£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?

This makes me laugh people are willing to pay 20 30 quid for hoodies sports jumpers branded stuff but when it comes to school uniform always whinge

@Rebornagain

This makes me laugh people are willing to pay 20 30 quid for hoodies sports jumpers branded stuff but when it comes to school uniform always whinge

I can tell you right now I can't afford to pay that kind of money for hoodies etc.

To buy school uniform for my son back in the day I had to go to Provodent for a doorstep loan. I'd just come out of a marriage and was a single parent and a loan was the only way I could do it at that time.

For parents who do have logoed hoodies etc the likelihood is that it's all come from a catalogue which doesn't require a huge outlay.

@pointythings

The law only says schools have to 'consider' cost. That's still pretty much toothless. Until we get a law that says schools must have a uniform that is available from high street retailers and that they must provide sew-on/iron on logos at cost prices, this will continue. Uniform is big business.

You surely should be able to clothe a kid for school for a year for £150. We can't and that's solely because we have to shop with the school provider. I don't mind spending 30 or 40 on a branded item which the kids will love, but they don't feel like that about uniform and the shopping experience reinforces that. I just don't understand this still, why families have to pay more because the school is in some contract! It's not just cost It's such a stress.

Just a thought; either bring it up with a PTA member, or join the PTA yourself and bring it up? If enough parents complain surely something would be done?

I agree it is ridiculous. I used to get annoyed when my children were at school. My older daughter’s school insisted on a padded red coat which could only be bought at school supplies. I bought it, but she ended up walking to school without it on as getting cold was preferable to wearing it. I feel your pain!

I thought £30 quid for DD's blazer was expensive, but apparently compared to what some of the PP's have said.

Fortunately, we didnt have to get get the full PE kit. So, Blazer, tie, PE top and skort was the bare minimum we needed.

This may be a really unpopular opinion but I really don't get why everyone whinges so much - most parents are happy too fork out for name brand clothes and trainers for their kids which they only wear at evenings and weekends. Uniform is worn 7 hours a day, 5 days a week - it needs to be good quality to stand up to the bashing it gets everyday. The initial outlay is large - but it shouldn't come as a surprise - as soon as your child hits Year 6 you can start saving. In my area kids who are entitled to free school dinners usually are entitled to help with uniform costs. I would also say that once bought it doesn't all have to be replaced every year just on growth spurts.

DS needed a new top. They changed the kit while his brother was there and then changed it again. Three tops, two shorts, one top £61. He's worn it three times and now doesn't do PE or games anymore.

It's not bad compared to some.of high schools in NI. PE kit comes in around £300 in some schools

I'm shocked at the prices for uniforms on this thread. My eldest is going to primary next year, I feel like I'm going to have to start saving now for the costs of secondary school uniform. Our catchment secondary is one of these with logos on the school skirt, blazer, pe tracksuit, hoodie, the works.

I think part of the problem is that it doesn't last or isn't good quality!

I can time when I buy normal clothes. I can look for items in the sales to save money. I can say “no you can’t have that it’s too expensive”

You can’t do that with school uniform

@winewolfhowls

I think part of the problem is that it doesn't last or isn't good quality!

For the family I buy for it's that a huge amount of thought has to go into all expenditure and as you say the quality, something they are so careful of, isn't there to match the price.

As for the person saying join PTA I am far from the only extended family member contributing but voiceless.

@Rebornagain

This makes me laugh people are willing to pay 20 30 quid for hoodies sports jumpers branded stuff but when it comes to school uniform always whinge

But for that you get something the child likes and could wear for years. Blazer is six times that cost, will grow out of in a couple of years and will never wear outside of school.

No idea how much they cost as DD is still primary, but one of the secondaries we're looking at for her has different coloured (logoed) polos and sweatshirts for each year group, so new uniform needed for every child every year. It's slightly mad and would be far easier if the green year were green for their whole time in school, but no.

Just added DD's Grammar School uniform+PE. Without the shoes it comes to £480! And that is for 1 skirt and 1 blouse. Mind boggling! The problem is, she will be starting Y7, we do not know any parents or children, children's introduction evening has been cancelled and I simply have no idea how to reach other parents and complain. I remember last year there was some talk in the papers about expensive school uniforms and how it shouldn't be happening, but nothing has been done, it seems.

