School blazer - £90?!

[Livvielo]

Posting for traffic really… DD 11 starts secondary school in September, and we are just purchasing her uniform… £90 for a blazer?! Is that the norm?! That’s without the school skirt, PE kit and various other bits that have to be purchased from the school. How many blazers do you buy? This is just a catholic comprehensive girls school, although it is regarded as extremely good.
But £90 for a blazer?? Is that not a bit OTT?

my DCs school has just introduced school leggings for PE. Previously they could wear plain ones in school colours but now they have brought in school ones. I wouldn't mind quite as much but DD is year 11 and only doing compulsory PE. She will make as little effort in the branded leggings as she does in the perfectly suitable (until now) plain ones that I bought last year. She will literally be wearing them for an hour a week for 8 months (probably less as she might wear the PE skort in warmer weather)
My only consolation is that I can probably sell them second hand next year.

@MrsFin

Buy one a few sizes too big so you get your money's worth. My school blazer lasted me from first form to fifth form back in the day (1890s) so from 11-16.

Please share your secret for such longevity

@balloonsintrees

Is it in Brentwood by any chance? Very distinctive if it is...sorry not rtwt

I bought a blazer two sizes up for my son and did a running stitch to tack up the sleeves. All year 7's have uniform that is too big, it's tradition . Managed 2 academic years wear out of his blazer and sold on for £20 at the end.

When I was younger there was Catholic school in Isleworth with a blazer (brown with gold stripe with a thinner blue stripe), brown skirt and some weird coloured shirt

Well at least you know why the school gets such good exam results @Livvielo, exclusion of the less well off. Nice.

@Whatwouldscullydo

Yanbu

Its done on purpose so that anyone too poor to attend who they think might bring the grade averages down won't bother applying.

Same with making it such a sensory overload with the material/cut/fit etc that Parents with disabled children also won't bother applying so that's another thing the school will have to do less of. Support disabled and struggling children.

There will no doubt be a number of other "tricks" applied too.

The blazer designed in such a way that buying big will be difficult. The shoulder pads make it so you look like an American foot ball player. A tiny yr 7 can't work swamped by that monstrosity.

Or names needing to be printed/embroidered on the pe kids, different coloured piping /logos for the houses so you cant pass it down unless everyone in the neighbourhood changes their name to Jane doe by deed poll.

And just to ensure that no one dares purchase from a supermarket the colours will be impossible to match exactly.

You will of course be told that you knew this or that its a leveller but hundreds of pounds just to walk through the front door does not a leveller make.

Parents love uniforms though for some reason..probably because that way no one could possibly mistake their kid for attending the local crap hole. They like the public being able to tell they attend the local private school or grammar school.

Whole thing is criminal.if you ask.me.

I don't have a problem with uniform per se. If the school wants everyone to wear a black/navy/bottle green blazer with matching skirt or trousers, ok. Even if they say it has to be a certain style or length of skirt.

I do have a problem with everything (including multiple items of PE kit) having to come from one particular shop and costing more than the average department store or supermarket. Or in a particular pattern or colour that is impossible to get elsewhere. And like you point out having different colours for different houses, or embroidered names, making it very difficult to pass on, even in families.

Even taking into account second hand uniform, Ive bought and sold PE kit on facebook but skirts and blazers rarely come up for sale, probably because people want to get as much wear as possible out of them and they are possibly not sellable.

This is a disgraceful but deliberate, if covert policy to keep the riff raff out of high-performing grammar schools, catholic schools etc. The moment the uniform becomes affordable is the moment disadvantaged children start arriving with their associated issues which take up staff time and threaten the school's results and league table position.

It is really that simple.

Parents should challenge this to the hilt but they don't because they don't want to rock the boat and their children beg them not to and parents are also so delighted and relieved that their children are at such a good school, which soon takes over any initial resentment about uniform costs.

Most governing bodies in this country are weak and ineffective and always back up the Head.

And so it goes on, for generations.

@Whatwouldscullydo absolutely spot on.

[quote Maldives2006]@Livvielo

I agree with you that secondary uniforms are particularly outrageous but did you not check the price of the uniform before picking the school.[/quote]
Pick your school? Where I live you may apply for any school you like but you will be allocated the nearest school to where you live pretty much regardless. Unless you 'pick' one hours away. The schools are over subscribed.

Even if they weren't you should be able to choose a secondary school on the subjects and extra curricular activities they offer as well as the social side and pastoral care. You should consider the practicalities of how your child is going to get to school under their own steam.

You should not have to consider the price of the blazer.

I know she’s at private school and we can manage well but our blazer is £110

That really is crazy as you know at 5 she’ll definitely outgrow it! Whereas the one expensive blazer I got at 12 still fitted when I was 18.

