To think the mandatory logo school items need to stop?

[BagelwithPhiladelphiaz]

Exactly this.

I have just paid £76 for the mandatory PE kit for my DD’s senior school. Including items such as striped rugby socks, which are mandatory for some reason for all PE lessons, rugby or not.

This is before I spend £44 on a blazer, plus the uniform items that she actually needs as well as shoes, bag etc

Next I will order the mandatory items for my primary school children. Cheaper at £14 for a jumper (need a few though to wash, and they also tend to disappear in school despite being named) and £5 for PE t-shirt. This school isn’t so strict about it being mandatory but nearly all the DC have logo ones, so ones who don’t stand out, and they are needed for sports day/school photo day anyway.

None of these items are especially good quality. With secondary, we are restricted to one local supplier and the man who owns the shop is bloody rude, which adds insult to injury.

The blazer, perhaps fair enough I think as they look quite smart, but is £44 really the best price school could find? The other items.. especially the PE kits where we could easily buy very similar items without the logo, are they necessary? Especially as we have a winter coming where some people won’t be able to pay bills.

(The secondary did have a “free second hand clothes rail” for all, at some point, but when I phoned to ask they were very vague about when it would be. I have a friend whose children are on pupil premium- no subsided option for them -
and she managed to find out what day this was but went to find the second hand uniform she found some shabby items that weren’t in her DC’s size, and no PE items.)

Expensive logo shit and make embroidery nonsense is how schools ensure that certain demographics don't even bother applying. If you are poor or have sensory issues and can't pick from.a selection you can actually tolerate wearing then you have been.priced out/deliberately excluded.

Parents love it becuase with a.logo theres no chance you will be mistaken for a " shithole high " student.

Theres nothing wrong with generic black/navy/grey jumpers from supermarkets and even aldi sell.white shirts and/or polo's.

Its not a mistake it costs you 400 to get through the door.

I've spent 250 so far on regulation items. Plus shirts and trousers. Which probably bring it up to 300 ish.

Also have had ti spend nearly 400 on a chrome book.

Still got 3 lots of footwear to buy.

And stationery/bag/pe bag.

I hope my kidneys are working im gonna have to sell 1.

To make things worse, at my DD'S secondary school the uniform supplier only operates online so there's the added cost of shipping and returns if the uniform doesn't fit. There's a shop less than a mile away that stocks uniform for other schools in the area but not her's.

Honestly it's a scam.

For my DS I have to buy from a particular shop and I'm pretty sure the school has a kickback.

I'm pretty sure it contravenes competition law.

We should be able to purchase the sew or iron in logo and attach to the items.

&!that's why you don't (quite reasonably!!) think they should be banned!

if one school can do it, the others need to be MADE to. My friends DD goes to a local state school, her perfectly ordinary cardigan/jumper is £40 with the requured logo. It looks/feels like a very basic brand school cardigan (under a tenner, probably a fiver at anyone of the supermarkets selling the basic school uniform). But they're 'not allowed' unbranded in the same colour & you cant buy the logo.

it's utterly insane!

definitely put their names in a hidden place AS WELL AS on the label.

I understand with blazers so kids have same shade of colour but white pe tops can surely be bought at Asda along with grey skirts/trousers and colourful cardigans or jumpers. My child just left Year 11 and I took in 5 logo navy tops, 5 logo navy sweatshirts, 3 pairs of black trousers, and 2 full PE kits. I gave them to child's class teacher and asked if they could be given to another child. He told me he has 3 children in mind to receive some pieces of this uniform. I just wish more people would think to do this when their children grow out of stuff. His school does not have a formal second hand uniform swap but many teachers are happy to offer to pass good quality items on. Each year I hand in my child's coats as he grows so much and he has new ones and I know other children have worn them as I have seen them in them. I hate waste and would much rather another child benefited. When some parents genuinely will struggle to feed their kids it is immoral for Head Teachers to insist upon logo uniforms.

Schools aren't allowed to make any profit from school uniform.

That's doubly impressive!!

I don't support uniform full stop. I don't believe it's the leveller it's claimed to be, and given that kids need clothes for the holidays it's all just extra expense. Most other countries manage fine without.

100% this. I've no idea why people fall for the idea that uniform equates to better behaviour. It absolutely doesn't. It just creates more things for teachers to have to tell kids off for. It's a waste of time and efforts, and devalues the rules which are actually important, because kids are very well aware that wearing the right colour socks has zero effect on their education!

Completely agree OP. I've just spent over £50 on new PE t-shirts and cardigans. That won't sound a lot to some people, but I'm about to lose my job (nursery is closing) so it's a lot of money to me. I wish I could just buy their clothes in a supermarket instead.

