To think this a ridiculous uniform list for 4 year olds

[FinnFrey]

Been chatting to my SIL, she is sending her DD to a private school next year (gets 60% off as her husband works there). She mentioned the uniform list and I asked to see it. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a list with so much stuff for 4 year olds, any item marked * can only be bought from the school wear shop.

AIBU to think that this is quite a bonkers list? Is this just an every private school thing?

Right down to only being able to buy the hair accessories from once place and which length of socks they can wear!

This is just the girls list, boys is similar (trousers and shorts instead of pinafores and dresses and a felt cap instead of the girls 2 hats).

You'd be surprised.

There are a lot of people more than happy to indulge schools' notions of grandeur.

The same people who plonk their money down for crested this and easily identifiable that probably look down their noses at the plebs who buy bags with honking big logos on them.

I went to private school, and DD does now. Other than the blazer (which wasn’t essential anyway and more people never bothered with) and tie, nothing in my uniform was branded. Not a bit of it. Bottle green skirt and jumper, navy PE skirt and jumper, white aertex shirt.

Whereas quite a bit of DD’s is, though they do vary where we are as to how much is branded.

I was pretty astonished, to be honest, especially we the PE stuff. Unless you’re in a school team, who cares??

DS wears unbranded navy jogging bottoms to his pre-prep and actually yes I bought them from Asda because it’s the nearest place that sells kids clothes to my house 🤷‍♀️

But it's the VAT that's driving parents away.

Four items are on both the Winter and Summer list, The cardigan, the shoes, the blazer and the waterproof coat. I can understand the hairband being specified, it would look nice all the same but the scrunchie - that's a bit mad

Both DD's went to private school and I also worked in the senior school for a while. The second hand cupboard is your SIL's friend. I was constantly getting calls from parents, mostly after the blazer as that was the most expensive although the jumpers were pretty expensive as well. I got two that were virtually brand new for a fiver apiece and both DD's wore them. Parents could either keep what they'd sold their second hand clothes for or donate what they received to school subs. Afraid I took the money every time

John Lewis used to carry the uniform and were very good about ordering (by phone in those days, no internet) and used to post the hockey socks out postage free (always loosing hockey socks) as didn't fancy putting my DD on second hand socks

Edited for typos and hopefully to make sense

Every prep parent worth their salt knows full well the £40 black outdoor coat from schoolblazer can be purchased for less than £20 off Amazon. Literally exactly the same coat.

What?! Is the school Hogworts?!

Looks similar to my DD’s prep school. The whole uniform probably cost £1500. The blazer alone was £150. I suppose they assume that if you can afford the fees, you can afford the uniform. What irks me though is that the quality isn’t great but you have to use their supplier so don’t have a choice.

Good grief. I'm lost for words.

Well the families that choose the school obviously like it or are prepared to put up with it. Not sure why you are bothered though?

One of my dds went to a state secondary (academy) that tried to emulate a private school and had an unusual uniform- fairly relaxed but very specific (for example, striped shirts, a particular style of skirt). It didn't overly bother me, just amused me how the older pupils made it look scruffy when the HT insisted how smart they looked. The school itself was great, so it wasn't a terrible thing to bear.

It’s excessive and costly, but that pretty much sums up my attitude towards private education anyway. This kind of pomp obviously floats some people’s boats.

That list is a bit bonkers. And mine is in a private.

All of my boy cousins went to Christ's hospital school, it has the most amazing uniform, it was free, the fees probably paid for it.

DD2 went to a different school for 6th form and they had a y12 uniform. No logo. Plain white shirt, navy skirt and pullover. All plain. Expensive but plain. Own coat allowed though. There’s always some schools that are over the top and it’s usually preps.

It could be worse - a private school where I live had a poo brown uniform.
School closed in the early 2000s. Hahaha

Totally normal for private school.
It's a bit weird that you have taken the time to type it all out.

The bless of living in Europe. You just send your kids to school in clean everyday clothes.

They can't go out to play with the wrong uniform ? That's child cruelty and impacts on their education and friendships. What an awful school.

I do think a lot of private schools have ridiculous uniform for infants that just isn’t that practical. From year 3 plus crack on but 4 year olds are often in sand pits, painting, not 100% reliable with toileting.

I have also noticed though that a lot of the prep’s near me have the little ones in PE kit most of the time presumably because it’s just much more practical than a boater and blazer etc. It would actually be something I’d look carefully at if I was looking at early years provision- at that age they need to be comfortable and able to get dirty. It would put me off a school if they couldn’t.

It’s very normal, except they don’t all have boaters.

I went to a middle-of-the-road private school in the midlands and my uniform (including sports kit etc) cost about a grand, and that was in the late 90's

The thing about comfort though is it's different for everyone. On mn I often hear sweatshirts and trainers are the ultimate comfort. I loathe both find them restrictive and uncomfortable.

Between my 4 they went to 9 schools. They wore polo's shirts blouses ties no ties sweatshirts jumpers cardigans and no uniform. They all agree the school that had shirts/blouses a blazer (with no rules on when you could take it off) cardigan/ jumper (with no rules on when you could take it off) trousers skirts and a summer uniform of shorts or longer trousers standard school summer dresses and a shirt shirt for the boys. Was the uniform that was the most comfortable.
Yet here on mn that would be seen as the devil.
I have 1 with sensory issues she hated the sweatshirts and polo shirts struggled hugely with their thickness. Once we moved to thee school with shirts and cardigans she stopped complaining about uniform. It helped that school wasn't focused on when children could stop wearing jumpers or blazers they just expected them to be smart put together.

Bonkers and probably intended to boost their income.
Have to say it sounds gorgeous though! They must look so sweet in their red tights and hoodies.

On the contrary, it's part of what parents want from the whole "private school experience". No one wants to pay all that money each year just to have their kid look like all the other state school kids.

I went to a private primary and we even got told what underwear to buy