School uniform costs

[Hippybottommoose]

In April, MPs agreed to pass a new law to make school uniform more affordable and accessible to all children, regardless of circumstances. Guidance will be published in Autumn.

www.gov.uk/government/news/new-law-to-make-school-uniform-costs-affordable-for-all

I have one child in secondary, and another starting year 7, and a third in primary. We've received guidance from both primary and secondary as a reminder for uniform standards from September: Primary - logoed cardigans, logoed polo shirts, logoed PE top, logoed PE hoodie, logoed school satchel and recommendation to buy logoed skort/shorts - with everything else not branded and can be bought wherever; and Secondary - logoed tie (different type for each school house and different again for yr11 so unlikely to be passed down!) logoed blazer, logoed skirt, logoed PE top, logoed rugby top, logoed PE waterproof top and strict guidelines for other items such as black socks only, no woolly tights, no skinny trousers, PE leggings/joggers to be a specific type with no branding on them.

All of the logoed stuff for both schools is available at one shop only.

The kids look great, all matching, nice and smart. But it feels like nothing is going to change despite this new law. Yes, some stuff does need to be logoed such as the blazer, but does the school really need 5 different types of ties? And primary, do we really need the thick cardigans, unshapely logoed cardigans that go bobbly and shrink in the dryer, rather than supermarket ones that cost a quarter of the price, and frankly actually fit better.

I'm really strongly doubting anything wil change even once the government publishes guidance. Has anyone actually found this new law had made an iota of difference to their school's uniform policy?

Christ, I don’t know any schools near me that require any logo stuff, let alone all logo

Our primary school gives each child a free cardigan or jumper that has the school logo at the start of every year. More can be purchased if we want to. If DC have outgrown them, I do buy an extra one, they’re around £11. However they are amazing quality and the cardigans have deep pockets.

I have 3 in school, one just about to start reception, one about to start year 7 and another in year 9. It's ridiculous. I must have spent £250 so far on bog standard uniform items for just my 4 and 11 year old (shoes are a killer!), and I still have to get a logoed blazer, logoed skirts, logoed pe top, tie and logoed cardigans and jumpers.

The school they've just left was brilliant. They gave each child a logoed pe top every year since they made the decision to change from plain white t-shirts. When they changed the logo on the jumpers because they became an academy, every child was given a jumper or cardigan. They've also made the decision for black trainers to be worn instead of school shoes, meaning no need for extra pe trainers.

@GetTaeFuck

My DC (state) nursery school brought in logo polo shirts. thankfully just as DS was leaving!

@itsgettingwierd

It drives me bonkers.

There is no evidence expensive uniform and logos improves outcomes academically.

There is evidence that it forces families on low income to make sacrifices to buy uniform or send their child in something they can afford and have them isolated for weeks on end.

It creates a bigger divide.

I'm all for uniform. I go to the supermarket, bank etc and staff are in uniform.

But they aren't in balzers and ties. And they aren't in a 'one size expected to fit all' uniform .

If schools really want to create this community feel and sense of belonging they say it's to create they'd do that by having a simple colour scheme which is economically accessible for all, flexible to fit all the body shapes that exist in society and create a proper inclusive education where all pupils feel valued for their contribution to school life and their efforts rather than their skirt being the right length and their trousers fitting their thighs correctly.

The 2 secondary schools that have polo and sweatshirt uniform in mh area have been the highest achieving year on year and the 2 schools (academies) who are uniform obsessed have been getting worse on worse results year on year.

I've said this before on here: a strict uniform policy where isolation is enforced if it is not adhered to says to me that a school is struggling and underperforming. It is a desperate attempt to create a facade that it is a high achieving school and is a bit of a sticking plaster to a gaping wound of poor performance.

I only have kids in primary, but they don't enforce the uniform rules to the letter and the kids and parents seem very happy. They have a nice community, despite there being big wealth divides in the area. Some houses are worth 1m+, while others are clearly on the poverty line, but the kids mix together fine.

@purpledagger

I've just kitted our DC1 for secondary school and spent over £200. They have a school coat with a logo which was £40!! This means that they will also need a second coat to wear outside of school, so it's a double expense.

There are a couple of optional items on our uniform list such as PE bag and PE rain jacket. I haven't bought these as I regard these as 'things that only get used in year 7'. But, it's difficult to know what you can do without until they start.

How much would you expect to pay for a coat though? Dts coats from Tu were £40.

A (state) school local to us has blazers from the compulsory supplier that are just shy of £100. The skirts are nearly £40 each. There are 2 separate PE kits (luckily our DC school is not as expensive but I'd be happy if I could do the whole uniform for £200. I started buying at Easter to spread the cost for DS.
The school uniform grant is a maximum of £75 . Not sure what you are meant to do with that - ask them for a blazer with only one sleeve, or do PE in your vest and pants?