I hope they're getting the credit they deserve for that decision!!

DS is just in p2 and I was shocked at how tatty his uniform got so quick. I went all m&S for p1 like a mug and ended up having to replace stuff mid year. Gone for Tesco this year and reduced the amount of stuff I have bought. Not buying school polo's as they went as disgusting as everything else and 1 branded polo was dearer than 5 non branded. Have bought shirts and a tie and v neck jumpers non branded as he much prefers them.

Our school are excellent, it's a well funded school in a very deprived area. They bought all the kids a school uniform for p1 so they were all the same and no one felt left out. Most parents on benefits get £120 for uniforms. They have a swap shop but I cannot physcially put anything of DS's in because it looks like he'd been dragged through s Bush backwards.

I agree.

Completely agree.

Thank you @mewkins , I wasn’t aware of this

Definitely. They don't need any of that crap. What's the purpose of a logo? To tell the general public what school your kid is at? Why do they need to know that?
None of people's beeswax what school some random kid in the street goes to.
Have a dress code if needs be - ie 'school style' polo shirts or shirts, school style trousers/skirts etc. In other words if the shops sell it in the 'school uniform' style then it's fine.
But logos are pointless and no needed. Neither are blazers and ties.
I hate school uniform.

My daughter & sons primary school you didn’t have to have school branded jumpers. Just a PE top which was a fiver so can’t really complain.

my daughter starts secondary this year. Her school jumpers are only £19 and she has to have a tie at £5. No blazer needed.
the only other branded items she needs is the PE kit. I don’t think it’s been to bad really. It does look smart too.

Uniform is bullshit. It doesn't need to happen. It isn't a leveller, people still know who the poorer kids are, it is just schools wanting to weed out poorer families as much as possible.

If schools categorically say it does it should be basic and comfy, a tracksuit with a polo shirt or tshirt and shorts and tshirt for the summer.

Luckily our primary school is very flexible with uniform, nothing has to be branded, they allow pe kit to be worn every day as children find it more comfortable (trackies/leggings and a tshirt and hoodie). Most parents do buy the branded jumper/cardigan but it's less than £9 but it doesn't matter if you just wear a plain one.

The children are there to learn, they are not there to be trussed up in ties and blazers being uncomfortable.

@Sunnyqueen - 7 stripes showing on tie 😂 How can any teacher possibly keep a straight face if they need to count and then dole out punishment for contravention on that particular rule?

Used School uniform sales are what needs to be better used.

The list for my DD to go to private school was " comprehensive" but the only items you couldn't get on the High Street were her sports tops, tie and blazer. But they were £275.

Parents get told not to put pics on social media of their kids with their school identifiable ( obviously other people's kids are also a no no )

Then we let them.walk down tired street as a walking advert for said school. With some kids even wearing their names now that they go to school in pe kit in.some schools.

Makes no sense at all.

And dont get me started on the fact infants are made to carry a completely useless book.bag akd carry everything separately because the book.bag only fits the one book a week they get and the junk mail. Doesn't hold lunch boxes ir water bottles or spare clothes or pe kit.

Useless. 10 -15 pounds of sheer useless

No but there are workarounds.

This has been actually been the case for many years but schools, and particularly those that are part of Academy Trusts, choose to ignore it. It's a form of selection by £££, those who can't afford expensive uniforms go elsewhere.

Schools need to stop this nonsense, especially with the cost of living crisis. Supermarket uniform is fine. Nobody needs a blazer! I'd argue they don't need a tie, either. Keep uniform simple and cheap and let teachers teach, rather than policing stupid uniform rules.

Agree, keep PE kits basic. The only thing I would say is my son had bespoke kit and it washed and wore really well, so in the end I preferred it to the supermarket t-shirts and shorts. Actually the top he used for PE would have been fine for classroom use, too.

If everyone wrote to their school governors about this, they'd have to reconsider their stupid policies.

Completely agree. Mine has moved up to a secondary state school and the cost difference is shocking. I used to spend around £15 for two skirts and a cardigan for primary school. Now it’s £27 for a pullover with logo and £45 for a tartan skirt and that is one day outfit not including shoes, shirt and PE kit? The total for the year is over £350 if I’m buying conservatively for two days worth of clothes. I can’t get it all secondhand! Can only be purchased from a single supplier. How do we petition for an even bigger change that prevents schools from forcing us to adhere to a sole provider? It is utter madness. Makes absolutely no sense for state schools.

YANBU. While I think logo items (especially for secondary school) looks so much smarter, the prices vary so much. Could you discuss with your school moving to Uniform Direct? Our school uses them, quality is great, blazer £26. Full PE kit for my daughter £39 (including the mandatory rugby socks)