Naughty isn't it. Ours was similar- £22 for PE top, £28 for rugby top, £28 for hoodie, £8 for socks, £14 for shorts. That's just PE!All that available from just one shop only, then you have to get trainers and football boots elsewhere. Can't be passed down to siblings as it's colour coded according to houses, and siblings are put in to different houses. Turned out they don't have to have the rugby top, and they can actually wear any generic plain black or blue sports socks (lady in the shop told us it's all compulsory 😡)

I’ve already our Pe trousers the knees go though pretty much first wear. The uniform shops responded with they are not meant to be worn all day so that’s why.

Our kids started a new school last year. One is in Year 2 and one in Reception... £1000 on uniform, I shit you not! Branded everything, a £85 blazer that goes on their peg at 9am plus 4 different types of hat!!

I nearly fainted!

Just added ours up and it is £63 for all sports kit. £24 rugby shirt, £13 PE vest, £9 shorts x 2 (Games and PE), £8 Games socks. State grammar. That is with second hand items available, though stock is running low. It's all indestructible and you only need two (or possibly three) sizes in five years. £100 is far too much though.

Is there a transition period so they can wear old kit for a couple of years until second hand new kit is available?

Mine wasn't to bad
35 blazer.
P.e top 12 quid
Leggings 12.99
Jumper for p.e 15 quid
Yours is expensive
Blouses from m and s 30 quid for 5
2 ties 10 pound
Shoes 50 quid
Skirts we have got 3 at 17.99

Yanbu at all. It's complete and utter bullshit and very widespread.

Trouble is that loads of parents think uniform is great and so even when schools take the complete fucking piss it happens within the context of it being fine to tell parents to buy an extra set of clothes just so their children can go to school.

My neighbour gave me a load of outgrown PE kit for DS, but the high school have changed their logo, and new starters must have the new logo.

I have just totted up PE kit. £80, if you get short sleeved top, long sleeved top, hoody, shorts, joggers and football socks. This is before trainers and football boots, and ordinary uniform (blazer £35 seems ok, Jumper £25 seems very £££).

We have middle schools. DD will go to middle school the same time as DS goes to high school!! It’s going to be an expensive year! I guess there will be some hand me downs for DD.

WTF? I'd complain if I were in your place. DS goes to a state secondary school (one that is usually in the top 10 in Scotland, so a well-sought good one) and the only logoed items are his blazer (polyester) , his polo shirts for PE (they cost £9 each. or were they £12 ?) and his ties. I paid less than £100 for everything (and I got a few polo shirts and a couple of ties) and maybe another 150 for everything else (shirts, trousers, jumpers, socks, shoes, trainers, shorts, joggers, bag, stationery etc - all bought from Sainsbury's or M&S)

Appalling isn’t it. DS’S school has been taken over by 3 academy trusts in 4 years. Each time , a complete change of uniform that can only come from one supplier ( online or their one shop is 30 miles away ) and a new Pe kit as well. £20 for a sports top , 35 for a sports hoodie ( only one allowed when playing outdoor sports , detentions for non approved or told to take it off . In January , no less ) £15 for logo’d shorts . £30 for a blazer , on and on . Three times I’ve replaced it. Three times , easily £150 a time. He hadn’t even worn it out ,and it’s not as if I can hand it down , because it’s no longer current.

And quite apart from anything else , what a waste of fabric , time and energy , all to end up in landfill.

@HappySonHappyMum

This may be a really unpopular opinion but I really don't get why everyone whinges so much - most parents are happy too fork out for name brand clothes and trainers for their kids which they only wear at evenings and weekends. Uniform is worn 7 hours a day, 5 days a week - it needs to be good quality to stand up to the bashing it gets everyday. The initial outlay is large - but it shouldn't come as a surprise - as soon as your child hits Year 6 you can start saving. In my area kids who are entitled to free school dinners usually are entitled to help with uniform costs. I would also say that once bought it doesn't all have to be replaced every year just on growth spurts.

Very ignorant post, savings ? You clearly do not struggle with money problems compared to many people who live month to month with nothing left over.