Uniforms

[Nic2300]

My 2 children stay with me 2 nights a week - wed&fri, I pay there mother child maintenance but received a text regarding school uniforms that from September I’ll need to get my own uniforms for a Thursday for school. I pay her the child maintenance and she also made me aware she receives a grant for uniforms too, is that correct that I need to provide own uniform ?

Depends. Do you pay her the bare minimal maintenance? Or do you actually provide for your children.

I pay her more than the guideline I was quoted

Depending on their sex, a 2 pack of polo tops/shirts/blouses and a 2 pack of trousers/skirts would cost maybe £10 from George. Most schools do a second hand shop for anything that needs a logo. You could kit your kids out for ~£20 each for a year.

Surely you will need a set of clean uniform to dress them in on Thursdays? Therefore if you get one set, you can keep and wash the clothes they turn up in every week and have a fresh set ready for the next week.
Child maintenance reduces if children spend more time with the non resident parent. Thats because the non resident parent is expected to provide the things children need while they are with them. You need uniforms for Thursday morning, so yes you get a set.

Why are you resisting buying your kids the things they need when at yours?
Presumably they have normal clothes, shoes, coats, goodz toys etc at yours too?

Yes you do need to get a set, it is your responsibility to have the clothing your children need for the days they are with you.

Just buy two sets for each child. Once is spare one get worn on Thursday and goes back to Mum's for washing. You wash and keep the uniform she dresses then in on Wednesday for the next week. Make sure you have a spare in case breakfast gets spilled they arrive not in unifor after a non-uniform day/trip/dress-up day/day off.

They're with you two nights a week, which is 8 nights a month. It's not much in the grand scheme of parenting. Get down to ASDA and get another a set of uniform. Show willing. It's really not worth digging your heels in over this, I don't see why you would do so?

Make sure that uniform that comes to your house on a child, goes back to their mums, so it doesn't all pool at your house as the weeks go by. There's obviously some frustration around uniform, and you could help by doing what you're being asked to do, not making it into a thing. If you switch yourself on a bit, it will help a lot.