£140 for 3 school skirts?

[User112]

Wtf!? My friend’s DD is in secondary school, she paid £140 for just 3 skirts !! Wtf !! its a STATE school.

how do people from low income families even afford this? How are state schools able to demand such expensive uniforms? Why don’t they have something fairly simple and standard like primary school uniforms?

I get 2 full sets of uniforms for my primary school DD for under £100!!

Had to get a couple of items for my daughters the other day at the school outfitters (luckily most of last years uniform will last a bit longer) - 2 blazers, 2 skirts, 1 skort, 1 PE top and one hoodie - £397!!!!’

Wow - I thought there was a government (?) policy stating that school uniform should be affordable? Our school has the least well off catchment in a relatively expensive city, and are incredibly careful about what parents have to spend- uniform, IT during lockdown, trips etc. Disgraceful having a uniform where skirts cost that much!

Agree you'd only need 2 to get through the year. I only ever had one school skirt because my parents weren't well off and my uniform was expensive.

Ds is 11 and he really doesn't go through school trousers like he used to.

One and a spare take the other back. They grow so quickly at that age.

That is expensive. But buying three is ridiculous. She’ll only need one. And then buy another in a couple of years when she’s grown more.

It’s disgusting and the government need to put a stop to it . Schools need proper funding so they don’t have to resort to making a couple of quid off logo uniforms

How do the schools get away with it? To a large extent, where I am, it's parent snobbery.

I went to a PTA-type meeting once about uniform. There was just about enough parental snobbery on display about ability to pay and the necessity of brisk laundry regimes in the utility room to undermine the parents there who wanted the school to formally adopt the DfE guidance. So we lost.

We lost to attitudes that fail to help the children from poorer families (attitudes which are visible on this thread, as it happens). These kids miss enough school as it is. Academy uniform rules are discriminatory in my view.

As pp have pointed out, the DfE guidance on uniforms is just that - guidance, not law. I also noticed how many Headteachers have a visceral hatred of whichever government is in office at the time. It seems that the DfE is there to be battled with, including over uniform guidance.

I went to school way back in the day. We wore wool kilts. They only got washed every half-term. They were a bugger to keep the pleats in. I only had one, as was normal.

I hate branded expensive uniform but 3 skirts is ridiculous.

We are a low income lone parent family and I actually prefer some of the school supplier uniform. Supermarket uniform can be false economy, particularly at secondary age. Our school supplier uniform has been good quality, year 7 sports kit looked practically the same after three years of use and there was plenty of second hand uniform available for very cheap. DS had a mix of new and second hand.

I am still fuming about the uniform change at the high school my youngest DD is stating in September. They have introduced blazers, ties, school skirts to the uniform that was previously polo and school jumper/ school hoody, school trousers. They have gaslighted us about the costs of this. Stating it is cheaper as you can now get shirts from anywhere and trousers so it is cheaper. Not true, They have added a blazer/tie that must be worn at all times. I am especially annoyed as DD being the youngest we have second hand uniform that is no good to anyone. Her siblings have just finished GCSEs and A levels at the same school. There is no second hand uniform available anywhere for the new uniform items of course. DD also has to learn how to tie a tie, we have mastered that at least.

But you can now dye your hair any colour so that is totes worth it 😬

The rules on uniform affordability are guidance, not law. I would favour doing away with uniform altogether, but given the British adoration of it the next best option would be to introduce an instant OFSTED fail (straight into special measures) for schools which use expensive single suppliers instead of high street options - that would focus minds.

Dts skirts are £45. I have bought them one new each and two from the PTA uniform sale (still £10 each!). We're not rolling in it but relatively comfortable and if I could not have bought all the required uniform new.

I don't know how those with less manage, the blazers were £65 and only introduced last year so none available second hand.

Their minimum requirement list was

Blazer
Jumper or cardigan (logo)
Blouse (logo)
Kilt
Socks or tights
Lab coat
Lab glasses
Apron
Shoes
Bag
Stationery and fx calculator

Trainers
Football boots
Skort or shorts
PE polo
Tech top
Football socks
Fleece too
PE bag

There was also a very hard sell from the PTA to sign up to a not compulsory but make you feel like it is £30 per month per child standing order.

Dreading when the trips start coming through.

