Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

"Recycling" school uniform

31 replies

BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 08:42

My daughter's school is moving into a new building in September and becoming an academy. In order to celebrate this great event the school has decided to design a new uniform which has to be bought from the school during August - cost about £250. I have just received a text asking that old uniforms be brought back for "recycling". I wondered if it was genuine recycling or a nice little earner for the company supplying the uniforms - if the latter I would rather chuck the old one in the bin. Does anyone know?

OP posts:
jabed · 26/07/2012 08:47

I am surprised you are being asked to pay for a new unifornm for your new acadamy. Where I live every sink hole failed school turned acadamy status and wanted to pretend it was better than it is, has given the pupils a tacky new uniform with tie and logo free. You are being ripped off in my opinion.

Ragwort · 26/07/2012 08:49

You need to ask them directly to clarify the 'recycling' - is it going to earn money for the school and if so what will the money be used for?
If you are not happy with the answer then donate the old uniform to a local charity shop.

It could be that any money earned will be for the use of the school (not the uniform supplier). Our school has a recycling bin in the car park and we do receive a very small income from it which is used for 'extras'.

LeeCoakley · 26/07/2012 08:49

I would expect you to get a nice little discount for this. Cheek! I hate academies that expect miracles when they change the uniform.

imnotmymum · 26/07/2012 08:53

Any uniform change shold be gradual surely and "£250 what it made of silk !!!???

Original poster
BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 08:54

Thank you, I have now emailed them.

Jabed for your info, it is not a sink school turned academy but an Ofsted Outstanding comprehensive school, which recently had a very positive write up in the Telegraph.

OP posts:
crazygracieuk · 26/07/2012 08:55

I'd ask for details.

Our local footie team changed their strip and sent their old stuff as well as out of date premiership footie tops to a developing country and if you look at the faces of the proud kids the recycling was successful.

I would worry about the school using a money for rags sort of service. How annoying at the lack of notice. My kids were at a primary school that changed uniforms and there was a grace period where old uniform was accepted. (12-18 months if I recall correctly?)

WhereMyMilk · 26/07/2012 08:58

There are companies who pay you to recycle your textiles-comes in around £500 a tonne (50p a kilo)

Sounds like a nice little earner for the school Hmm

fireice · 26/07/2012 08:59

Its not the best thing environmentally to recycle clothes that are still fine to wear - if the clothes are generic items that could be worn by children at other schools I would be giving them to a charity shop.

Original poster
BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 09:08

Thanks, it is a bespoke uniform (business suits for boys and girls) with the school logo on one of the side pockets, so it could be reused. It only came in about 4-5 years ago and we were told about the new one a couple of months ago. The building is the most expensive state school ever built in the UK so they want the uniform to do it justice Shock

For the £250 you get 2 shirts/2 x trouser or skirt/jumper or cardi/suit jacket/school raincoat/school rucksack/pe top/pe trousers/tie (for boys). Spare shirts, PE jumper or shorts have to be bought separately.

Most of the schools around here have quite distinctive uniforms so it probably not very suitable for a charity shop, though the skirts and shirts are not logo'd and are reasonable on their own.

The new uniform is fairly similar, but with a new logo and bright blue buttons!

OP posts:
jabed · 26/07/2012 09:16

Ofsted Outstanding comprehensive school

Same thing. Most ofsted "outstanding" = outstandingly poor.

which recently had a very positive write up in the Telegraph

Dont they all?

You are still being ripped off with that uniform.

duchesse · 26/07/2012 09:17

£250??? Seriously? That's just a charge imho.

Bang out of order for a state school to require payment, but sadly I think it may become more common. It may have good points (ensuring that the parents are fully sold on the notion of their child attending this particular school) but it will also exclude children from poor families who will not have a hope is hell's chance of "affording the uniform".

My personal opinion is that they are asking for the old uniform back (ha! doesn't it belong to the families?) so that pupils don't refuse to wear the new and have nothing else to turn up in in September than the new uniform. Change of leadership, change of ethos, change of uniform.

