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?

Buy the first set then cut out the logo and sew the edge like this then sew it on future supermarket stuff, use an embroidery hoop for tension if needed.

We are in an affluent area so, for most, it’s not a case of not being able to afford it.

There is your answer.

We are not, we are in the old industrial north- think Corrie and donkey stoning your step- but it’s a working class done good area now.

Not being seen to have the right stuff= being poor (bad) or not giving a shit (bad) or not being respectable (very bad)- and yes, everyone would notice and they would talk.

Someone in my friends sons class (6 year olds) saw my friend out with a man who isn’t her husband- as in walking in the street, not shagging in a bus stop- told her mum who works in the school, who told the head, and my friend ended up with a call from the head about whether it was true and telling her she had to tell her son off for not believing the little girl when she teased him about it and he said she was fibbing.

Do they have to change to the new items straight away? at our school there's usual couple of years leeway where you can still have the old items - long enough for things to passed down / on. I agree about the quality though, some of our school uniform items are really hard wearing and others just fall apart after a few washes.

That’s possibly true, but this wasn’t the uniform when the children started, it changed last year.

My daughter went to a school in a mining town ans honestly everything had to be personalised. Including personalised p.e leggings, top and hoody!

Yes, they insisted on it right away, then everyone has to change again for y6.

New head came in and wanted to make her mark apparently.

The last government didn’t go far enough with the school uniform parliamentary report. It’s all just ‘recommended’ and not enforced.

I’d like to see Labour quickly enforce a bill that stops schools demanding pupils buy certain uniform from certain shops (a racket) and allows them to specify only a colour of jumper, black or grey bottoms, white shirt and any logos in the form of iron on badges.

It’s quite disgusting what they get away with

I’d be in favour of sweatshirt and matching trousers, with a Tshirt and trainers for all primary kids- replace trousers with shorts in the summer if you like. Cheap, uniform, comfy, practical and easy to source and wash.

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

not true. The legislation ended up just being a recommendation rather than anything enforceable.

I think that's about average. I've had kids in school for 18 years and that's always been the case and fairly similar prices. ( 6 schools in total)

Whilst £14 x3 = £42 and that only gets the dc 1 each , that's not the schools fault that famil have 3 dcs.
It's a given the more dcs you have the more expensive/ multiples of stuff you need.

I've got 3 dcs in primary where it's all logo.
Pe bags £ 12
Book bags £15
Jumpers cardigans smallest size £12 biggest £19

But I agree quality is poor. I've not had a bookbag that's lasted a year yet. Velcro always falls apart.
Pe bags inevitably split they're so thin.

Jumpers etc inevitably get stained etc

I buy them all 3 each. I start May time and do 1 dc May, June July to ease the cost

As even with non branded polo's, trousers etc it all adds up.

Then shoes / trainers for pe.
It's eye watering

All schools or just primary do you know?

If it's primary school I would just ignore them and send in unbranded supermarket school wear.

It should be all supermarket with the option to buy a branded cardigan or sew your own badge on. There's no point in branded pe kit whatsoever. And the book bags are the most useless thing. A sturdy rucksack is much easier to carry.

I would also prefer a uniform that was leggings or jogging bottoms and trainers rather than pinafores and skirts and impractical shoes.

I buy them all 3 each. I start May time and do 1 dc May, June July to ease the cost

The shop only gets them in in August.

People could save up obviously, but a lot just don’t have the wherewithal to do that- there isn’t ever a month where all the money isn’t needed.

Obviously multiple kids will cost more- and misguided decision or not the children still have to have clothes and go to school.

This school has had a ‘good’ rating and reputation for years before changing and doubling the number of branded items. It’s simply unnecessary.

I smell a kick back for the school.

And the book bags are the most useless thing. A sturdy rucksack is much easier to carry.

