About year 6 leavers hoodies

[Readyforthelaunch]

Dd is in year 6 and one of the parents very kindly organised leavers hoodies for the whole of year 6.

I had two older children that attended a different school and in their case, their school organised the hoodies and the children were allowed to wear them for the last half term (after SATS).

DD’s school have said no. They’ve even gone as far as to say that any children wearing the hoodies will have them confiscated. The school have said that the children can wear them on the last day only.

I’m very surprised as the school is actually quite lax when it comes to enforcing uniform rules generally.

The year 6 parents are not happy.

Aibu to think that the children should be allowed to wear their leavers hoodies now?

I would want to see costs upfront and transparent. I know that won’t happen. I would assume the kind parent is making a bit out of doing it. But how much ?

When I got the letter about DD's leavers hoodie I was a little miffed at the price and the thought of her into wearing it once on the last day of school

It was a pleasant surprise when school said they can all wear them from now till they finish

they can wear them out side of school, they are not part of the uniform, why should the school change the rule?

Don't be disingenuous, if it's special enough for most kids to want one, it's nothing like the PE hoodies.

Again, some schools are ok, others are not, but it's not to spite the parents, they have good reasons.

I have never heard of schools allowing them to be worn every day for a whole half of term- that means for 1/6 of the time, one year group is always not in school unform?

My DS’s class were allowed to wear them for PE though.

Both my children have carried on wearing theirs into secondary school - they’re seen as a quite acceptable item to wear in everyday life around here (in our part of outer London, can’t speak for elsewhere).

Dd (now 17) kept on wearing hers up until yr 11 when she got her next leaver’s hoodie - and in fact the yr 6 one still fits her and occasionally still gets worn around the house as she stopped growing in yr 7 (typical in our family). DS is only in yr 7 but has kept wearing it throughout this year - they’re obviously better value for girls as they tend to stop growing sooner!

PS - in our school the one kid whose family didn’t order one got given one by the school as it was for financial reason.

I don’t think it’s a particularly odd thing to do at all.

It’s pretty standard for year 6s to have leavers hoodies these days.

Most of the other schools I know of are allowing them to be worn after SATS.

Traditionally at our primary school, the hoodies were given at the leavers assembly about 1 week before the end of term. They were never intended to be worn at school and so could be ordered in each child's choice of colour. Parents always sorted this but school were supportive with sending out messages about it.

New head came in a few years ago and suggested buying them for the kids earlier in the year so they could be worn at school throughout Year 6 but this limited the colour choices to about 3. Again, this is sorted by the Year 6 parents with school support. In both cases the school covered the cost of the hoodies for families in financial hardship so no-one was left out. We did the first for my DC1 and second for DC2 and I'm still undecided which I preferred tbh! Getting more use out of them is great (provided they don't get lost) but the variety of coloured hoodies looked great and not just like more school uniform.

I think if the school allows the hoodie they should be in charge of the costs involved.
That or a recommended and named source sells them.

Our infant leaver are only allowed to wear them on PE days.

Our p7s wear them and have done for years, but they get them on the inset day before going back in August and wear them as their jumpers for the whole year. They also hand out a leavers tshirt with a whole class photo on it on the last day.

I don’t know what you mean, disingenuous?

Someone made the point about children being left out and that being the reason why the school said no.

I’m pointing out that no child has been left out, but also that there are lots of ‘paid for extras’ throughout the year that the school offer. Such as trips, PE hoodies, own clothes days, dress up days where you have to make a donation, Santas grotto, they do so much that you have to pay for.

I think it’s disingenuous to say that the school are worried about children being left out.

Meant to add, for DC1 they were allowed to wear them on the last day, regardless of colour

The school my DD1 went to only allowed them
to wear it in the last weeK of the term. DD2 is in a diff primary sch and not yet in y6 but the year 6 children have been wearing their hoodies since January. I think that’s better as they get good use of it rather than buying a new school jumper because DD1 didn’t wear hers again after the last day of school so it was just a waste of money really.

