School uniform costs: un-necessary items

[LLWK]

I was reading the recent news of Mike Amesbury's private members bill, that seeks to reduce the cost of school uniforms. It looks mainly at the "single supplier" issue that drives costs up, sometimes to a ridiculous level. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56376138

I also got to looking at uniforms for some local secondary schools (although my children are still at primary). What struck me was that costs could be reduced by not only increasing suppliers, but by cutting out items that aren't strictly necessary. One local comprehensive requires a branded PE kit (fair enough); but also a dance kit of a different polo shirt, with school and departmental logo; and them for that polo shirt to be worn for drama lessons, with regular uniform trousers or skirts, and the pupils in bare feet. Can dance not just be done in PE kit, and does drama really require a different top and no shoes, socks or tights? Or am I stuck in the past?!

Some people really have a thing for uniform the problem is to ensure that it is uniform they have to force everyone else takes part. Dressing kids as mini working adults was weird enough but now the adults no longer wear the crap we ask the kids to wear - the kids at our school have a higher standard of workwear than the teachers...I do not understand the point of it

If you took away the branded stuff, I reckon a large number of those parents would not remain so keen. If it suddenly became impossible to determine based on logos and colours ,which kids went to best school ever high and who went to falling apart academy, I don't think we'd have such a uniform.fetish any more. Alot of its snobbery.

Although if you are going to have a uniform I do like Christ's hospital.

Which mercifully supplies uniform to all their pupils - can you imagine what it would cost if they didn't? For PE kit you can use generic supermarket stuff but their wardrobe department also run a thriving second hand PE kit section.

But then in drama lessons, they have to wear their regular, above the knee skirt but take their tights off - so exposing their pants every time they sit on the floor etc..
Forgive my ignorance, but why does drama necessitate removing your tights?
I ask that as soneone whose PE kit in infant school was knickers & vest for girls, shorts & vest for boys. If you forgot to wear a vest (simply because it was a hot day) it was knickers only. I remember the humiliation of that- & being very cold.

DS has played football over the years & has been lucky enough to be provided with kit for matches, paid for by sponsors. At training they can wear what they like.

@TheOrchidKiller, it was suggested earlier in the thread that they may do it without their shoes on to protect the special (and expensive) drama studio floor. But as to why they have to have bare feet, I'm really not sure. If they just took their shoes off, the floor would be protected but the girls' knickers wouldn't be seen.

Ha, my primary PE "kit" was knickers too - and yes, it was cold!

@TheOrchidKiller

Who else here had 'PE knickers'? Me. Maroon ones, for saving our modesty under the netball skirt.

On a slightly different note, I found Scout & Guide uniforms a nightmare. We got some second hand bits. But the new things we needed to buy - the unit leaders would say, "You only need a polo shirt, they all wear jeans or tracksuit bottoms, don't waste your money on anything else." Then you'd go to the uniform supplier & they'd say, "Oh, but they all wear the cargo pants / baseball cap / raincoat, your child will be the only one who doesn't."

I had a stand-off down the Scout hut more than once over uniform the volunteers wanted to flog me "Oh, but they look so smart in the full kit!" Yes, until they fall in the mud or get covered in icing sugar.

I'm a scout leader and was a beaver leader. As long as they have the shirt/jumper I've never cared about the trousers. 4 of mine have been through all sections and they usually wore their school trousers. Most explorers wear jeans.

My kids secondary school has a nice blazer and a tie. Generic trousers and shirts. PE kit was a polo shirt and blue shorts, blue socks. Also a school rugby top for winter. I refused to buy football boots for the final two years as my lot wouldn't go near a ball and used to stand as far away from the action as possible. Luckily none of their teachers ever said anything.

I always bought big so everything would last years,even if they do look ridiculous to begin with. And at the end when they'd grown but only had a few months left at school.

My DC are at a prep school, so I expected a longer than state school uniform list........but theirs is ridiculous..... FIVE different coats from year 3 at upwards of £40 each and the boys ridiculous socks are £9/pair.

@Londonmummy66

Although if you are going to have a uniform I do like Christ's hospital.

Which mercifully supplies uniform to all their pupils - can you imagine what it would cost if they didn't? For PE kit you can use generic supermarket stuff but their wardrobe department also run a thriving second hand PE kit section.

Two of mine started there in September (sixth form, or deputy grecians) and the pe kit list was specific to a certain supplier. I'm on benefits so got a voucher I was very grateful for. And someone they know used to go there so gave us some of his old pe kit.

I'm so sad they haven't got to wear the uniform since they've been there. They are not!

@Zoomzoomelephantboom

My DC are at a prep school, so I expected a longer than state school uniform list........but theirs is ridiculous..... FIVE different coats from year 3 at upwards of £40 each and the boys ridiculous socks are £9/pair.

FIVE coats? How is that in any way justifiable?

@LLWK
Oh, I see, the old issue of not damaging the flooring! That happened at DS's school. A letter arrived home requesting that parents did not wear stiletto heels to parents' evening.
I was so tempted to make DH squeeze his big feet into a pair...

