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?

This is what my mum did as well. Especially once year when the school introduced only black shoes after my shoes had already been bought in the sale, not in black.

We're in Scotland and the exact same. Nothing actually has to be branded and the school actively encourages buying supermarket or second hand. Our uniform is navy too 😊

Which is fine if there's other decent local options that have more relaxed uniform rules.

Or they don’t suddenly change it and introduce more branded stuff when your children are already at the school.

yup I would write to the head and the board, and the local paper if you don’t get a result

if they are going to be robust enough for years of hand downs, which is only realistic if the school can pay for it, if the parents can’t.

I would wonder how much they actually enforce it. My son’s primary uniform list has logo jumper, gold logo polo and book bag. I bought it all the first year but as things needed replacing I’ve bought plain supermarket items and yellow polos when I couldn’t find gold and they’ve never once said anything. If they are strict on it I would definitely raise the legislation with them.

I agree, it’s madness. I’m a primary teacher with DD1 attending my school. By the end of July she was in trainers as her shoes had a hole in and no one blinked an eye. I genuinely don’t notice what children in my class wear unless it raises safeguarding concerns (e.g. ill-fitting, inappropriate for weather etc). Headteacher makes a the ppint clearly to new parents that branded cardis/jumpers are entirely optional and that supermarket are fine in the school colours.

I just don’t get why uniform suddenly has to be a big issue at secondary. Suits and ties are on their way out in the world of work; surely just regulate colours of polo tops/jumpers/bottom halves and shoes etc and save time arguing with teens?

I also wonder what would happen if people just started sending them in plain clothes- we are in one of those areas where no one would want to be seen to not be able to afford it, and wouldn’t want their child to be the odd one out.

Since September 2022 schools are no longer allowed to enforce branded uniform items.

It's awful that they're changing things and increasing the number of logo items imo. I agree with you op. They're primary kids FFS!
DS didn't need anything to be branded and the school got great results. No need for all this nonsense.

That's madness. Our school changed the uniform about 6/7 years ago, but they're still allowed to wear the old version - plenty of people have hand-me-downs that are still going strong! The cost of school uniform is one of my bug-bears, though - why they can't make it all supermarket-bought, and just sell sew-on badges (which can be removed and reused) for a couple of things is beyond me.

Our school tried to bring in a new shirt style and tie with little notice. Dd had one more year of uniform and her existing uniform was in good condition. Lots of us emailed the school and they agreed to have a year's grace before bringing it in, apart from the new year 7s.

That’s far too much. Ours is in an affluent area but all you need branded is cardi/jumper, PE top and book bag. You can have more but this is the minimum. They also have a swap shop (free) and they put out the lost property that’s never been claimed which can be taken for free too.

It's total madness and absolutely should be banned. The very expensive independent tailors in our town is the only place that sells uniform for all four of the local primary schools, it's a racket. At nearly £20 per jumper it's a piss take. Half the kids are on free school meals as well.

I really don't understand why schools do this. Before retirement I was a primary school deputy and school governor for many years. Our first question to ourselves when considering any changes of any kind was always how will this impact less well off families. We didn't feel that saying that they could buy second hand was a solution either. Why should children from poorer families be condemned to second hand clothes? There's nothing wrong with second hand, but there is when that is the only option open to a family. Being smart was important, whether something was branded or not was not. The one time we did a major uniform change, we said children could continue to wear the old one until they grew out of it or it fell apart.

Have you read about what primary school children are required to have in Ireland, parents literally have to give the school hundreds of Euros to cover the required materials inc. books and stationery and a hundred Euro "voluntary" payment that isn't voluntary, and that's even before they get to uniform.

I thought the government had brought in legislation to change the uniforms to ensure parents weren’t being priced out of being able to afford them? I’d seriously contact your local council to find out?
Our kids primary was only logo on ties - everything else was fine from supermarkets, etc. Now in secondary, only blazers have to be logo, which seems completely fair and reasonable to me.

I hear ya.

I personally think uniforms are good, don’t have to think about it and everyone is the same - but only when reasonably accessible. It’s a shame sometimes the areas that can least afford it sometimes don’t embrace pre-loved.

Fab she has you and extended family to all chip in 😊 I can now afford it but we all remember it was tight growing up and so always all chip in for stuff the DC/neices/nephews need.

Yep it's ridiculous.

Our primary school very sensibly says logo jumpers are optional and supermarket ones in the school colour are fine. It's a pretty even split between who wears what. The only other logo item is a PE hoodie which again is optional. The school has a very active second hand uniform exchange where items are donated and offered for free.

It's also a very middle class area (I know of four parents in DC's year who are doctors) so there seems to be very little stigma around non-logo or second hand uniform (that I've noticed anyway).

I remember my mum got a school uniform grant for us in high school. Do these still exist?

This attitude is just daft. Are you sure people care as much as you think they do? Who is checking to make sure all their child’s classmates have the proper logo on their clothes?!

We have the option of buying branded clothing but no one bats an eyelid if you don’t. My kids have branded jumpers and my daughter has a skirt in the school tartan (just because I really like it!) but everything else is from the supermarket. We have a Facebook group for second hand uniform or you can give it to the school. There are coffee mornings a few times a term where all the second hand uniform is laid out. You can help yourself. The school asks for a donation if you take uniform but it’s not compulsory and no one checks if/how much you pay.

We are in an affluent area so, for most, it’s not a case of not being able to afford it. More not paying over the odds and not buying new when there are second hand items available that are still perfectly fine.

I think if you sign up to a school, you sign up to its uniform policy, however arcane that may be. Ours has summer and winter uniform, so double the ballache.

Yes, and I can't help but think that some schools reckon on a nice expensive uniform to encourage the poorer families to opt for another school.

Exactly this. It is a way of weeding out poorer families for the schools.

A lot of families don't have a choice where they send the children, it is just the 1 local school. So you are effectively saying your child can't have an education as the expensive uniform means you can't afford to come here.

Uniform in the current mode should be scrapped. A cheap tracksuit and polo shirt for all schools (including secondary) is all that is required.

Making primary school children wear ties should be banned. They are children. not mini adults.

You don't always get to sign up for a school though. Sometimes you don't get a choice.

I'm pretty sure primary school can't insist on uniform, that would was a while ago so not sure what the rules are now.
Our primary school does have branded uniform but the school don't insist on it. The children can wear supermarket clothes as long as it's in the school colours.
The only thing they ask to be branded is the book bag which is £5.