God its ridiculous. To be honest the whole idea of bloody blazers for school uniform is ridiculous in this day and age. All the schools round where we are moving to are academies with ridiculous uniform requirements and I really disagree with it. It makes me laugh because I've just read all the uniform requirements for the high school ds will likely go to and it's such bullshit isn't it. "Gives the impression of a well disciplined school" not really no! Equally the "preparing them for the world of work" I have literally never worn a uniform for any job, and even the very senior staff in my job do not wear sodding blazers. Christ we've all been mainly at home for god knows how long now and actually the more senior the more relaxed the get up has been.

There is not a place for this shit anymore. Uniform yes but what's wrong with trousers/ skirt top and jumper not a horrible polyester blazer which staff "may allow you to remove" in hot weather. Never as a working adult have I needed permission to remove an outer layer of clothing when it is too hot, because clearly that is bloody insane.

I posted something similar to this yesterday. Schools (or the supplier not sure who's fault it is) charge an outrageous amount for uniform.
I only had one blazer when I was at school and tbf it did last a couple of years. My daughter thankfully doesn't need a blazer but my niece does. Her's cost £70 last year. My sister brought it large so it would last a couple of years.

There is not a place for this shit anymore. Uniform yes but what's wrong with trousers/ skirt top and jumper not a horrible polyester blazer which staff "may allow you to remove" in hot weather. Never as a working adult have I needed permission to remove an outer layer of clothing when it is too hot, because clearly that is bloody insane.

Yes!!
I'm ok with wearing a particular colour (even badge or tie) to represent or be identified from the school.
But the 6th form wearing "business wear" aka suits and ties for boys and skirt and jacket suits for girls "to prepare them for the world of work" is ridiculous. Majority of jobs now, even in the corporate world dont require people to dress like that everyday. Some jobs require a uniform but often these are provided. Most gps, lawyers, even teachers themselves that I know dont wear suits. And its particularly idiotic for practical subjects like art, design, cookery etc. When was the last time you saw a chef wearing a suit? I do a creative/practical job (admittedly it's not a subject generally covered at school) but I wear tshirt and shorts and flip flops in the summer , and jeans and a hoodie in the winter.

Pickyour school? Where I live you mayapplyfor any school you like but you will beallocatedthe nearest school to where you live pretty much regardless. Unless you 'pick' one hours away. The schools are over subscribed

In the unlikely event you and others are able to pick your school, if you live in an area where the "choices" are grammar schools and faith schools then it has a knock on effect on the rest of the local schools.

Because instead of being spread out amongst all the local schools, those who can exclude certain children do, meaning all all children that their school excludes via exams or faith or uniform bills and rules , are all crammed into the same 2 or 3 schools. Which means each of the 3 potential schools has a much higher concentration of children in each class/yr who need support and of course no extra funding to provide it. So of course they don't get it.

1-2 weeks before kids go back to school and the op has only just started looking at prices? 🤔

Whilst high initial cost, an item of clothing that’s worn for 190 days per year that will probably last two years if bought with thought about sizing seems like pretty good value to me.

You talk as if there's any quality difference

Its all cheap polyester. Trust me none of the blazers I've bought dd1 will be any good fir dd2. The lining rips and the buttons come off and they generally look like crap

Ds is starting this time round, first uniform is free and from there it’s £30 for a blazer and £25 for the full PE kit. Everything else is none specific as long as it’s uniform (black trousers/skirt and white shirts)

DD goes to the local state school. Just bought her a new blazer with the school badge in and it was £32.

From your description, this is my old school uniform! My parents bought me a huge one in year 7 and I think I was still wearing it when I left in year 11! When I went, we only wore it for part of the school year and only too and from school so it barely looked worn! I’m not sure if that’s still the case though.

DDs blazer is £30 and they can wear supermarket everything else. All good. Except PE kit has to be branded - it cost £90. Makes no sense at all!

They should just sell badges we can sew on to cheaper (and better quality) clothes.

And tartan box-pleat skirts should be banned!

I hate uniforms with a passion for this exact reason. I would pay £100 for a Tshirt if my child could wear it at home and at school if he wanted it. I wouldn’t pay £94 for a blazer he could only wear at school.

And tartan box-pleat skirts should be banned!

YES!

At 18.50 each, I could get 2 fir that price at a supermarket. What's wrong with the average black school skirt.

My friends kids are at private schools and their blazers aren’t this much that’s crazy!

They do have tiny patterns on the shirt and skirts to stop supermarket shopping which is awful I think!

My son starts high school September and all his badged uniform comes to £77. Including blazer and PE kit. I’ll get shirts and trousers from Asda.

I’ve just bought 2, my son’s was £35, my daughter’s was £40. Thankful they weren’t £90 but annoying as they aren’t unisex so I can’t pass down 🙄