To say DS won't comply with school uniform?

[LegoVsFoot]

For context, school has been terrible about communication so far - not responding to any emails, cancelling a registration day only an hour in advance, etc.

I checked the uniform policy - nothing on website. On the uniform retailer page, there were guidelines, but nothing about boys' trousers and nothing for sale, so I figured there were no restrictions. I bought DS some plain trousers over the summer.

It's now about a week before school starts and a school Whatsapp has been set up. I asked about the uniform just to make sure and a parent with a child already enrolled has replied saying they're only allowed to wear grey uniform trousers from Next or M&S.

It’s too late to return what I bought and I don’t have the funds to buy all new clothes simply because school didn’t bother to tell parents the uniform.

AIBU to send him in in what I bought because there is no information stating differently?

I also can't believe the school doesn't have a phone number? Are you talking about a UK school?

Yes it is a central London school. There is no phone number listed on the website or Google, I couldn't believe it.

How is it half term if a new school year is going to start in England? New school year already started in Scotland

Our school just specifies black or grey trousers/skirts from wherever you choose to buy them from

Oh come on. You must be having people on. School websites are filled with pictures of kids.

So your school has no section for uniform and no pictures of kids in it that you can see except big grainy ones. You bought blue over grey for some reason too.

just go and exchange them for grey and stop making a fuss. Don’t be that parent before your child has even started school.

I'm so confused that your OP has focused on shops when the real issue is you have the wrong colour. Get the right colour.

Come on - there's buying a style that's slightly different but you bought two colours that are wrong.

If you don't specify a colour then how can you say any colour is "wrong"!! I bought everything they specified. I do not magically know the "right" or "wrong" colour if they do not communicate this information.

In traditional usage, half term refers to the breaks in October, February and May, halfway through a term. Not the summer holidays, which are called the Summer holidays. Plus Christmas and Easter.

Half term referring to any school holidays has only appeared in the last few years.

Im really baffled by this! Do you live near the school? Surely you have seen kids coming and going in their uniform? Or the uniform shop lady would have known when you went to buy the jumpers.

Anyway, you’ll need to swap them for grey ones. Don’t worry about the Next/M&S bit. Just take the blue and black ones back to wherever you bought them and swap them for grey.

OP FYI some people call school holidays 'half term'. I don't really know why, where I live 'half term' mama the one week holiday half way through the term, and the holidays are Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. I think in other parts of the country, the school breaks are called other things.
You might get away with black trousers, but you definitely won't get away with blue in afraid, unless it's a school that's very relaxed about uniform.
I would buy some secondhand grey trousers from eBay. You can get a bundle for a couple of pounds.

You bought blue over grey for some reason too.

FFS. The reason is that they didn't TELL parents to buy grey.

Because it’s pretty standard.

No one buys blue trousers which would be hard to find over grey.

Just go an exchange them.

Our primary school can have black or grey trousers.

If someone has specifically told you grey then I’d get grey. Hopefully you can return the other ones.

My DS had some grey school trousers from aldi last year that lasted really well. He had put the knees out of his m&s ones by May/June but the aldi ones were still ok! Also they looked pretty much exactly the same as the m&s ones

No it's not a 6 week half term, it's the summer holidays. Half term is literally that, a break halfway through each term, they're usually a week in Feb, May and October.

Of all the colours you chose blue?

This makes no sense whatsoever, I dont even have kids in primary but I know what the local uniform is, Have you never seen any children from that school, Did you not go and look round before choosing to enroll your child there? And I find it very hard to believe that there is no uniform info on the website, no pictures of the kids wearing said uniform on the website and you were not giving a uniform list along with the rest of the bumph you get.

If you haven't had communication from the school then how do you know the WhatsApp parent is correct?

No one has mentioned Charcoal, which has been standard together with black for the 3 primaries my children attended. Never grey, which is much lighter and stood out when someone got it instead of charcoal.

I think anyone can call it whatever they like.

everyone calls it half term round here. It doesn’t make any difference.

The staff still are not in the office as they are on holiday!

OP it doesn't matter that they didn't tell you or that you didn't know. You know now. Sort it out.

Im really baffled by this! Do you live near the school? Surely you have seen kids coming and going in their uniform? Or the uniform shop lady would have known when you went to buy the jumpers.

I bought the uniforms online from the website they shared and there were no trousers besides PE joggers on there. And there was a little blurb about shirts and jumpers and hair bobbles, but nothing about trousers.

Our local Secondary School stipulates what style/shop you can buy trousers from, as so many parents interpreted school style trousers to mean black skinny jeans! However, if you buy from another shop you can take them in to check they fit the required style.

@LegoVsFoot can you ask for contact for PTA they may have second hand uniform

I’m intrigued how a class WhatsApp group has been set up already. Did you give your permission to have your details shared

It’s a pita kids starting school in a country you’re not from; there’s so much that you’re assumed to know- you don’t know what you don’t know 💁🏻‍♀️ I sent mine in without food on their first day in Australia. I didn’t know to get school lunch you had to send them in with a brown paper bag with their order written on it and the exact cash inside- how would I?

^And I live in central London, there are lots of schools and I live 20 minutes away from this one not in the typical catchment area, so haven't seen students on the school run.

Well never mind now. You need to get him grey. Can you ask for an exchange? It would be unfair for him to stand out like that. I just bought two pair of grey for £9 from Tesco.

They must have a website with school uniform listed & a phone number.

I don't think they would specify Next or M&S. Some schools have branded trousers but in primary it would be any supermarket ones.

Just to add in my DS and his classmates never wore full length trousers - it was shorts all year. September might be warm so shorts might be better.

He does need the right colour - if everyone on WhatsApp is saying grey you need to get grey.

@Christmasiscominghohoho

You can get navy ones easily enough.

Black is more common here than grey

I wouldnt buy grey.