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.)

Sorry, that was for @Merryoldgoat

I have ti say I struggle to understand sone levels of the whole brand argument.

I mean we couldn't afford designer brand stuff when I was a kid. But I thought brand chasers were just idiots tbh. Only wearing something that has a name on it says more about you than it does about everyone else who doesn't. More fool the parents who pander to the ever changing "in" names and constantly update a wardrobe full of perfectly decent clothes.

Avoiding brands completely actually does cause hassle as far as uniforms go though.

For instance its just another restriction that makes it even harder to find someone deemed " acceptable".

For example ill use sports leggings. Some can be rely baggy or see through or just a poor fit. Too long or whatever. So if you happen.to stumble across a well fitting decent pair that happens to have a tick or some stripes on them the idea you cant purchase them and instead have to pay more for school branded ones that look terrible is bonkers.

I'm.not a brand chaser. Of I buy something that happens to have brand name or symbol its because I like it or it fits my dds well and was a decent price. Dds old gap fit sports leggings have been through 2 kids and still in good condition they are just too small now. Believe me if you thought I was trying to have dd one up her friends you'd be mistaken. First up with dd1 they were reduced/on sale. And on dd2 they were hand me downs.

There are lots of things I cant afford but I don't make you hide your porshes in a garage because I can only afford a second hand 10 year old fiesta.

We should be teaching kids how to treat eachother and how not to be bullies. Not making it difficult ti attend schools because in a bid to hide the poor you apparently have to charge them money they dont have for clothes that can't be worn anywhere else or handed down and ripping them.off frankly because some of it is more expensive than some labelled stuff akd poorer quality than even supermarket items .and equally we shouldn't be making.kids feel they can't have anything nice becuase its gonna upset everyone.else. as if they should he ashamed for having parents who work.hard and have done well for themselves and shock horror can afford things.

All it needs is the school rules to have no logos visible.

That’s what the high school near us has now and it’s amusing to see all the kids competing to see who’s mum spent the least - it’s got competitive in the opposite direction.

I can imagine my son's friends all trying to one up each other. Plain shirts and trackies won't cut it, they'd want named stuff which becomes just as costly.

Parents need to learn to say no to their dc's ridiculous demands then. Besides, in the absence of being able to show off clothing brands, kids just do the one-upmanship about who's got the latest phones, games, trainers, headphones, whatever. Having uniform doesn't solve that problem at all.

We should be teaching kids how to treat eachother and how not to be bullies.

We do. It doesn't really work. There will always be bullies. Many of them have learnt their behaviour from their parents.

Well this is always the argument. But even if you don't agree with doing away with uniform altogether we could have much simpler, cheaper uniforms.

The suggestion of sending the head the government guidance is a sensible one, though it should be also sent to the governors. Single supplier even if the nicest and most helpful people in retail is unacceptable.

Government is quite prepared to allow no discretion over what is unauthorised absence, perhaps they should extend this to enforce the uniform guidelines and not impose an unnecessary cost burden on parents.

DD’s state secondary school has just had a complete uniform change, designed by the students apparently, although I have a hard time believing that a group of students all sat down & agreed that they need a 3 box pleat navy skirt & a banner blouse from one specific supplier in a different county!
The old jumper cost £13.50 & the new ones start at £24. Skirts, trousers & shirts all have to be from a specific supplier, so instead of the sainsburys ones from last year I’m having to buy ones that are triple the cost. Her PE kit cost me a grand total of £12 last year & this year it’s cost me £60 without the trainers.
We’ve complained & highlighted the cost changes as well as showing how our wages haven’t risen to support this financial change & the deputy head rang to say that as a heritage pupil (yr8-13) she can wear her old uniform until she grows out of it & they will give us second hand jumpers from school as they’re no longer made!
My friends DD is at a non uniform school in the next borough (central London) & she’s spent nothing on clothes because all the kids wear leggings & primark hoodies & whatever shoes they have at home.
DD2 will not be going to a uniform secondary school!

I am a teacher and I agree completely. Uniform should be non branded dark coloured polo shirts and sweatshirts or cardi plus black or grey skirt or trousers. Shoes should just be flat and could be either black trainers or shoes. PE kit could be joggers and a t shirt plus footwear. However I agree that the most sought after schools ask for most expensive items.

