To wish schools would scrap Christmas jumper day?

[Notspeakingup]

DC2 has a couple of little classmates with difficult home lives, one in particular without much money. There are some Christmas jumper days coming up and I have been thinking about how tough it must be to always be the child with no jumper.

I know as children grow up you can't avoid the inequalities but it would be great if we could at least stop it being an issue at primary school. (And of course there are the families who buy jumpers when they can't really afford them).

@BernardBlackMissesLangCleg

hate them

I've bought a couple second hand, but they're just landfill fodder, the height of consumerism. ugh

Only if you throw them away

My daughter needs 4 for school but I bought 2 from the charity shop and they'll do.

I have never yet bought a Christmas jumper for this occasion, my daughters actually resist it now. Our school(s) have always worded it quite carefully, to make it clear there is no need for the students to buy new jumpers; they can jazz up an old one, or just wear something festive. My DD hates dressing up in any way and essentially treats it as a non-uniform day wearing her favourite jumper/T-shirt and nobody has ever commented. Others just wear a tinsel scarf. We still donate to the charity, but again that's not policed either.

@Bimblybomeyelash our school always says Christmas or bright (spotty children in need or bright etc) but the vast majority buy something so the kids who don't definitely stand out.

Totally agree.
Awful for the environment (even if sold on second hand they are still such a rarely worn item of clothing) and awful to put extra financial pressure on people at Christmas.

If you can afford it maybe buy a couple of non expensive Christmas jumpers and donate them to the class and the teacher could give them to the children that turn up with out one. If you have any parent ( friends) in class maybe as them to do the same. X

YANBU. Not a fan of jumper day, I hand mine down to the siblings to ease the cost financially and environmentally. I always find it ironic that purchasing a Christmas jumper is to raise money for save the children at our school. Yet most will be made by the most poor and deprived of our world in a sweatshop somewhere. I have objected via email to our headteacher last year and the year before but no sign of it being dropped yet. I always feel that if I get the kids to not take part they will feel left out.

I don't mind Christmas jumper day - I've bought him a long sleeved Christmas t-shirt from Primark for £1.70, which he will wear for all Christmas shenanigans this year.

Scientist day, Pirate Day and Tudoe Peasant day on the other hand...

@Dozer I completely agree. Uniform is a leveller.

YANBU, I think it’s really wasteful.

NB. We tend to resist and not buy anything unless a child really wants to, but I am comfortably off (and from a fairly eccentric family!) so expect I am able to override the pressure others might feel to participate.

Christmas jumper day is the least of my worries - Roald dahl day, bright colour day etc are worse I think.

YANBU. School had theirs on Friday, the kids could wear a Christmas jumper if they brought in a cake for the school fayre, so it's the cost of the jumper, the cost of the cake plus spends for the sodding Christmas fayre, so all in all it cost me £17.25. Not cheap. This is also the third 'event' in as many weeks, first it was children in need which was wear something yellow and donate a 'bottle', then own clothes day which was a £1 donation and now this. It's a lot of money.

I hate it. My children do not wish to wear gaudy Christmas tat and look like a drunk weirdo Uncle. Adopting a bizarre fashion trend only lines the pockets of sweatshop owners.

Schools are constantly asking for money, but now they want me to buy shit clothes no one wants to wear? How many times does the 'buy less shit' message need repeating?

I guess the irony is that Christmas jumper day is actually in aid of Save the Children!

I do buy my DD a jumper every other year but get lots of use out of it in the run up to Christmas, and also afterwards if it’s winter themed, over 2 years. My school PSA run a Christmas jumper swap shop alongside the second hand uniform sale in early December.

Or get the year before to donate their Christmas jumpers to the school. And once that builds up the children come into school and get given one to wear.

YABVU. Yes it’s a shame not everyone can afford them, but why should the majority have to miss out because of this?

I always find it ironic that purchasing a Christmas jumper is to raise money for save the children at our school. Yet most will be made by the most poor and deprived of our world in a sweatshop somewhere

Yes this gets to me too. The bargain jumper.... At what cost was it made so cheap? Both to the planet and to people in far flung places.

I don't profess to have thought that through very well but you get the gist .... 🤣

YANBU OP. I’ve just had to spend £10 which I don’t really have on a jumper for DS and he grows out of clothes so quick. I’m donating last years one on fb to someone who’s worse off than me because it’s in mint condition, got worn a handful of times.

I really don’t see the point in it at all. I’ve also got to get something together for the class party this week 🙈 it’s just relentless. Children in need the other week as well, which of course I don’t mind as its for charity but it never seems to end.

I’m not in the UK, but here schools can’t do stuff that requires families to pay for stuff, not even ask them to bring an apple for an outing. School lunches up to age 18 are also free. We don’t have school uniforms either, they can wear what they want. It works well.

Lots of kids like Christmas jumper day, I know my DC and their friends get very excited by it. Maybe schools (or the PTA) should organise a supply of spare Christmas jumpers for kids that don’t have them rather than scrapping the day altogether?

I think "winter woolly day" or something is a much better idea.

And I definitely think schools/PTA should do a swap event.

They can last a while if you are lucky and careful - I've spent under £15 in total on suitable jumpers for my Dc over the past 8 years by buying just 3 jumpers second hand, all slightly too big - they are just patterned woolly jumpers so can be worn any time. You can get 3 years per child out of them easily - too big, right size, too small.

First one is on its 8th year of use, now passed on to niece, and will continue to nephew after that, so I have definitely got my money's worth.

Our school is having a used Christmas jumper/ uniform sale - they've asked for jumper donations the past couple of weeks then the sale will happen in a couple of weeks before the Christmas jumper day at the end of term. Operated on a take what you need, donate what you can basis, if you can't donate anything that's ok you can still take what you need. The donations raised go towards something for school e.g. pants and socks in case of emergencies in school.

My daughter will wear a Christmas t-shirt that she wore last year too. £2.99 from H&M so £1.50 per wear. Our local charity shops are full of Christmas jumpers. You don't have to spend £20 on a jumper. Can't get worked up about it. It's a nice thing the kids enjoy IMO.