "supermodel" but they'll do to get through the remaining weeks of school.

I’m buying x2 Primark black pants £10 each and a couple of Asda white men’s shirts as he’s outgrown maximum school shirt size now, I think they’re £10 each too.
Not ideal but he’s 6 foot and busting out of the armss and collar now.
The school issue very petting punishment about ‘uniform infringement’ so I seriously CBA getting in debates with them about it.

Herc I had to buy some smart trousers for myself a couple of years ago. I bought identical size and style just two different colours - one pair fits better than the other. I have had this problem for years with retailers such as M+S that different colours in the same range fit differently. Sizes vary so much from retailer to retailer.
For years I bought my jeans from Bon Marche. Then they changed suppliers. Everything - sizing, cut etc changed.
I have trousers in my wardrobe that vary from 14 - 18 that all fit the same.
I could not order trousers for myself today and guarantee what I order will fit at all. No way.
If schools don't make it an issue then they won't have to 'take up teaching time' dealing with it. What do they have to deal with anyway? Child A is wearing black school trousers, Child B has on grey joggers, Child C has on a pair of navy jeans....WHO CARES ? The children don't.

Mellon Primark is closed.

Sorry this is really making me angry. This is a global pandemic and the affects and changes to society is probably one of the biggest things we (the UK) have had to deal with since the Second World War.
Lives matter. Education matters. The type of frigging trousers do not matter.

I am grateful my son’s school does not have a uniform.

I was pissed off in September though to have bought all the new logoed PE kit to find that they were not changing for PE due to covid. I wish thet had said!

Imo schools should relax their uniform policy for now when it isn’t clear if children will be in school or not.

If schools don't make it an issue then they won't have to 'take up teaching time' dealing with it. What do they have to deal with anyway? Child A is wearing black school trousers, Child B has on grey joggers, Child C has on a pair of navy jeans....WHO CARES ? The children don't.

On the one hand I agree, if there was no uniform policy then yes there would be no issue.

But there are uniform policies in most schools for a variety of reasons. Policies have to be enforced to ensure fair treatment of all students. Even if the policy was no uniform, there would still be guidelines re what students can and can't wear that would need to be enforced. There are millions of threads discussing the pros and cons of uniform policy so I won't rehash those.

@Ilovemaisie

Mellon Primark is closed.

Oh yes, damn. I’ll get one pair of less expensive pants, and wash them during the week. Very annoying though to have to buy more.

@ilovemaisie thank you. At least someone seems to get it.

Clothes shops and charity shops are closed and whether or not to spend ££s on something that's supposedly a "worthwhile investment" when we can't go anywhere should be up to me and when he can't try on is stupid.

Studies show that uniform doesn't do any of the things people say it does anyway and rn we all have big worries to contend with which aren't helped by teachers telling us our kids can't go to school unless they wear special clothes.

Studies in completely different educational contexts than the UK.

Try working in a school where uniform policy isn't enforced, it's horrible. Students assume because the uniform rules don't apply, none of the others do either.

School could temporarily suspend the uniform rules, for year 11 only. Change uniform rules for year 7 to 10 to allow generic uniform, except for a school tie. Then the uniform rules are still being enforced if uniform is deemed important.

@SomewhereUpMyArse where are you getting 8 weeks from. Year 11’s aren’t finishing school until July this year.

Who cares what studies show. If you want him to go to school, he needs to follow the rules.

What other rules do you plan on breaking just because it suits you?

Well, obviously the ones regarding murder and armed robbery. Because that's the same.

Year 11’s aren’t finishing school until July this year.

Literally no one knows when they will finish this year. (possibly private have said students can stay til July for sixth form prep).

We in wales know. Its confirmed that the deadline for the teachers to submit portfolios of evidence for their grades to be justified by is 22nd June, and that's when they will be in school until.
I imagine it will be the same in england if they have scrapped those exams too.

We haven't had a deadline, or any info on the assessment process in England yet. If there is moderation across centres I'd imagine an earlier date to allow time for this as it can't go into summer holidays like the normal exam process (unless paid examiners are used).

So why demand it now, other than "that's what we do"?

When we go back to learning in school, it’s going to be really important that everything is as “normal” as possible. Every school will need to hit the ground running and pull children back into the swing of school life.
Making big changes - and abandoning the uniform policy is a big change to how a school looks - should be out of the question at the moment.

School children have had to be so, so resilient. What they need is their schools being consistent and familiar.

Smile for some children the most important thing school needs to be is a comfortable and safe environment. The fear of getting 'into trouble' because they don't have socks in the correct shade of grey or whatever actually adds to levels of stress related school refusal and a complete fear of school and total rejection of education.
(I am speaking from personal experience)

Don’t buy anything yet. We do not know if schools are going to open to more pupils on March 8th.