Yes! What is that about?! They don’t fit the water bottle they have to take, or their packed lunch, but are a stupid awkward size to fit in a rucksack themselves, so you have 4 year olds having to cart multiple bags or bits of stuff around 🤦‍♀️ must drive the teachers mental having to try and keep track of it all and store it all somewhere every day.

God this sounds INSANE. Why are they making yr 6s wear something entirely different, when they’ll have to have another change of uniform for yr 7?

Why have the bloody BOOK BAGS got to be branded?!

my daughters school, and all the primaries in our area are fine with unbranded but correct colours / style. And we can order the branded stuff through ParentMail so not reliant on specialist shop. The sweatshirts / cardigans are between £9 and £13 depending on size. PE tops £7. And they’re excellent quality,
Last for ages.

I think you’ve got a legitimate concern to raise with the head / governors with regards to affordability, discrimination, accessibility.

Why are they making yr 6s wear something entirely different, when they’ll have to have another change of uniform for yr 7?

To reflect their special position as the oldest in the school. Apparently it means they will be more grown up and take more responsibility for themselves.

It’s the usual uniform with a different colour jumper I think, but adds to the problem of not being able to hand stuff down.

My DD starts in a couple of weeks and she's in 2-3yrs uniform. The pinafores are huge on her! Not a chance I'd be paying for tailoring 😂

Indeed - one of those says "From next autumn [2022], schools will be required to help keep costs down by taking steps to remove unnecessary branded items and allowing more high-street options, like supermarket own-brand uniform."

The fuss made last year, did anyone contact the governors? If not please do it now, with reference to DfE statutory guidelines. It is legally binding. Statutory guidance sets out what schools must do to comply with the law. They should follow the guidance unless they have a very good reason not to. Safeguarding is bullshit - other schools manage to do without embroidered logos. For school trips they could wear a sticker, lanyard or hi vis.

The head needs to stop embroidering the truth ;)

Yes you can and you should. Think about what’s going on here - it’s a form
of social exclusion. Low income families fear the cost and so don’t apply. What on earth is a blazer doing in a primary school uniform?

If our primary had pulled a stunt like this, I would have been a very loud complaining parent. I can hardly be accused of undermining education as I’m a university head of department. All parents with DC who feel confident challenging such a ridiculous and exclusionary uniform policy should make their voices heard. Our primary allows plain polos, sweatshirts and PE kit as long as it’s in the school colours - which are very standard and widely available. Most parents bought one school logo polo for the summer photo and a multipack of plain ones from a supermarket/Next/ M&S.

There’s a primary school near us, that opened in 2013 and is on its third uniform change. They changed name in 2021, so fair enough, their logo changed but they also changed the uniform colour. Whereas if they’d just changed the badge the older DC could have carried on wearing the old logo gear until it wore out.

They have now not only changed the colour again, puzzling to the same colour as their nearest neighbour primary, but brought in a compulsory tie and blazer too.

All the children have been given a free uniform, and admittedly my friend’s DD who is about to start YR looks super cute in it. But they only get one free one. Any future ones have to be paid for.

All the previous two uniforms have presumably been binned, as they can’t be handed down to younger DC now 🙄😡

Is the different coloured jumper for year 6 a Leavers’ hoodie? Or do you have to buy one of those as well?
I can’t get too wound up about those as the kids don’t seem to mind wearing them outside school, and it’s a rite of passage they look forward to.

I agree- the response about the new embroidered pe tops was that it is a necessary safeguarding measure because it means that when children play matches against other schools they are identifiable.

The bibs that have been used forever are apparently insufficient.

I reckon the bibs were knackered and rather than spend money on new ones the head wanted to pass on the cost to the parents. It isn’t a particularly sporty school- the only team I know of that has actual fixtures against other schools is football.

No you buy the leavers hoodie separately (and it is optional).

So y6 have meal costs
uniform costs
school trip cost
leavers hoodie cost
£300-£400 residential cost

plus the usual pay X amount for ground costs (£30 per child), and another ‘discretionary’ payment to school funds that they will hound you for if you don’t pay.