To buy school tops in the wrong colour

[katiestar]

Our state primary school stipulates either the school sweatshirt which is bright red or bright red jumper / cardi with grey skirt/ pinafore.
I have bought my DDs dark grey cardigans to go back to school in for the following reasons.
1 They always get stained because the school doesn't have enough whiteboard markers so children have to use their hands , which inevitably ends up on their top.

2 Only buy uniform from M&S and their stocks were decimated , but had grey in every size.

3 Won't look too diffreent colour-wise from those wearing a pinafore.

3 Am really pissed off at the school who have agreed to be my placement school for a course I have been doing , but failed to return some paperwork in time for the deadline so I have wasted £200 and many hours for nothing.Not really relevant to the school tops but indicative of my feelings to the school.

5 MOST IMPORTANTLY looks lovely against their long pale blonde hair

You are being really mean to your own kids for no good reason.

hocuspocus - maybe you have different whiteboard pens ? It's not distinct marks more a blackish tinge covering an area.

I am a bit tickled that some people feel I am the devil's spawn for sending a 4 year old and a 7 year old to school in plain grey cardigans.Now if it had been heels ,hotpants and boob tubes I could understand raised eyebrows.

There are two separate issues here - but you're using a uniform rebellion to express your annoyance at having been let down
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Passive aggressive imho.

If you have a grievance, take it up in the correct manner through the correct channels - not by finding underhand ways to get back using your DCs.

And the comment about them looking prettier in the grey is, as has been said, pathetic.
Not a good example.

Why is it pathetic to want to wear clothes which suit you - don't you ?

Well I am opposed to my DS's school finishing at 2.30 every day and I think it's wrong but I'm not going to start picking him up at 3.00 just to make my point.

You are right about paaive agressive.don't really want to take the issue up with the school because I don't want to get the teacher concerned into trouble (or even tell her because she'd feel awful)She is a lovely kind woman but with a lot on her plate in all areas of life.
But that isn't relevant to the school top thing.

"Why is it pathetic to want to wear clothes which suit you - don't you ?" Not if it's a uniform no.

Although I did reject a school because the uniform tops were yellow, so maybe you picked the wrong school?

Don't think you'll get far with your placement if you carry on with this attitude.

Lol - oh you poor poor dds, they are going to grow up with some fabulous ideas about life, their bodies, authority...

Katiestar, I am admiring your tenacity in the face of oppositioin.

Even if I think YABU

Our school is red uniform too, there are so many pen splotches they might as well be a class of little ladybirds.

You know you can take it out with nail varnish remover?

OOH I'll try that blithedance (like the username)

Uniform rebellion fine. Whatever. If you must.

But ds2 (aged 7) would be mortified to be the only one dressed differently and ds3 (4) will pick that up within a term of being in receptiou are definitely BU.

I wouldn't do this because my children would be horrified (conservative little gits) and ds1 has enough trouble fitting in as it is

I hate uniform though, with a passion. I'm a school governor and I frequently point out during discussions that uniform at primary age is not legally enforceable in the UK. Your school can huff and puff and send out snotty letters to their hearts' content, but they cannot refuse to take your children in non-uniform. Lots of schools like to bluff and bluster their way through this and let parents believe that uniform is "compulsory" - but it ain't so.

However, when I initially got the horrors taking ds1 to buy school uniform - looking at the racks and racks of ugly boring drab school crap - I looked at him and thought "this is his life now - it's his battle should he choose to fight it. I had my chance when I was the one wearing the uniform"

I absolutely do wear clothes that suit me - and when they're out if school I do my best to buy clothes that suit my DCs - but if I worked in a job requiring a uniform I'd wear it (actually, I doubt if I'd do a job requiring a uniform, but that's another matter.)

If what your DDs wear every day is so important to you, you should either find a school whose uniform you think would suit them (can't imagine choosing a school based on that criteria but it takes all sorts), or send them to one of the rare schools without a uniform policy.

DS goes to a school with red jumpers/cardigans. I like it (even though he does get whiteboard pen on him).

I'm sure I read somewhere once how having a uniform with a bright colour had positive impact on children's learning

You can get red cardigans from lots of places - I have seen them in many supermarkets recently.

YANBU. Do what the hell you like and sod the lot of em

I thought yellow was good for concentration ,blue for confidence.Not sure about red ? Anger, maybe ? I think I would wear red if I was feelking a bit flirtatious.Maybe that's why secondary schools generally don't have red {wink}

YABVU.
It's not fair to make your children the odd ones out.

Which brackets should I use for emoticons -square ones,round ones or wiggly ones.

YABVU

because its pretty PFT what a load of nonsense

stained = are you sure your washing machine is working right?

do the right thing

buy the right uniform and teach your kids to respect rules

hmmmm, I'm not sure teaching children to "respect rules" for rules' sake is a very safe or desirable thing to do

Square.

But why should we respect rules (unless they are laws that is) if we believe they are 'inappropriate ' (hate that word)

And giving girls the message that looking pretty is the most important thing in life is very very wrong.

katie, but why is a red top more "inappropriate" than another of your choice ?

children like to "belong", they are in school together, they all have the same colour top on, its looks great in class pix, school trips make easier to manage etc etc

what is so wrong with that ?

How about you let your DDs challenge the rules when they are old enough to decide they want to do so. You challenging the rules by making them different to their peers is just plain unfair to them.