To expect the school to actually help me find the things that belong to my DD?

[Eve4Walle]

I posted this on chat last night, but genuinely would like to know if I am being unreasonable about any of this?

DD left her cardigan on the school field the week before last (£13 with school logo from Skoolkit) and it still hasn't surfaced. Today she got off the bus which brings her home wearing someone elses fleece (these cost £19 and also have school logo), but the one she's got now is very tatty and bobbly and doesn't have a name in it, unlike her own one, which has been well cared for.

Both her lost/mislaid items had her name sewn in.

So where are they? Are some people so hard up they resort to keeping uniform that comes home by mistake? Even when there is a school 'friends' used uniform shop available?

Or am I reading more into it?

School don't seem bothered about any of it and refuse to help look for them and I am very pissed off that some other child has my girls tidy and well looked after clothes on (which is obv. what is happening, no?).

We are not allowed to wander into our primary school. There is a reception office at the front door and they "buzz" the door open for you.

We have the office gate-guard but they are generally very welcoming once you're in, although I am known well becuase of lots of meetings so probably am more trusted than random parent.

YABU. your daughter needs to take more care of her stuff. this cannot be the teachers responsibility - they have enogh to do.
I advise looking ion lost property but other than that you just need to ask / teacher her not to leave her stuff lying around and to look after it.

We have a kit-check at the beginning of each term. We check that they have everything on the uniform list and that it is labelled with their own name. We have giant labels that go on the outside of PE kits and science, art and cookery overalls/aprons.

Anything that is scooped up in the course of the day goes straight to lost property, and this is laid out every half-term (although pupils are welcome to visit it in between).

I ran after my year 7 form for about the first half-term but now it is up to them.

Just a little point for those of you who have said that your child HAS to have the school logo stuff, or specific kit brought from the school.
Correct me if I am wrong (someone will know!) but I'm quite sure that the schools are NOT allowed to do that. It's something to do with it being a monopoly?

You're right crackopenthebaileys. Schools are not allowed to stipulate a single supplier. Actually, school uniform is not statutory anyway.

I am sure that you are right, Crackopenthebaileys, but there was only one place we could buy ds1's school uniform (blazer, PE kit, kit bag, tie), and that was in the school shop.

I am so glad that since we moved, the two older ones now go to a senior school with a far more sensible uniform - black trousers, white shirt, no blazer, any plain black v-neck jumper or cardigan, or a black zip up fleece, and whilst there is a specified PE kit, no-one seems to mind as long as they are wearing suitable clothing that's not branded to a particular sports team. The only item we buy through the school is the tie - and I can live with that.

Oh - and though uniform may not be statutory, the previous school did make the students and parents sign up to the school's behaviour policy, which included observance of the uniform code, which got them round that part, I guess.

I don't think the school should be responsible for your dd's uniform. On the other hand I can understand that at 5 years of age your dd isn't going to pay the same attention to her belongings as an older child might. It's a difficult one but I know it's a huge problem for teachers.

It's not too difficult for a teacher to make sure the pupils are all correctly dressed at a particular time. I check my form before they go to assembly and before they go home for the day. The PE staff check that they are properly equipped for whatever they are doing.

If something is lost, and not in the lost property box, there is not a lot I can do about that. I will usually send the pupil to retrace their steps since they lost it, and ask the rest of the class if they have their own stuff.

How many children are there in your form scienceteacher and how old are they?

I totally get the theory about DDs lost cardi - she should have looked after it.

But what about her fleece? She got sent home by her teacher insisting she wear one that didn't belong to her and I went and collected her yesterday and she hadn't had the right one given back...so someone IS keeping it, obv.

That's the bit that pisses me off the most, becuase someone is being dishonest. DD is just forgetful, which I can firgive!

Perhaps the teacher thought that she needed to be wearing something when she came out of school - if it was cold or rainy, perhaps, or if you walk home - and she thought better that your dd wore the fleece even though it wasn't hers.

That said, when the teacher knew that dd didn't have her own fleece, she could have asked the class to check quickly to see if they had it by mistake.

And the dishonesty would piss me off too - I don't understand how someone can do that - I wouldn't dream of it.

If the school is anything like ours, half the children probably won't have their fleeces with them - the child that took it probably forgot they didn't have theirs with them that day.

I agree that when it's something like a fleece which the child probably only has one of the mum should have noticed, but sadly some parents seem to think that if they've lost something they are entitled to keep any they find - we have even had parents crossing out a name and writing their own in - and then tried to claim they'd bought it in the second hand shop!