To think this is mad for primary school uniform?

[AndyandTerrysMum]

My sisters 3 kids go to an ordinary state primary school in an ex mining town- not a lot of money floating about.

The school changed its uniform last year from branded jumper/cardi and tie

to different branded jumper/cardi, branded pe top, branded tie and branded book bag.

Tie is £5 ish, but all other items are £14 ish each.

Its all shit quality, so last years is in holes now, and one child has to have all in a new colour anyway- so handing down isn’t possible. (Plus mix of girls and boys- boy won’t wear girls old skirts!)

It just seems like madness to me and got me thinking;

If a child is sent in the right colour and type of jumper or top for example, but a plain supermarket one, can primary schools isolate them/send them home like a high school would?

I am sure you could tie them up in knots with questions given their duties under equalities legislation. Ask them about things like consultation, how considerate it is to teachers to ask them to enforce it. Or even whether they gave reasonable notice.

Unreasonable to have so much branded stuff.

It is madness. Our school has its faults but when it comes to uniform, they are great. Any yellow polo shirt or you can buy logo one. Any grey cardigan or jumper branded or unbranded. Black shoes. By the end of year they allow trainers so 0arents don't need to buy again. Pe kit Any top as long as its house colour. And grey trousers or skirt/dress. But I did send eldest in black as at the time grey had run out and they didn't say anything.

Primary school, I would expect them to be a bit flexible as they need to be running around and things gey holes in from football and falling over etc. Secondary I understand why it's stricter, but it's a bit extreme. Especially as most of the working world doesn't live in suits!

Could try approaching the school with This
(parliamentary report on uniform costs)
and this

so the polos, trousers/skirts etc can be bought at the supermarket? I don’t think £14 is bad for a jumper although it should be good quality. Again £14 for a book bag sounds reasonable and should last multiple years.

so the polos, trousers/skirts etc can be bought at the supermarket?

Trousers/skirts can be- the pe polo is branded, then they can have any shirt but have to have a branded tie.

£14x3 =£42= one top per child- they are £5 for 2 in Asda.

+£27 for one pe top per child and £15 for the ties.

So £84 for one of each thing for each child.

(Plus a bag each possibly dont know if they are wrecked or not).

The quality is rubbish too, so they fell apart by Christmas last year because they get food/mud/paint etc on them every day so have to be washed all the time.

It seems utterly pointless to me, the same sweatshirt without the embroidery could be bought for £3!

I've just spent £24 on a cheap pe top including delivery, it's secondary school so needed a new bigger size with logo

My DGD's primary school did a similar thing, when she reached the end of year 5,one bloody year before she left. Her mum (my DD) was furious. She had to pay out for a load of new stuff for one year. Complete madness.

This place changes the colour for year 6 so all year 6 have to have new each year.

It depends on the school but I find primary schools are generally more accepting of plain jumpers etc.
Definitely worth looking into the legalization of this as I didn't think schools were allowed to up the number of branded items.

DSs state primary has,
School tie £7
School jumper £14
School blazer £37.50
School pe top £8
School pe bag £5
School book bag £7
All compulsory
Everything else can be supermarket.
He is 4 it's ridiculous, but we knew about it when we applied so can't complain.

Just ask them for the brand or emblem so you can sew it on the PE top and others stuff

Wow! Our school just asks for a branded jumper (and in practice doesn’t care if you turn up in an unbranded supermarket one - or you can get for £1 at the secondhand uniform shop). Everything else can be supermarket.

I’m in Scotland where schools cannot enforce but I was happy to buy logoed navy sweatshirts as they last well especially if you buy them huge but I refused the logo white polo cause they were stained in weeks. I bought plain white polis instead.

Neither did I, but reading the policy and guidance I think the school has to keep it reasonable and consider whether the demographic of the intake, but there aren’t any specific rules about what is ‘reasonable’.

There was a fuss made last year but the head wasn’t interested. The need for branded pe tops was specifically challenged but the head claims it is for ‘safeguarding reasons’.

I've never understood why schools don't just sell the logos as an iron on / sew on patch so that parents can do it themselves if they wish! £84 on each child's uniform (before factoring in shoes and coat!) is outrageous at primary IMO.

Everything is from Asda and one logo jumper for £14.

Both primary and now secondary school had a lot of branded uniform. Both schools had loads of used uniform sales that were in no way seen as for ‘parents who can’t afford it’. Lots newly and great condition. Major fundraiser for the school, better sustainability, cheaper.

Was that an option?

I suggested this (I’d have to do it Dsister can’t thread a needle!) but it isn’t an embroidered patch, it’s machine embroidered straight onto the garment. The shop wouldn’t be able to provide it separately.

In Wales primary schools aren't allowed to enforce branded uniform so a supermarket jumper would be fine. Not sure if the same in England though

To add, when I was in primary, my mum sent me in all unbranded things, and when the head raised it with her she basically said, "What are you going to do about it? She's here to learn. I'm going to keep dropping her off in these clothes, and I'm not picking her up early just because she hasn't got fancy clothes. So you can either send her to walk home alone aged 5 and have whatever happens to her on your conscience, or you can teach her in the clothes I've sent her in." And we didn't hear any more about it 😬

@GedEye They used to have some that you could just take until COVID, that was useful because no one would know you had taken any -they probably do still have some somewhere.

But this is the kind of area where asking for that kind of thing would definitely be seen as ‘scrubber’ territory.

My Dsister will manage, we can all chip in if needs be, it’s just the principle that has annoyed me!

Unless my little one has a serious growth spurt - she’s going to barely be in 2-3 clothing by the time she starts school- and that’s if I size up to give her growing room. I’ve been helpfully told by a couple local schools I can get her things tailored. She’ll be 4! I full expect her to destroy those things playing outside and I’ll be genuinely disappointed if she comes home tidy.

Schools cannot enforce branded/logo items.

A few years ago our secondary school decided to change the uniform from logo hoodies/t-shirts (good quality, unisex) to shirts, ties, jumpers and blazers. The information was in an end of term letter for the start of the new term. I had just bought 3 new hoodies for ds, the school shop was still selling them and lots of families had either bought or had perfectly good ones to hand down. The parents complained and it didn’t happen.

Which is fine if there's other decent local options that have more relaxed uniform rules. If every local school has uniform rules like yours, then people don't really have the "don't apply then!" option.

Ours is polo shirts - logo is £7 I think but not compulsory. Jumper, logo is £13 but not compulsory. Trousers / skirt etc, any in correct colours. Pe - white polo / t-shirt, black bottoms, unbranded trainers. No set pe bag although there is a school one, and water bottle. Every kid is given a plastic book bag and whilst I did buy one for eldest, no one really uses them - plastic ones are larger.

It's also compulsory school meals in infants, no lunches brought from school