My ds school secondary is fine I think
Jumpers are £22 ties about 6 , pe top £10 rugby top £12 , no blazers , pe socks just plain so can purchase anyway , white shirts , black trousers so I think ok priced
2 jumpers and one pe kit does him for the year at least , unless grow but I always buy bit bigger , would cost me more if he had normal clothes

@LLWK obviously it isn't. 1 blazer, 1 branded warm waterproof coat with fleecy lining that isn't detachable, 1 cagoule type coat, but distinctive, so you can't just buy a black cagoule, 2 different types of sports coats, the purpose of either remaining beyond my understanding.

@TheOrchidKiller I can understand wanting to protect the floor, if it in indeed a specialist and expensive one. But I’d expect the girls would rather wear their tights, or if that’s unacceptable, be able to wear trousers, leggings or even shorts. The boys also do it in bare feet but in their uniform trousers, so nothing’s exposed.

We would still have to dress our kids even without a uniform and at secondary that would be expensive as they have expensive taste and many would want to keep up with peers
My ds uniform prob £200 a year at most plus shoes ( black trainers)
Thats new pe kit , couple jumpers , shirts, trousers etc
If he wore his own clothes it would cost me way more £200 would be a couple items

@donewithitalltodayandxmas so your children wear school uniform after school, weekends and school holidays?

My DCs own clothes are massively cheaper than their uniform! But I have those weird teens who don't GAF about labels. If you choose to spend hundreds on their home wardrobe that's a choice. Uniform isn't.

For example. DS1 had a growth spurt. I bought him a new pair of trousers for school. They were £16 and aren't actually the "right" ones. But as he's year 11 and leaving in a few weeks they will have to do. His logo polo tops are £18 each. His jumpers are about £22 iirc.

By contrast I spent £12 on a pair of jeans and 3 tops @ £3.50 each for home use.

I'm actually pro uniform. But not when it's costing so much. There's no need for it.

The costs are outrageous, I hope this goes through!

@HighlandCowbag

Dds school changed from a comprehensive to an academy a few years ago. Jesus fuck, the drama about uniform has been ridiculous.

Shoes have to be a certain style and absolutely plain black, no embellishments whatsoever. A tiny little bit of silver or even black bow means they aren't suitable. Patent is not suitable. Suede or anything other than leather/pleather is not suitable. Even the stamped holes on black brogues wasn't suitable. Do you know how difficult it is to find an absolutely plain black leather shoe? That is flat and practical enough for school and not £70?

School skirts now have to be from the supplier at £18 per fucking skirt. £18! She could wear trousers but refuses.

Hair bobbles have to be black. School bag all black, again no embellishments or brands. Tights a certain denier. They even specified that bras should not be visible through school shirts. Dd wouldn't let me email and tell them what I thought about that little gem.

The uniform is checked as they file in, something like 200 students in isolation for the first few days, some parents were even in the evening news. This is an urban school in a very poor area with a mix of demographics attending. All it did was highlight the difference between parents who could afford the ridiculous rules and those who couldn't.

Are you in Co Durham by any chance? There is a school here which caused a local outcry with exactly the same thing!

@MyDcAreMarvel no but i would need more of the clothes they have if they had to wear for school 5 days , they don't need tons of there own clothes when in a uniform all week and in long summer hols its more shorts and t shirts and they wash and dry quickly
As teenagers many are in fo brands etc which are a lot more expensive than a school uniform
Buy our school is no blazer etc and only a few branded items, which are ok priced
Trousers , shirts, pe shorts/socks are all just right colour but from anywhere

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo why not get school trousers from supermarket ?if yours don't mind or do you have to have certain trousers

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo it may be a choice to have an expensive home wardrobe but the reason we have that choice is because if uniform 5 days a week
Anyone who thinks most ( not all) won't feel pressure to fit in and have more branded items which could actually cost more
I think a basic uniform with only a few branded items is better and maybe even option of badges to sew on ,but im not in favour of scrapping

The bare feet thing is so they don’t slip in their stocking feet. But agree they should be allowed to wear leggings or shorts or joggers . I am sure they’d feel freer to express themselves if they weren’t worried about anyone seeing their pants. I would just put shorts under the skirt for drama and if anything is said (it won’t be) kick up and massive stink about the whole thing.

@takingmytimeonmyride mine too - but housemaster said they could just wear supermarket kit to supplement what we could get secondhand so were able to swerve the supplier!

@donewithitalltodayandxmas They were from a supermarket they are the wrong shade of grey but no one has said anything yet. Last year the
did so they do care. We obviously have different ideas of what counts as expensive. If school didn't insist on £22 jumpers (DS2 also has to have a tie and blazer, bag with school logo on, pe bag with a logo etc etc) I could afford to spend slightly more on home clothes. You say you can afford expensive home clothes because of uniform.

It must be hard to satisfy the demands of label conscious kids thank fully mine actively dislike labels. They've always dressed to suit themselves, it's the school uniform demands that cause more stress.

My son's grammar school has three official suppliers so keeps the prices competitive. You can also buy blazer badges from the school and sew them yourself onto a supermarket version/hand-me-down. Bizarrely (I'd love to know the reason) they also have a choice of 3 colours for jumpers and 3 colours for trousers, and all can be purchased from the supermarkets. It's only three items of PE kit that need to be branded. I think we're reasonably luck and I'm rather glad he didn't want to go to the school with the £15 umbrellas and Hogwarts style scarves on the "optional" kit list.