FWIW you could probably get my children's independent schools' entire uniform for under £40 in the 2nd hand uniform shop. I find that £250 charge utterly distasteful as it's blatantly nothing to do with what the pupils are going to put on their backs. I wish schools would just treat parents like the grown ups they are and explain what they are doing. But then, charging to ensure that they buy in is (probably) illegal.

EvilTwins · 26/07/2012 09:32

I'm quite Shock at this too. My school turned academy in January and we're having a new uniform from September. All students have been supplied with skirt/trousers, 2 shirts, school jumper, blazer and tie, plus PE top and shorts/trousers/skirt. Obviously parents can buy extras if they want but the basics are all supplied for them. Our PTA asked students to bring their old school jumpers in on the last day of term as they are branded and therefore no use any more, and AFAIK these will go off to one of the places that gives money by weight. The PTA will get the money. Since new jumpers have been provided, most thought this was fair enough.

Original poster
BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 09:32

Jabed - go and start your own thread if you want to slag off state schools - no wait you did already didn't you Biscuit

OP posts:
NoComet · 26/07/2012 09:44

I'm delighted to say that DDs school is managing to become an academy without changing its name, logo or uniform.

(I think come Sept. almost all our county's secondaries will be academies)

Original poster
BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 10:04

Just heard back from the school, the clothes are being collected on behalf of TRAID. Pity they didn't tell us that in the first place! Wink

OP posts:
DontEatTheVolesKids · 26/07/2012 17:21

What county is that, StarBall?
Could you break that £250 down, BeingFluffy? How many of what items at what price?

Original poster
BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 19:02

DontEatTheVolesKids - I did further up, but it is 2 x shirt/2 x skirt or trousers/pe top/pe trousers/tie (boys only)/cardi or jumper/suit jacket/thin raincoat type anorak/rucksack.

I will have to buy additional shirts, plus a PE sweatshirt and shorts if they have the new logo ones in stock...all other coats and bags are now banned!

All items are only available via the school supplier and have to be bought at the school (i.e. they refused to even provide an online service).

The original set bought two years ago was 2 x shirt/2 x skirt or trousers/suit jacket for £99. The PE kit was extra. We replaced the whole lot last summer and bought additional shirts etc thinking it would last at least 2-3 years.

DH and I are on quite reasonable wages (even with 3 year pay freezes) but still it is extra money to find and which I would have preferred to spend on something over the summer holiday.

DD says that the school are not bringing anything - not even a pencil or a bench to the new building - everything will be new (the capital costs are apparently funded wholly by the sale of part of the school site). Seems bloody extravagant though in these days of austerity!

OP posts:
Original poster
BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 19:04

Sorry it is a package not broken down- I think it is actually £239 but I added the costs of buying an additional pack of two shirts.

OP posts:
iknowwho · 26/07/2012 19:07

'Sounds like a nice little earner for the schoo Hmml'

What's wrong with that? Confused

Fayrazzled · 26/07/2012 19:20

Is this HPS?

TBH, I think £250 for a comprehensive school uniform is outrageous. How are those on lower incomes supposed to afford it? It smacks of selection by the back door to me, which is very disappointing if the school is HPS given its history.

BertieBotts · 26/07/2012 19:28

Stick it on freecycle or a local facebook selling group or something - surely someone in your local area will have younger children at the school who might want a cheap deal on uniform? Even if you charge £50 for the bundle you've got something back and someone's got a good deal.

CecilyP · 26/07/2012 20:11

I think you have rather missed the point Bertie. The school is introducing an entire new uniform, so it will be of absolutely no use to any younger children going to the school. Though the unlogo'd items may be of use to someone, the other items are now entirely redundant.

WhereMyMilk · 26/07/2012 20:56

Iknowwho-there is nothing wrong with it being a way of raising money for the school, as long as the school are upfront about it, which at that time was the opposite of this situation. Fluffy has since updated.

BertieBotts · 26/07/2012 21:16

Oh I see - sorry. Should read properly before posting Blush

Original poster
BeingFluffy · 26/07/2012 23:09

Fayrazzled - correct!

OP posts: