£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!!

These prices cited above are private school prices! It is so wrong. Dd switched from state last year and the outlay was huge. About £500 on uniform. State was already expensive enough at around £200. The only logo’d uniform there was a PE top and cardigans, which is more sensible even if far less smart than the other local but out of catchment state schools, which expect blazers and specific uniform skirts.

I am tempted to get dd a second blazer. It should last until the end of yr11 size wise. They’re £91each. Not sure her current one will last that long as she’s had it a year and is going into yr10. Skirts are £42. She has 2 already so won’t be buying anymore right now. PE tops are £49. She could do with a second one of those as well as she’s doing GCSE PE. I should also buy the lab coat at £26 I suppose as it’s finally in stock having been oos for the entirety of last year! And maybe a couple of extra blouses.

I know £180 isn’t much in the scheme of things as we are paying for her tuition. But it is a big sacrifice for us and coming straight out of savings. I’m disabled so can’t work to pay for it. With the credit crunch, we are likely to be dipping into these even more as I spend a lot on my self on physio and other treatments, which I need in order to be able to walk.

You mentioned ‘underskirt’. I thought they were a thing of the past though I wear them myself.

I'm convinced schools use these sort of uniform prices to deter low income families from applying

@GretaVanFleet

School skirt for girls comprehensive school - Barnet
www.uniform4kids.com/collections/queen-elizabeths-girls-school/products/queen-elizabeths-girls-kilt

One thing I've loved about being over here, is the school uniform. Black skirt, according to these guidelines (guidelines ignored by all, as far as I can tell!), according to your taste and budget.

In NZ, the state school required a particular kilt. $150 per kilt. Pure wool, so murder for washing and drying. . .

Is there no 2nd hand uniform sales at private schools

Wouldn't any white labcoat do? On eBay perhaps

Thanks. No second hand uniform unfortunately. They changed suppliers last year so all new stock and they said they didn’t do it anyway. Dd wouldn’t go for a non branded lab coat. At ‘only’ £26 so a similar price to non branded. It’s fine, we can absorb etc.

Wow thanks for this, I stand corrected. The only thing that would stop this kind of thing is parent power but those that can easily afford it may not care about those that can’t. A growth spurt and you’re looking at a hefty bill.

My dd wanted her kilt shortened but I refused so they lasted 5 years'

Wow, I thought most private schools had a thriving second hand uniform market. In previous threads on here it's seemed it's the working class who opt for all new in September.

Mine only have 1 skirt each, and a pair of trousers which they hardly ever wear. I'm probably slack in that I don't insist on them changing out of uniform when they get in after school, but most of the time they're only lounging around the house anyway so not really likely to get too dirty. Clean shirts every day though. Jumpers, ties and skirts get washed at the weekend

Same here. I don't think it's slack. I'd insist if the uniform was filthy or smelt, but that rarely happens, and DD is pretty good at sticking it in the wash herself if she thinks it needs it (thinking of the day when someone spilt a bottle of orange juice down her ...).

My daughter's secondary school insists on a kilt-type skirt (£33) - she has worn the same skirt since year 7 and she's now about to start year 10 (I have bought her another for this year). It's good quality and washes well. The waistband can be taken in our out which has been handy.

She only needed one.

Supermarket uniform are a fraction of that price.

Is the £140 specified by the school or is their choice?

Otherwise you'd have to put a wash on every day just for that. Unless you do a wash every day anyway I suppose.

Bit strange really, I don't think people rely on only one skirt or only one pair of trousers to last them the whole week in the office.

The thing is, do these skirts actually fit everyone? I’d find it dementing to spend loads on the one style of skirt permitted by the sole supplier then have to adjust it.

I never wash my own skirts every day

You had to learn the not exactly rocket science decision to have extra uniform from someone else? How odd.

DDs state primary is costing us £70 just for cardigan, jumper, 5 polo neck tops and 1 pe top. It’s ridiculous but they ‘have’ to have all of those things with a logo on apparently and there’s only 1 stockist. Ridiculous as the polo neck tops cost £7 each and are white, so we will go through a couple of sets of them in a school year. With school shoes and the rest of the uniform it’ll be well over £100 just for her.

Why would you have to put a wash on every day? Obviously, you wear the skirt a few times before it gets washed.

I wear the same trousers, yes. They don't get dirty. I only change tops, underwear and socks everyday in summer.

I mix and match my outfits a bit but I'd wear a skirt or trousers more than 5 times before washing them.
And fairly sure the men in my office very definitely do wear the same pair of trousers all week.

Why would you need a second set of polo shirts in a year? Primary school child polo shirts are not required to look immaculate!

What does a couple of sets mean? 5 then another 5?
You need a lesson in washing and line drying!
You don’t need 10 polo shirts in a year!
Ask your school is they or their PTA run a uniform sale - if not, set one up! Our primary has plenty of washed but clean white logo polos.

My dds state school uniform has to come from a specific uniform shop. It’s cost £300 so far for one set of uniform for dd2. Dd1’s uniform is fine apart from the skirts are now looking shabby. Her PE kit is fine, and so is her blazer. I buy a size up and won’t need to buy a next set for a few months. Dd2 will inherit some of her sisters stuff.