@idontlikealdi I picked up my child's coat for £15 from next in the sale! £40 is a lot for a coat! To say they have to have a school coat and then parents have to buy another coat for outside of school is wrong.

@Fizbosshoes

A (state) school local to us has blazers from the compulsory supplier that are just shy of £100. The skirts are nearly £40 each. There are 2 separate PE kits (luckily our DC school is not as expensive but I'd be happy if I could do the whole uniform for £200. I started buying at Easter to spread the cost for DS. The school uniform grant is a maximum of £75 . Not sure what you are meant to do with that - ask them for a blazer with only one sleeve, or do PE in your vest and pants?

Our secondary school skirts are almost £40 too we've been lucky to get her blazer and much of the PE kit second hand. I wouldn't spend £40 on a skirt for myself! They're really strict on uniform around here it seems, even the dc's primary school were strict (only school socks allowed, school coloured plain hair ties, hair always tied back, no trainer style school shoes etc).

I grumbled about DC2's uniform (just starting y7) because they need random bits of logod PE kit, and sports socks which have to be bought from a specific shop because they have stripes in the school colours...but to the school's credit they do have second hand uniform for sale for a few pounds per item and I have bought most of the PE kit that way.
Until now, DC1 had a more basic PE kit at their high school, it was logod but fairly cheap. But the school (academy trust) have just brought in a brand new logod PE kit and are insisting that all pupils swap to the new kit immediately, rather than phasing it in as old kit is outgrown. During covid they wore PE kit all day on PE days so I had to buy the "old" logod PE joggers for DC because it was too cold to walk into school in shorts...he wore them a handful of times but these are now not permitted and I am supposed to buy the new (more expensive) ones which are more "running leggings" in style. Plus a PE training top which as far as I can see is only different to the old one due to the logo having changed slightly. I usually leave the school to get on with it but I did email the school about this, as 1500 of the old pe kits are now useless and will be thrown out, which seems a complete waste plus the expense of the new kit (if you buy all the logod tops, leggings and socks it's at least £60 per child). The school responded by saying that they "do take sustainability seriously" but that they thought it was important for appearances to have everyone in the new kit. Really for 1 or 2 hours per week this seems ridiculous to me (as apart from y7 they will not be wearing PE kit into school any more)

@Fiddliestofsticks

Primary school cant enforce a uniform anyway, so buy stuff from the supermarket in the correct colours.

For the older kids, it really wont change until enough parents revolt. You gotta just follow their complaints procedure and complain about the uniform and the cost, and maybe site the new rules etc. Then encourage other parents to so the same.

Since when???!!!!! My primary school child (and in nursery too) there is a logoed polo and logoed sweatshirt!!!! And since pencils are too oldschool, apparently, it came with marker stains EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! Which meant I needed more logoed sweaters than expected....

It’s the law and had been for a long time it’s just that schools don’t like you to know

I feel that schools should not be having logoed items as compulsory. At MOST, a jumper or cardigan. Nothing else should have a logo on. It’s totally and utterly unnecessary and I say this as a teacher.

Are any of these full logo schools in deprived areas? We’re in a deprived area and I wonder if it’s a Keeping Up With The Joneses non-deprived area load of bollocks with these schools.

At my son's school they would "prefer" pupils to wear the uniform with the logo but they don't have to. I would say about 2/3 of the kids wear the stuff with the logo and the other 1/3 wear the plain supermarket clothes.

According to current posts on the parents app, people are buying one set of the uniform with the logo on for school photos, school trips and other important events and everything else from the supermarket. This is what I'm doing.

Our primary school is very strict, literally all I could buy elsewhere for DD were shirts and socks/shoes. The uniform can only be bought from the school itself which makes everything more difficult over the summer if I have forgotten to buy anything as I will need to wait until school reopens. I don't understand in primary why children need a shirt and tie and a pleated skirt that opens with a button that are very difficult for my reception age child to master. I'm all for uniform but unbranded polo tops and a general colour scheme are more than enough, and much more comfortable for them

I have children at 3 different schools within the same borough

2 are hot on the logo stuff. Won’t budge and it’s £££ they are v strict on shoes too

The other school recently changed their uniform policy to include non logo items and plain black trainers as a more affordable option than school shoes, they also gave uniform vouchers to fsm pupils and are generally lovely

To offer a different perspective (having just spend over £300 on two sets of uniform myself), the reason why so many schools insist on logo-ed everything is because too many students in secondary school push the boundaries of acceptable too far.

We see it with shoes all the time, despite clear guidance saying plain black, low-heeled (fake or real) leather shoes too many turn up in black trainers, embellished shoes, high heels, suede and will argue the toss about how it fits in.

