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Preschool education

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

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Original poster

Uniformed nursery sucks!!

45 replies

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 18:28

For us anyway..... my DD started nursery this term. It's been great to give me an extra break and she absolutely loves going, it's a great school! BUT, I've been given afternoon sessions and it's such a pain!

We get up in the morning to put on normal clothes, go about our day with errands etc etc, but we have to be home around 11 - 11.30 to allow enough time for a small lunch and to change into uniform. Then once she's finished nursery at 3 I then have to bring her home and change AGAIN so she doesn't destroy her uniform over dinner/whatever other random stuff she tends to smother overself!

I know I'm lucky to have the time off, I'm honestly just ranting. I feel like I spend a good hour of my day dressing her into/out of clothes. Luckily my DD doesn't care and she loves wearing uniform 'like the big girls'. I can't imagine what it's like for the parents of those who don't like wearing it!

I've never understood the point of school uniform and always rebelled against it growing up, but I honestly can't see the point of putting 3 year olds in uniform for 2.5 hours of their day.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

EyesOnThePies · 30/09/2023 19:34

How ridiculous.

Ridiculous to have a nursery uniform, ridiculous for it to be so impractical.

Is this a private nursery?

RedAndWhiteCarnations · 30/09/2023 19:35

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 18:59

I mean for 2 white logo'd polo shirts and 2 logo'd jumpers (they're not allowed to wear standard plain ones, I've already tried!) It cost me almost £60....

I thought they weren’t allowed to force parents to buy stuff with logo on in primary ?!?

Motherofjessie · 30/09/2023 19:39

White polo is absolutely the wrong colour for nursery!!!! Mud, paint, play dough oh my word!

CharismaticMegafauna · 30/09/2023 19:42

That does sound like a pain with afternoon sessions.

My children went to the nursery attached to their school. They had to wear normal school uniform including a logged jumper or cardigan and shirt and tie (can be a polo shirt and elastic tie). Seems ridiculous to me to put little three-year-olds in ties when many adult workplaces no longer require them.

Parker231 · 30/09/2023 19:59

Thank goodness DT’s went to a non uniform nursery and school. They wore their oldest clothes in nursery and early primary - everything was eventually binned.

whyareyoulikethis · 30/09/2023 20:18

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 18:56

Because we are super busy! We walk the dog (Hella muddy), swimming, shop trips. She refuses to wear bibs and will cover herself in food within a few hours of putting on uniform.

If she's that likely to get messy before nursery then she's just as likely to get messy during nursery?

Can't she just wear wellies and have a wipe down with a cloth? Sorry I think you're really overthinking this.

whyareyoulikethis · 30/09/2023 20:20

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 19:00

That's what I tend to do if they're already dirty ...but the school has a huge outdoor area and she almost always comes home covered in mud

So what's the problem sending her in with mud on her from a dog walk if she's going in to nursery to get muddy anyway?

DsTTy · 30/09/2023 20:25

My daughter does the full 30 hours but I don’t change her when she gets home as it’s only a few hours before bed.

modgepodge · 30/09/2023 20:30

Surely this has to be a prep school with such a strict and expensive uniform and absolutely insisting on it? In which case, you knew what you were signing up for, and assuming you’ll keep her there long term it will only get worse with respect to uniform cost…

disclaimer: I work in a prep school and my daughter attended the nursery and wore the expensive branded uniform. But I knew that was the deal so didn’t complain!

NuffSaidSam · 30/09/2023 20:33

That uniform does sound crazy for pre-school!

I'd leave it on after school until bedtime though. Or do bath time when she gets in from school and let her wear her PJ's for a few extra hours.

jlpth · 30/09/2023 20:35

Wear the uniform the whole day. She likes it and won't need to change. If it gets food on, just baby wipe it.

Original poster

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 20:38

Oh I hadn't thought about that! Good idea!!

OP posts:

Original poster

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 20:40

I don't really know what a prep school is😂 it's just a standard primary with nursery attatched. I knew they were strict, but thought they'd be more lenient considering age. I didn't mind uniform because it preps her to wear uniform for reception next yr, but it's much more of a pain in the ass than I thought!

OP posts:

Original poster

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 20:41

It's been a week and one of them is already stained green🥲

OP posts:

ilovepixie · 30/09/2023 21:37

Hollyhead · 30/09/2023 18:31

just ignore it except the jumper which is a quick swap, and see what happens!

The child can't wear school uniform all day!

PangramAddict · 30/09/2023 21:47

I couldn't put up with that crap for a 3 year old and would be moving her, tbh.
What do they do if it's not right?!
Our primary makes the kids wear ties from 5 which fucks me off enough. Id either ignore them or move her. Life is way too short.

Mrsjayy · 30/09/2023 22:44

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 20:41

It's been a week and one of them is already stained green🥲

Just send her with it stained I mean wash it obviously but if they insist on logo clothes for 3 year olds what can they expect.

brainstories568 · 30/09/2023 22:55

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 20:40

Are you sure it needs to be as strict as you're saying? As others have said, there's new legislation to say that state schools can't dictate that it needs to be branded gear, particularly in primary.

My son also attended a school nursery last year where they wore the full uniform from the off and I thought it was great as then he can get all of his school stuff messy as I don't care about sending him in an inked up school jumper the following day. If you look up the uniform policy on our school website then it's fairly strict but the reality is very different - the kids all wear trainers etc, most have a mix of branded and supermarket polo shirts etc. The school also has second hand uniform sales where they sell branded stuff for £1 each and donation only for all of the non branded stuff including trousers/shorts/skirts/summer dresses etc. He is a few weeks into reception and I bought a few more of everything from the school sales and spent about a tenner - is this something that you could ask the PTA (or class reps, if you have them?) about? Have you spoken to the other parents about what they do in the morning? Presumably most just put the uniform on (particularly if they're sending them to other childcare for the AM/after the school nursery finishes) and if it gets dirty then it gets dirty? It sounds like you could be making this info a more stressful thing than it is in reality.

modgepodge · 01/10/2023 09:01

Cosmod · 30/09/2023 20:40

A prep school is an independent school which goes to age 11 or 13. Ie you’d have to pay for her to attend from reception onwards.

If the school is a state school and you’re in the UK, demanding branded uniform is not acceptable (possibly illegal?) even for reception and above, let alone nursery. Have you actually tried sending her in cheap supermarket polo shirts for example? I don’t think they have a leg to stand on here.

Holly03 · 01/10/2023 09:06

I do the same as I like to be up and ready on a morning, then change her into uniform after she has eaten or she ends up covered. My washing accumulates so much with the constant outfit changes. I'll be glad when she's at school next year

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