It could also be that school have decided not to allow it as it’s a bit like non uniform days, behaviour is applying when it’s a non uniform day so maybe school don’t want another 6 weeks of extra poor behaviour. It’ll already be bad as it’s the last half term and kids are ready to move on throw in non uniform and you may as well give up now!!

Could this be because not all the children's parents can afford them and the school want to minimise any potential fall out?

When DS left they gave them out at the leavers assembly on the second to last day, so they only wore them for two days (and not much then as it was boiling). Apparently in the past they gave them out before the residential (allowed on residential but not in school), but got fed up of the fuss and upset caused when they inevitably got lost or mixed up. He did however pretty much live in it for the whole summer holidays.

I have found these printed hoodies to be an environmental crime. My son has had one for leaving primary school, 2 or 3 for different school trips abroad and now one for finishing secondary. He's never worn any of them beyond the actual trip abroad and (printed with school logos/his name etc) he never would.

He's only just got the high school one - I don't have the heart to say no. The others have gone to the clothes bank but I doubt they are any good to anyone (printed with his name and school).

I think this enormous waste needs to stop. If the school is going to do hoodies letting the kids wear them for a year at least stops them being a total waste. Even a t-shirt would be less wasteful as less material and more likely to be worn as casual.

I can understand behaviour and also about them getting mixed up.

However the school allow the children to wear PE hoodies every single day. The leavers hoodies are identical to the PE hoodies other than the say ‘leavers’ on the back. They have each child’s name on too. So less likely to lose than a normal school
top.

I also wonder how other school manage the s hoops that do allow the hoodies.

The policies on and organisation of leavers’ hoodies seem to differ from school to school and even year to year. Some get them early in the year and are able to wear them as uniform. That marks them out as P7s and at least gets use out of them. But I can see how it creates a problem if they are lost or damaged part way through the year. Also some seem to be able to choose their colour whereas others seem to have to choose a school colour. Only for the last day seems a bit rubbish, what’s the point? I think a good compromise would be after the Easter holidays. Obviously no SATs here.

My DD’s school had a separate, differently coloured P7 jumper which was a PITA as it was just another thing to buy. Then she got a hoodie with 2 weeks to go which was worn about twice then she lost interest as soon as she moved to secondary school. At least hers was paid for by the parent council. 2 years later they cost £25 and DS had absolutely no interest in getting one so that saved a few bob.

Same when my DD left P7, they ordered them as soon as P7 started, they came just before the October holidays and she wore hers as part of school uniform throughout the winter right up until leaving day. Parents had to pay for them ourselves but I didn't mind since she got plenty wear out of it. I wouldn't have been impressed at having to pay £30 for something to wear for one day, especially when it's warm and she probably wouldn't even have kept it on.

We used to autograph each other’s shirts, do they still do that?. It’s free!

Reading an earlier post about parents having to stump up for all sorts including Santa grottos, dress up days, proms etc you name it.
No wonder people haven’t got any money.
People this did not happen years ago.

They an be wasteful, I do agree.

But this is where I feel that there’s hypocrisy.

School do Christmas jumper days, world book days, various dress up days. Wear blue for this, wear orange for that. Inevitably people end up buying stuff.

I think that most of the parents were under the impression that the children would be wearing them after SATS.

Ours were given them on the Friday after SATs because that is when they really feel like leavers. Our school always organised them and I believe any child on FSM got a hoodie paid for by the school, the rest of the parents paid for their child.

Multitude of colours and visible for all the parents of children in the lower years and something for them to look forward to too. I think is a bit sad that the school has said they will be confiscated. It is technically a summer coat.

It's such a non event. Children need to learn they can't always do what they want to.

In DCs school year 6 can wear them from when the sats have finished to the end of the year. It means they get their monies worth and get to set themselves apart as a special year who are nearly done with primary. They're in a wide selection of colours and look great 😃 Your DC's school sound miserable!