What do you do if your child's school doesn't have a uniform?

[scampadoodle]

The one thing I really don't like about DS1's new school (apart from the children calling the teachers by their first names, but that's a whole new thread! ) is that it doesn't have a uniform. Not sure how to approach it to make my life easier - should I just decide ad hoc each morning, or should I buy 3 or 4 sets of cheap, basic clothes for school & save his decent stuff for weekends? He'll be 5 in September.

What have other people done?

I bought ds a load of cheap joggers, and a mixture of short and long sleeved tshirts for preschool from woolies. I didn't want good clothes getting ruined and it is easier than deciding what to wear each day. It helps him too, he knows its a school day when he has them to put on.

Scampadoodle, where's your child's school? DD1's school is non-uniform and teachers by their first names (and I love it, as do most of the other parents).

I, er, dress her in her ordinary admittedly not very posh but frequently quite fetching clothes. Or increasingly leave her to make her own slightly ececentric five year old choice. As your child's a boy, he'll probably quite amenable to you choosing an outfit the previous night.

They all seem to get there, in an approximately appropriate outfit for the day. Don't sweat it.

dont get it. what's the problem? can wear "normal" / "usual clothes each day (oviously not anything really smart and special occassionish) withou worrrying about whether uniform is clean / got hole in etc. why send child to school that you dont like laid back ethos of?

It's in North London, MI.
I'm obviously an old reactionary, but I just worry the calling-the-teachers-by-their-first-names thing could lead to discipline issues later on (I live next door to a really sh*t secondary school - stabbings, truancy, the lot which is probably why I'm sensitive about it). I mean, I didn't find it traumatic saying Miss This, or Mr That.

As to the uniform thing, apart from not having to decide what to wear every day, a primary school uniform is such a symbol of rite of passage, an acknowledgement that they're growing up... or am I just soft?!

Controlfreaky: none of the decent schools in this area have a uniform!

Controlfreaky: none of the decent schools in this area have a uniform!

DS is at a no-uniform/first-names school and I love it. At our pre-meeting his teacher specifically told us not to send them in any special 'best' clothes as it restricts them if they are afraid of getting them dirty etc. i just send Ds in his normal everyday clothes, which would be getting just as grubby if he was playing at home. I do make sure he can manage all his trousers on his own, and get everything on and off easily.

They call the Head by her first name - it seems to make no difference to authority, but does make the school look as if it is putting it's money where it's mouth is in being 'one big family'.

One child in reception always wears a 'generic' school uniform - and i see now that the grey blouse, skirt and cardi that she wore have been replaced by a summer gingham school frock. Her parents must feel like you...but I wouldn't advise copying them!!

Poor kid! No... I'm not that bad.

I was leaning towards the get-a-few-cheap-basics-&-keep-decent-stuff-for-weekends idea but I just wanted to check he wouldn't look like a dweeb with every other child dressed head to toe in Boden/Armani/Petit Bateau etc etc...

she wears what she is put in!:o

I can assure you that there seems to be a fairly disciplined regime at DD1's school...being sent to the Head is as breath-bated an occurence if he's called Dave and not Mr Smith.

(he isn't called Dave Smith, btw).

In anser to the title question, CELEBRATE!

Who wants to be clad from head to foot in Teflon in this weather?

DS is at a uniform and Miss / Mr type of school and I love it

I think maybe you are one way or another .. I don't think I'd ever be comfortable sending my child to a non-uniform / laid-back school but I'd probably get used to it

and there's me .. bohemian to the core

scamp - no, don't worry, there will NOT be an unbroken sea of Boden, they will look very ordinary.

I wouldnt know if a child was wearing boden anyway:o

Phew Twiglett, I thought I was out on my own there!

I'm actually quite an arty-farty creative, eco-conscious kind of person - one of the things I love about this school is that they do gardening & keep chickens - I just also think discipline is important. I know it's daft to associate uniform with discipline but it's just the way I grew up (in the 70s).

Thanks everyone - very helpful as always!

Like MotherInferior, the mere mention of 'being sent to Bob's class' causes a hush to fall.....and Bob isn't even the Head.
tbh, I would prefer uniform at secondary level, and I have heard parents of year 6 children wondering if the first names thing prepares them for moving up...be interesting to know, really.

A few at ds's preschool are dressed up boden sorts, the rest look pretty ordinary. I don't worry about it, as I really don't want ds gettign paint, etc. on expensive clothes.

I was thinking about this the other day as dd1 is about to leave her primary where they have never worn uniform to go to secondary where uniform fairly hideous. i have always loved seeing the children at her school in ordinary clothes, especcially in this weather, they all just look so bright and gorgeous as opposed to a sea of grey or black. it is a lovely tway to let them express their personality as they get older . have had no problems with what to wear and apart from one "best" outfit she wears the same at home as at school .

My dd's school has no uniform & I think this is lovely.

Her concerns are mainly about how easy stuff is to get on and off by herself!

I like to send her to school looking nice but it isn't fair to hassle kids about not ruining stuff, so stuff from H&M suits us - cheap and fun! At the weekends she picks her own outfits so they are normally utterly crazy and inapropriate. You could just let your son make up his own mind from a selection of tops 'n bottoms each day - why not? It is good to let children make their own choices and builds their self esteem.

I personally HATE seeing small children dressed in grey - how depressing is that?

And primary school kids aren't competitive about clothes, you don't need to worry on that score.

pmsl! Having a uniform doesn't stop a child from expressing their personality!!

I djoesn't exactly help though soupy.

Actually, no. I'm staying off this one. I remember the last one and I'm not feeling up to a barney.

It doesn't make a blind bit of difference to them expressing their personality!

I can think of one or two little cherubs that I would prefer to supress some aspects of their personality....uniform doesn't

Yeah but MB you work in a secondary school. It's a whole different ball game.

Oh dear. Here I am again. Must think of my heart.