Yanbu. Our (primary) school have done away with the embroidered bits this year and are just saying the colours are what's important.
Buying it all from Asda for one kid cost enough so I'm glad they've done away with the extra.

I also worked in a non uniform school & the most expensive thing any of the kids wore were trainers, but as they didn’t need PE trainers or school shoes it was affordable. The difference in clothes (designer brands etc) at the uniformed school I work at now on non uniform day is huge. It’s a total fashion parade!!

I strongly disagree. A uniform is meant to be err, uniform. I believe uniforms shouid be strict and smart with all items logoed so that everyone is the same.

Ime the best schools all have strict uniforms with logos being expected. Schools with low uniform standards tend to have cultures of low expectations and poor discipline. Not for me, thanks.

I’m a teacher and when I hear SLT demanding things like ‘pupils must wear blazers in the corridors’ and ‘we have the windows open because of covid so it’s freezing but they aren’t to wear coats over their uniform’ or ‘CRISIS! SOMEONE IN YEAR 7 IS WEARING KNEE SOCKS INSTEAD OF ANKLE SOCKS’ I curse the wasted time that I have to spend enforcing these ridiculous rules.

@tithead22

The whole point of a uniform is that everyone looks smart and the same. Blazers are part of the uniform and should therefore be worn at all times.

Good schools have high standards and expectations in all areas, including uniform.

My DDs skirts cost more than her blazer! £27 each.

The uniform items from the supplier have been easy to get hold of. If anyone knows where I can get plain navy sports leggings to fit a child not an adult please let me know...

@LockAqua hello, yes, I’m perfectly aware of that. The reality is that the more ridiculous of these rules take a lot of time in lessons to enforce. The more ridiculous the rule, the more it impacts the efficacy of school-wide efforts to implement important rules.

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

@PerfectRun the way around this is that the school places exclusive rights with a supplier who then makes a ‘voluntary’ donation to the school. Sadly this is now widespread

The DCs’ school is very strict on uniform and requires everything to be ligues including coats and bags.

They are also very strict on how uniform is worn- top buttons done up, shirts tucked in and blazers on at all times unless permission is granted in exceptionally warm weather.

It’s no coincidence that the school is outstanding and has excellent results and behaviour. Parents who want low standards and low expectations are welcome to them, but many parents want outstanding schools with rules and standards.

*logoed

100% agree. One of the school here has an almost invisible gold thread in their female trousers. The quality of said trousers is way poorer than the most basic supermarket trousers but the price is ++++. The majority of familes in the school cannot afford to purchase a second pair. The male trousers in the school in contrast are plain grey and can be purchased in any supermarket. Tracksuits, Jumpers and School Jackets are all branded and crazy prices available from one shop.

At my friends sons grammar school she is paying £4 per item for mandatory initial s which is ridiculous.

We had to pay £56 for a rugby shirt with ds name on it in house and school colours reversible. £56!!! Can't be reused!

I have spent about £500 kitting out ds1 for new secondary and ds2 for primary. I'm comfortable but it's stupid to have to spend so much.

Clarks charges £50 for declining quality size 1 school shoes. Might order £35 m&s ones and send clarkes back

I think ds1 ones cost £70 because he's Size 9...

Actually just added up. It was £80 and I've not bought winter coats yet.

Typo! £800 FFS

The school my DD’s went to both ended up in special measures and both changed the uniform to special logo everything. Including the bloody awful pleated skirts and blazers.
My DD’s we’re in the year bands that could continue to wear old stock.
Even so I ended up putting 5 sweaters in rag bag as couldn’t even give away ( was only last two years of school)

And its not just the uniform. Even the stationery adds up. (£15 for the calculator for example).

I am incredibly fortunate that out of all the schools in the area my kids school is the one with the least requirements. Blazer, jumper, tie and pe top and everything else can be from anywhere.

A friend's DD goes to one of the other local schools where everything is logo's, however she is very tall and in year 8 had already grown out of the school regulation trousers. The school which is part of a very large academy chain pretty much shrugged their shoulders. We were on a mission together to find trousers to fit tall, slim girls. I at least had the advantage of just being black, while for her the style had to match, (and then needed to get the embroidery done)