School uniform prices at primary age

[XChocolate1cheesecake]

My daughter is 6. Her school have a specific skirt that's a kilt. Cost between £18-21.
They have banned a local company from charging £2 per logo to stitch on the schools logo to generic clothing. So now your child's got to have the expensive stuff or not have the logo. They are currently charging

£10.50 for one polo t-shirt (that's £31.50 for 3)
2 skirts will cost £36
The cardigans are £14-£16 each (£28 for 2)
Then she needs plimsolls, trainers, shoes, sports kit for in and outdoors.

This year she has barely worn her uniform as they are in pe kits for two days or extra activity days.

Asda it's £6 for 2 cardigans.
£3 for 2 polo tops.

I am not sure yet if many other parents will bother with the logo. But in my view it's making children unequal. It keeps at seems alot of money. Or am I being tight?

I've always managed to get her logos embroided on before so debating this year what to do.

My children are now are their 4th/5th school.

School 1... Most of the year was blue/white dress )from supermarket or white polo, grey shorts. Blue jumper in winter with or without logo. School logo hat. Logoed bits cost around 20Euro. Was supposed to be logoed PE kit, but they had none small enough for DD, so told her to wear plain shot and white t-shirt. Her second year a neighbour passed on some logo stuff

School two... Only needed a logo jumper, or plain from supermarket. But smallest size drowned the Reception kids so none wore it. (My Yr2 was in the smallest!).

School 3... If she had been there long term she would have needed blazer, tie, navy skirts, summer dress etc. But she went there a week.

School 4... Again supermarket uniform with optional logo jumper. House PE top.

School 5... I've had to buy ties. And it's shirts not polos.

I've not noticed any difference on education between the lot.
I get £75 per child for new uniform from DHs employer every time we have to move
That is apparently the average cost of new uniform.

I think you should contact the school governing body and perhaps let your MP know. There is a bill which has been proposed, maybe debated in Parliament about school uniform and costs.

This is also denying business to what I expect is someone's small business and I am sure we'd all want to encourage innovation and competition?

I do think poor quality uniforms are false economy and terrible for the environment.

My DD school has logo stuff they "encourage" you to buy but we bought two tops for DS when he was there and the top shrank and the logo didn't so we aren't buying any more!
They keep trying to put her in logo tops for school photos even though we told them it's a safeguarding issue (they are adopted and we send photos to birth family). Last year they put her in her friend's cardigan but luckily it was so huge on her it folded over and you couldn't see the logo!
Anyway yes, they are breaking DfE guidelines and their uniform is sexist.

I really want to meet these kids who have uniform that lasts two years without being stained or getting the knees bashed out and are able to pass it on.

And "smart" uniforms don't improve learning. In fact uniforms in general don't improve learning or behaviour.

I've found a LOT less stuff has gone missing (like none) since they don't have o get changed at school. Mine have pe / games 3 days a week so are in kit most of the time. To be honest, below yr5/6 I don't know why they don't just let all kids go in sports kit and trainers all the time. Much more comfortable and practical.
However, that said, I think this should be a factor in choosing a school and all schools should run an active and accessible swap or second hand shop and not arbitrarily ban companies or cheaper versions..so long as they look the same.

I'd love to know if teachers found any difference in behaviour and learning on PE kit days Vs uniform days this year
Especially im Early years free flow classrooms with outdoor play equipment for girls.

@Lockdownbear

I really want to meet these kids who have uniform that lasts two years without being stained or getting the knees bashed out and are able to pass it on.

Ours did have faded paint stains on polos and jackets, they were there when I bought them from the second hand uniform pool. Nothing else wrong with the clothing though, the stuff was indestructible.

I’m with you OP. My DDs school is really strict on uniform. The school cardigans & jumpers are £18 each, tie is £8, summer PE kit is £28, winter PE kit £45, the shirts you can buy in M&S or Asda as with the skirts and trousers but you must only have a coat in the school colours which is usually hard to source so you end up with the school coat at £35, school bag is £20 and you can only have hair accessories (bobbles, bands & clips) in the school colours too.

Shorts and trousers were generic, trousers bought every year in sizes 4 to 8 as they are more difficult to buy big.

Oh also.. Whilst I get the environmental concern, kids grow. Fast. Its not a false economy like it would be for adults to buy cheap as they'll likely grow out of things before they wear out.

I didn't think anyone would buy stuff with stains hence I wouldn't consider handing stained stuff in.

@HugeAckmansWife

Oh also.. Whilst I get the environmental concern, kids grow. Fast. Its not a false economy like it would be for adults to buy cheap as they'll likely grow out of things before they wear out.

I bought sizes 5, 8 and 10 in primary, except for trousers. Average child.

I wouldn't buy clothes with food stains, but paint is just paint and the clothes will attract more anyway!

It was very normal to buy a size up where DS went to school, even if parents had money then you would have four and five year old girls starting school in mid calf length dress.

So the only thing you actually have to buy is the cardigan, like every other primary school in the country? You've chosen not to use the other options.

@kowari

It was very normal to buy a size up where DS went to school, even if parents had money then you would have four and five year old girls starting school in mid calf length dress.

While I understand why, that's not very practical, especially for small girls. Going to the toilet, playing,climbing,running etc. in a dress that long is not great.

I only buy big with cardigans. The stupid (expensive) things shrink anyways.

My kids never had anything with the logo on and never felt inferior to those that did. Primary school uniform was cheaper than their normal clothes. £4 per plain blue jumper, £6 for 3 polo shirts etc plus always bought in Sainsburys when they do the 25% off events.

Don't buy the kilt. Buy a plain skirt. Unless the school is freezing cold they don't really need a jumper or cardigan. They get taken off and lost.

Where DS went to school, uniforms were only available in a 4, 5, then 6, 8, 10.. trousers in single sizes until age 8. When I moved here I found the culture of new every year quite strange, there is hardly any difference between single sizes.

My daughter used to go to a primary school with a kilt skirt and branded uniform. I bought 2 kilts and 2 cardigans and used supermarket polo shirts underneath and used supermarket PE kit too. Most parents did the same, especially after the first year when the novelty of the smart uniform wore off (they changed the uniform half way through my daughter being there).

In my experience the kilts last a couple of days before needing to be washed so you may find that 2 would last you all week anyway.

Can you elaborate on how the school has banned other companies embroidering the logo?

Why would you pay for 2 kilts when the school allows a generic black skirt?
One skirt will last most kids a full week so can just be washed once a week - but you can always hand wash individual dirt spots (spilt dinner!).
In my experience, you don’t get the same grass / mud knee stains as you do on trousers, because a skirt doesn’t have the same sustained impact point.
So - one kilt bought, and a back up generic black skirt, bought even more cheaply from the second hand school store, or even a bobbly kilt one, you say they don’t sell.
One skirt will usually last a full year, I don’t think £18 is excessive for a year, as long as the school help families who do truly need help. Which in my experience, they do.

@Lockdownbear

I really want to meet these kids who have uniform that lasts two years without being stained or getting the knees bashed out and are able to pass it on.

My youngest daughter! She grew in height but not really outwards for years, and favoured summer gingham dresses year round. They started at on the knee, and she could still wear them mid thigh (the older she got, the more she liked mid thigh!). Once they became exposingly short 🙈 they went to the uniform PTA fundraiser, in brilliant condition! She got through a lot of tights and socks though! Our PTA had so much good condition supermarket stuff (trousers too) that they couldn’t sell it all, and regularly passed it on to another school where second hand was more of a financial necessity.