Is uniform in Girlguides compulsory?

[GirlGuidesUniform]

8yo DD.

I work on Brownies night, so I get her from after school club (who feed her for me), then she takes off school cardigan and wears the Brownies hoodie on top of her uniform for the meeting - she then has a clean school uniform the next day.

She does have a tshirt she wears for weekend events and camps and also a cap she uses for school. Also if a message comes out for full uniform, for example at Christmas when they sang in town or in summer when they did a walk around town I always try and work around it (e.g. the walk around town I asked if she could wear her school trousers and asked the TA running ASC very very nicely if DD could change into her tshirt and hoodie before I picked her up but they can’t do this all the time as the club is open until 6pm and is packed until then so they can’t be changing 50+ kids clothes all the time)

Brown Owl is now saying DD needs to be in proper uniform from after Easter. I asked what this meant and she said brownies tshirt (either long or short sleeve), brownies hoodie or gilet and either brownies trousers or brownies shorts.

I am happy to buy shorts and/or trousers for events but if she has to wear full uniform every week she’ll have to give up, which seems unfair as she absolutely loves Brownies. This is the only group that I can get her to, as it starts at 6pm, I finish work at 5pm and then have 30 minutes commute on public transport, then a walk to the school. If we went home first to change we’d be late for Brownies which I’ve done a few times when unavoidable but DD hates being late.

I’m a single parent so no other help. I drive but don't currently have a car as due to COL I just can't afford it.

This is the only out of school activity DD does due to me working so much so seems a shame to make her give it up.

Is the uniform compulsory? I always thought that the way we did it was fine, but happy to be told wrong

At ours they like you to have a teeshirt and wear it - anything additional is up to you.

I cannot speak about Brownies as our children there do not have SN but Scouts has been the most inclusive organisation we have come across - way better than schools or anywhere else.

But it is a postcode lottery - different leaders = different styles

@leaderofthelittles I'm very sorry you're upset.

I'm not sure what about "attitudes like that" you mean. Do you mean saying that you need to comply with the law? And be inclusive of disabled people? Because if that is causing leaders to leave, I'm not quite sure how to respond to that.

It is not the responsibility of the parent to make the adjustments. It's GG, and it's appalling that GG does not communicate this within the organisation.

You say you don't need support from HQ. Clearly you need support from someone if you can't support this girl. Why is your community not supporting you? Our parents would always offer to help if asked.

I did seek to clarify what you did before saying that you'd not made adjustments. Did you seek support from the organisation or did you just try to do it all yourself?

You may not like the law, but if you run a group in the UK, you need to comply with it. If you don't like the law, write to your MP and ask him/ her to scrap the Equality Act, but telling me I'm a bad person with a bad attitude for saying you need to not discriminate against and exclude a disabled girl, because she's disabled, is unlikely to get you anywhere, except maybe continue the perception of GG as being an organisation with widespread discrimination.

Exactly! Or when she gets to Brownies? She'll surely be used to changing/dressing herself for PE lessons in school - the teachers sure as hell don't individually help 30 kids every time. Plus isn't she getting herself dressed in the mornings for school at age 8yrs? Why is it such a big deal that you'd consider discontinuing something which she loves??

Glad you got sorted with a conversation Op. Seems like a sensible solution and like you say she’s not the only one coming straight from school.