One of my previous schools had to intruduce logo-ed trousers and skirts after too many girls turned up in skin-tight leggins and skirts, or jeans, or skirts so short it was difficult now knowing what underwear they were sporting that day. Leafy middle-class area with lots of money.

So when letters/ calls home, regular reminders and punishments don't work and when teachers are spending more time having to argue about uniform than getting on with actual form time/ lesson tasks, some schools go down that route of ensuring everyone can only buy a certain type of clothing by requiring a logo from a specialist uniform shop.

I see why it happens. Even though I am not a fan of uniforms at all, having been raised in an environment where pupils could wear whatever they wanted, including hair styles, and it made no difference to our learning other than missing out on being able to rebel, as any teen would, against strict, conformist rules.

@Etherel

We see it with shoes all the time, despite clear guidance saying plain black, low-heeled (fake or real) leather shoes too many turn up in black trainers, embellished shoes, high heels, suede and will argue the toss about how it fits in.

What the F* is wrong with trainers????!!!! PLEASE PLEASE explain!!! They're children!! They play football and what not! Even older ones! Would YOU go to the gym in your work clothes?

What the F is wrong with trainers????!!!! PLEASE PLEASE explain!!! They're children!! They play football and what not! Even older ones! Would YOU go to the gym in your work clothes?*

I didn't say I agreed with the rules, so do please calm down. But those were the rules and, as teens would, they pushed the boundaries and saw what they could get away with.

Dds private school uniform with all the specialist clothing was £97.
They had a thriving 2nd hand shop where new parents could go down and buy as much as they needed to kit out their children if they wanted to.
Children once in the school were encouraged to hand in their outgrown items of uniform to get a generous discount when choosing a bigger size
They also had part of the uniform which could be picked up from the local supermarket.

Ds started at a comprehensive and his uniform was nearer £400. A rugby shirt that he never used as within weeks of starting they changed the design and wouldn’t let you use the old design. The rugby shirt alone was £35
I enquired about a 2nd hand uniform shop and was told something along the lines of they wanted children in new clothing otherwise they would feel like 2nd hand citizens.

For most people spending £400 on uniform would hit people in the purse and certainly make them feel like 2nd hand citizens when they have to cut back on other things to afford their child’s uniform.

I wonder if in a school prospectus they should add up the cost of the uniform and if they had a 2nd hand uniform shop so people can make a decision of if they can afford to send their children there.

I buy my DD trainers that look kind of like shoes tbh with you! Otherwise I'd have to send her in the middle of winter with open shoes!!! I will NEVER buy those silly girly shoes for my daughers to wear during winter

Schools want black shoes, what is the problem with slight variations of black shoes?! I may understand if schools don't want white soles, colourful accessories or high heels, but everything else?! It's just being extremely nitpicking.....

Every time I hear about the horror stories of expensive branded uniforms I feel glad that the school DD is at have taken a sensible approach. I just don't understand why kids, especially little kids in primary all need to be wearing logoed and expensive clothing to learn. This is the uniform policy we have. DD wears black leggings, a plain white tshirt and a royal blue cardigan.

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo that's reasonable. DD2 new nursery is kind of like that. We can get jogging bottoms and sweater/cardigan in dark blue, grey or black (her favourite colour is blue). In comparison I just spent £120 for DD1 without shoes, trousers or shirts......

I buy my DD trainers that look kind of like shoes tbh with you! Otherwise I'd have to send her in the middle of winter with open shoes!!! I will NEVER buy those silly girly shoes for my daughers to wear during winter

Sensible shoe options are available for both boys and girls, neither need to be open. I have come across plenty of fully closed shoes that fit all of the requirements.

Schools want black shoes, what is the problem with slight variations of black shoes?! I may understand if schools don't want white soles, colourful accessories or high heels, but everything else?! It's just being extremely nitpicking.....

Because that's not the point. If black trainers were allowed, then suddenly the question would be "what's wrong with a logo" or "what's wrong with coloured laces" or "It's just one neon stripe".

My employer states natural-looking hair colours only. I can't go in with fire engine red hair, because it's kind of like ginger, and ginger is natural-looking.

Because that's not the point. If black trainers were allowed, then suddenly the question would be "what's wrong with a logo" or "what's wrong with coloured laces" or "It's just one neon stripe".

Again with the nitpicking..... in the UK everyone seems believe that if there isn't a strict uniform, it'll all go down in chaos!!! That's so not true..... do you have a specific logoed uniform as a teacher? I'm going to assume no. Do you go dressed as if you are going clubbing? I'm going to assume no as well!! Same thing

I suggested entirely black shoes with "no colourful accessories" and you're arguing with colourful accessories

Also I went to JL just the other day and there was exactly ONE type of school shoes for girls that wasn't open. Please let me know where you've seen these masses of lovely closed shoes!! (With velcro of course, not laced up, school policy, I have a 3yo and a 5yo)