£25 for a PE top! AIBU to think this is OUTRAGEOUS?

[PokerFaceGrace]

State secondary school in a deprived town with a majority of social housing.

Apparently previously the PE top was an £8 polo top with logo but they’ve done away with this for the new Yr7’s who have to buy the new £25 jazzed up version. In addition to track suit, rugby top and socks so looking at close to £100 just for PE kit not including trainers and you just know that half of it is going to get lost stolen within the first few weeks.

AIBU to think this is an utter piss take, and be ‘that’ parent and complain, before DC has even started there?

I just had to buy my DS a £10 PE polo shirt and a £25 rugby shirt for secondary school, both are compulsory . So I feel your pain.

The socks alone are £8, shorts also £10. They also said football and rugby boots but I just bought football because I’m not forming out for both, so ridiculous.

That is very expensive and your year is bearing the brunt of it as future years will be able to benefit from second hand sales. I would complain!

Yes it's frustrating. But it's the same everywhere. DS had to have logo t shirts, rugby shirts, hoodie. Ranging from £15 to £39 each.

Prior school had logo swim trunks, shirts, rugby shirts, personalised base layers, tracksuits, bags (yes it was private, but even still) just his PE kit came to just shy of £400. Don't even get me started on the fine wool blazer that smelt of feet after a week, was dry clean only, and went stiff as a board the first time it saw rain. Could have had a night away somewhere for the price of that stupid thing.

I feel your pain, ours is £88 for the full kit, not including special football boots for their fancy 3G pitch.
DS1 is in year 7 and his kit is too small and he needs new for September because he’s grown 6 inches this year ,

How do they expect parents to afford this ?! On top of them wanting parents to buy iPads and give donations every month . The school uniform system needs to be looked at coz a lot of parents just can’t even begin to afford this surely on top of the cost of living sky rocketing along with furlough and redundancies , it’s so unfair ! How does a logo on a child’s p.e kit help their learning ?

It is outrageous and it ought to be banned. “PE top” should just be a regular plain t shirt in a common colour - so white, pale blue, black etc. Plain navy or black jogging bottoms or leggings. Socks ought to just be a plain black sports or football sock. They aren’t playing for Man Utd! If they are actually in a school team give them a badge to sew on aforementioned t shirt.

Schools do it because they get kickbacks from uniform suppliers, to look “smart” in the prospectus and to use it as a form of social exclusion and it’s just not right. Absolutely encourage you to be “that parent”.

Yup, PE top, rugby top, special shorts, special socks. At least they wash well so have been able to buy second hand. What annoyed me the most was that the PE kit demanded football boots and shin guards - which ds has never (as of the end of yr 10) worn as he is in the bottom half of PE and so never gets to play rugby/football/hockey.

Unbelievable. My child is year 5. I thought £9 plus for uniform polo was steep! I buy pack of 2 from next or M&S for less, and they look much better.

Yes that's madness. I'd complain and ask for a cheap option alternative.

Its not a school in the SE by any chance op? The prices are a piss take, luckily dd is in Yr 10 so she can still wear the old uniform but there's no way I could have afforded buying it all at once and I don't know many people who can

It's ridiculous

When my ds started year 7, he lost was probably stolen his £25 pe jumper before he'd even worn it

It's ridiculous. My DD is starting secondary school in September, her school skirt alone is going to cost £40!! I can only afford to buy one on top of the blazer, blouses, rugby top, pe top, skirt, football socks, shin pads, football boots, gum guard, trainers, school shoes, stationary... Its going to cost around £300 in total. We'd be better off buying a few plain grey skirts than paying £40 on one skirt that will have to last the week. I've found it very stressful and worrying to be honest

Dear god why is it necessary?! How many people must be shitting themselves right now wondering how they’re going to afford everything? It’s just not on.

I am assuming these are all academies?

Parents should band together and refuse

YNBU. I refused point blank to buy the logoed sports jackets after I'd already bought the logoed skirts trousers blazers and pe kits (state school also)

I would write to them and ask them to explain how this meets the DfE guidance on school uniform, in particular relation to the bullet point that schools

"consider the cost, the available supply sources and year round availability of the
proposed uniform to ensure it is providing best value for money for parents"

And include a price comparison to similar non branded items. If you know other parents at the school, ask them to do the same and include a copy to your MP.

Schools get away with this crap because they are never challenged about it.

I feel your pain too

My DD’s secondary school logoed PE top was also £25.

Plus £25 for a specific logoed skort - boys could wear plain black shorts, but girls had to have the logoed skort

Then special socks for a tenner

We could buy trainers/football boots from anywhere, however they had to be plain black. No coloured logo or stitching or anything like that allowed. We could get them from the official supplier - for £££££

It's not the same everywhere, you should complain. Our school only requires a branded £40 blazer, ( polyester so indestructible therefore easy to pass on ) everything else could be bought in ASDA. No PE uniform, just no football tops or slogans. And this is a school that prides itself on appearances, it just knows the parents can't afford it. I think the p7 maybe even get a free tie. ( That might just be some primary school s doing it for their leavers, anyway it is only £5)

I costed uniform the other day for DTs we are looking at £534 WITHOUT shoes / trainers / bags etc. Glad I bloody checked.

PE - £120 minimum for a skirt, socks, t shirt and pullover top. Tracksuit bottoms optional at an extra £30.

Uniform - £147 for one blazer / skirt / shirt / cardigan / lab coat and apron

I think we'll get away with one skirt but they need more shirts, and then add shoes, socks / tights etc its eye watering.

That's ridiculous.
Particularly if you consider that boys in particular will grow a lot during secondary school (I had to buy DS 3 sets of PE kit in 5 years as he shot up). In future years I guess there will be a second hand market, but that won't help current new starters.

At my DC's school the PE kit is more reasonably priced (the PE top is £15) and also the school provides a free PE kit to pupil premium children.

@Yubaba

I feel your pain, ours is £88 for the full kit, not including special football boots for their fancy 3G pitch. DS1 is in year 7 and his kit is too small and he needs new for September because he’s grown 6 inches this year ,

How are families on low incomes supposed to find £88, ffs?

Earlier, I spoke to a client with 3 children, who is benefit capped. She gets £384 a week, of which almost £250 goes straight out again in rent. That PE kit alone, for just one of the children, would take more than half her weekly disposable income.

YANBU.

Point them in the direction of schools in Scotland, which do not have branded PE tops, bags, the rest of it.

Totally ridiculous and yes, be that parent.

I haven’t costed DD’s secondary uniform up yet but the list is quite long and it includes a couple of logoed items which can only be bought directly from the school so I’m sure it will be ££.

However at least I only have one child to fork out for - there’s triplets in DD’s year, god knows how much it will cost to kit them out.

I'm all for a logo top, rugby top and shorts. That's where I'd draw the line.

I definitely wouldn't buy their hoodie. Your child can go in a cheaper, same coloured equivalent.