to think branded school shirts are criminal

[uniformscrooge]

Looking at a secondary school for DD. They're allowed a max of 3 branded items as per gov rules.

One of the "items" is the shirt - and they're sold by the school supplier for £45 for a pack of 2! I'd probably have to buy 2 packs at least, and they'd probably not last the year. Is that not fucking crazy? I was expecting blazer, jumper, PE top or something, things i'd be able to just buy one of, not the fucking school shirt!

I know having teens is expensive but this takes the piss.. I probably won't send her there for a few reasons, I was just gobsmacked.

What are your mandatory branded items? Is this normal?

YABU - stop being so cheap and pay for the shirt
YANBU - fuck that, I want to buy shirts for a fiver from a supermarket

It's ridiculous, especially that it really isn't preparing them for future life. At college they can wear what they like, at university they can wear what they like. Most jobs don't have a uniform although some require suits or safety clothes. It's expensive for no apparent reason.

They may not even have a logo as such, just be a specific brand/style/colour. My daughter used to have a "uniform" school shirt which was a horrible beigey-yellow revere collar blouse. No badge or logo but not something you could just pick up at Sainsbury's or M&S. They were £17 for 2 though so not too extortionate, and now they've moved to plain white ones it's only a few quid cheaper. £45 for 2 is outrageous.

Matching kit can be as simple as the same colour, which contrasts against the opposing team. It doesn't need to be branded. Unbranded/cheap brands are worn as my son's football team's away kit and do the job perfectly well.

This is why I support non uniformed schools.

Both of mine go to private school and neither require branded shirts! Shirts need to be changed daily but at that cost it’s insane.

It is ridiculous and they find ways to get around the rules

Ds1 just started secondary and the “compulsory” 4 items are the blazer, tie, PE top and PE shorts

BUT if they want to wear a skirt then it has to be the expensive branded one
if they want to not freeze on a football pitch in winter then they have to wear the expensive branded PE tracksuit
if they want to wear a jumper in winter then it has to be the expensive branded one

They get around the rules by saying things are “optional”

Crumbs. I pay about £35 for really high quality adult business shirts (I am client facing with pretty senior people). £22.50 for a student is nuts!

Someone above mentioned 4 branded items, I thought it was only 3?
DD school has a blazer (or it can be a badge, we got this and I'm glad as she went up a blazer size in Y7), a tie, and one item of PE kit (polo top). She also has branded summer bottoms (second hand, but she has plain leggings/joggers for winter), and a rugby shirt.
Everything else can be supermarket except I have noticed there isn't a warm top own brand option. So as a PP said if they want to be warm they have to buy the extra item.

Its three plus tie for secondafy

My ds lost a shirt last week, I don't think it was his fault, there were three classes getting changed for pe and when he went back after it was gone! I shrugged and said 'it happens, try to look after your things.' If it was £22.50 I'd be fuming!!

Is your child year 6? So presumably hasn't been allocated a secondary yet? And you could look at another where the uniform rules are more sensible?

I don't think many schools stick with the 3 items, which I think is actually 3 items plus a tie. A tie should last whole school career if don't lose it, so it's not an issue really compared to items they will grow out of like blazers.

I do think schools should be more sensible with their uniforms though. The concept that strict uniform links to results is rubbish. Our 2 local girls grammers wear a standard grey skirt, a standard white short sleeve shirt, no tie, black trainers. The blazer is only branded item they need, plus a logo PE top. The local comp which gets awful results asks for a specific tartan skirt, logo jumper, tie, blazer, 3 logo PE items

Same with ours. If on a team, get a set of kit at start of season, our responsibility to wash and then return at end of season, if don't return it have the pay to replace, but otherwise free. It specific says 'X school netball team' or 'X school football team' etc on it, so much better than using general PE kit. Plus they are allowed to wear it into school on match days, which my daughter loves showing off as she is only girl in her year who made the team - makes it a bit more special than just using standard PE kit.

they are not allowed to get around it by saying optional if a branded item above the 3 is available they can't require it to be worn; a generic version has to be acceptable
so there maybe a branded hoodie available perhaps from old stock but if they have already used their 3 mandatory branded items plus tie a generic hoodie is acceptable you can't say optional items have to be branded ie if branded hoodie is royal blue with hood and school logo a generic royal blue hoodie is accetable you can't wear a red one instead but they can't make you buy extra logo'ed items to stay warm / cool / dry

my daughters high school is black skirts / trousers/ shorts a white shirt long or short sleeved, a black jumper or cardigan or non hooded sweatshirt in plain black, a school tie (£3) and mostly black trainers or shoes, PE kit a plain t shirt in white or red black PE shorts/ leggings or joggers and trainers if playing in school team they wear school tabards over PE kit
if every school chose either black or grey for basics white or pale blue shirts and jumpers in either Black, grey, navy, royal blue, red. burgundy or bottle green without a tie that is 28 possible combinations ( if you eliminate the pale blue shirt with red , green and burgundy it is still 25 combinations)

if it was up to me it would be one item with logo a jumper or sweatshirt no blazers for state schools and a tie for secondary and just basic PE kit t shirt in school / house colour and black PE shorts leggings or joggers and non marking trainers

no ruules about bags just big enough, or coats apart from being warm and water resistant with no offensive logos or badges hip length no denim jackets

Really appreciate these perspectives! It's not a logo on the shirt, it's a horrible revere collar blouse thing in a weird pinstripe that has to be from the school supplier, not something I've seen an alternative version of anywhere cheaper but I'll have to do some searching.
Likely won't be sending her there anyway because of transport but just mental that it's so bloody expensive! I realise however this is my life now and I'll just need to get used to it 😂

Whatever happened to parents' associations? Mass non-compliance required.

Our school does branded items but they aren't mandatory, thank god because they are extortionate and my dd ruins everything !

@uniformscrooge a revere blouse in a pin stripe counts as a branded item according to guidelines because there is no generic alternative as would anything else that was unique like a six panelled flared ankle length skirt, or saying the trousers needed to be pin striped like a barristers
also as you only need to buy 1 blazer and you would need a minimum of 3 blouses to allow for mid week washing to my mind 3 logoed blouses is 3 logo'ed items therefore no more logo's allowed!!!! they won't see it like that😥

Ours are blazer, tie and PE top. There is also a branded summer tshirt but that is option as they can still wear shirt and tie.

Blazer cost £43 and lasted 3 years then another £10 for a bigger second hand one which will last until end of Y11.

£45 for two branded shirts is stupid.

It is kind of funny isn't it?
British people love the uniform which supposedly helps with bullying.
Except Britain has an extremely high rate of bullying.
Wonder why...

A branded shirt that no one will see because kids aren’t allowed to take their jumper or blazer off?

I’ve got this all to come!

As someone said upthread it's a good way to keep the riff raff out. Looking at the shirt you immediately put off poor people and some SEND from joining your school as there isn't likely to be a reasonable adjustment to that shirt.

I just buy second hand

That’s a ridiculous price for 2 shirts.