@ZenNudist I was thinking exactly the same. I had one skirt and jumper which had to do the week. Febreeze and a damp sponge touch up mid weeks. The school skirt in the 90s cost £50. Yes it was expensive, but clothing was all more expensive. You couldn’t get 3 packs of Shirts from the supermarket.

i am not saying the amount OP is talking about is acceptable, but I do think fast fashion has not helped. People are used to buying more, cheaply, washing and getting rid of.

The school uniform at my eldest daughters school sent a letter home in June- the school uniform was fairly expensive, so they have made significant changes to make it more affordable. The Head said they were still going to be strict about the uniform requirements but with the rising cost of everything, he was looking to make it more affordable for everyone. There is still a branded tie and jumper but everything else can be supermarket now- or you can buy it from the uniform supplier. It's made a massive difference.

He had done loads of research and there were 3 types of trousers/skirts from supermarkets that most matched the school uniform and these were also listed in the letter.
I'm just sorting it all out now and I'm very glad they have done this.

However, I've just taken my youngest to get her shoes and Clarks charged me £54! (Narrow feet, supermarkets don't seem to fit her properly)

i am not saying the amount OP is talking about is acceptable, but I do think fast fashion has not helped. People are used to buying more, cheaply, washing and getting rid of.
I agree. As long as there is sufficient, low cost second hand uniform available, and a two year crossover for uniform changes, then school supplier uniform is not always a bad thing. Many parents seem to buy supermarket uniform yearly or more often so it quickly adds up.

Dds skirt was 28 pounds.

You will get people who will say thems the rules etc and of course you knew when you chose the school. As if everyone has a choice.

Round here at least 3 of the 4 schools everyone has a half reasonable crack at getting have over priced skirts the cheapest I'm.aware of is about 17-18 pounds.

I'm.also shocked at the assumption that we can just get away with 1. As if no one works evenings and needs to do the washing in the day time when unless you had a second, the kids would be wearing it at that time.

Dd1s school well you can finally get the uniform at the local uniform shop but its more expensive than the online.

So your choices are shocking regularly messed up online ordering with peak times taking weeks to arrive. Or pay extra to buy in store but its only open regular retail hours and closes on Sundays.

As for get trousers. Easy in theory. Can I just say having tried on a few in shops and online I'm.abkut to send another 2 Pairs back today and collect another 2 to see how they fit.

Trouser easier said than done.

Yes its wrong. Parents are being ripped off and/or excluded from applying to their own local.schools.

The guidence should be law and not guidence.

How do you cope with 1.

I work evenings and all day Sunday. I have to do my washing during the day.

Sometimes I get 3 or 4 evenings in a row and there's no way my kids are going to school in a polyester skirt thats hot and sweaty and only washed once

How smelly and embarrassing for the child.

I'm.also shocked at the assumption that we can just get away with 1.

There’s nothing to get away with, not with skirts. No-one needs a freshly washed skirt every day.

It's way too expensive but nobody needs 3 skirts.

DS had two pairs of trousers but usually wore one for the week unless he slipped in the mud. If you need to wash on a weekday when they are wearing it then they would need two of course. They were never smelly, they were only touching his legs.

Depends on the set up doesn't it? I'd need 2 at the very least. My tumble dryer broke amd i cant afford to replace. Of it didnt dry over night id ve screwed

Ny dd has a long walk to school. Gets hot and sweaty in warn weather. They have ti wear tights too unless told specifically they don't have to and it has to be pretty hot fir that.

Any more than 2 wears would he pretty gross. And I cannot garuntee An evening at the right point to wash.

I’ve just looked at my old state school uniform. Kilt £47 and blazer £72+😳

In fact I often buy 3 . 2 in the right size then 1 in the next size up. Because relying on delivery is to risky and you cabt garyntee the right size in the store either when it's not 18 pounds its like 22/23.

I can recall my mum putting the pleats back into our and laying them under the rug between pillowcases to make sure the pleats were well and truly pleated.

But that’s Vimes boots theory all over again, alongside PP’s post about cheap uniform being a false economy. Of course if you buy better quality it will last longer. But if you can’t afford to buy quality, that’s irrelevant.

There are people this year in particular, a great number of them, who will be choosing between heating and eating. They will need to rely on fast fashion to get their kids clothed. And yet schools are banning this for the sake of a bit of embroidery.