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Original poster

New coat gone missing

70 replies

potaufeu · 06/10/2011 18:29

Ds went to school today wearing his brand new wintercoat we bought last weekend. I appreciate they are out a lot so we bought a really good and IMO quite expensive coat (approx. £80).

At pick up there was no sign of the coat. His teacher said that it would probably turn up as another child might have borrowed it Confused

Stupidly, I didn't put ds' name in the coat as I was pretty sure that he is the only one in his class in this specific coat.

What to do? Buy another coat this weekend or do you think it will turn up (quite soon)? Teacher wasn't too worried and said he could borrow a coat tomorrow if I didn't have a spare (which I don't have).

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Foubijou · 06/10/2011 18:33

Ok it sounds like the teacher regularly lends coats out, which is stupid of her/him.

I would be making a fuss till it turns up.

If someone wears it to school you will spot it. Keep an eye out.

Foubijou · 06/10/2011 18:33

actually I am Hmm at the teacher...borrow one from whom?

WorzselMummage · 06/10/2011 18:35

Why on earth wouldn't you name an £80 coat Confused

ThePathanKhansWoman · 06/10/2011 18:36

I'm sorry but to spend £80 on a coat and then not label it... i'd have stiched it to my child Smile.

Do hope it turns up.

Original poster
potaufeu · 06/10/2011 18:37

I don't understand it myself - I did ask the teacher but she was a bit in a rush and said that sometimes children come to school without coat and then they borrow a coat. Not sure if a child simply takes somebody else's coat or is given somebody else's coat. Ds only started reception a few weeks ago so this is first (and hopefully last) time that this has happened.

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Original poster
potaufeu · 06/10/2011 18:40

Clearly, it is stupid that I didn't name it. It didn't have one of these labels you just write the name in, so I would have to get one of these iron in name labels (all other school clothes had labels already in and I just had to write his name). It is a slightly unusual ski type coat, so that is why I thought that it was a very small chance another child would have exactly the same one. Clearly, I will keep a look out in the playground tomorrow morning.

OP posts:
ThePathanKhansWoman · 06/10/2011 18:45

Can you claim from school insurance if it doesn't turn up? I'm not sure if this is even possible but worth asking.

FWIW how can a child come home with an item of clothing that obviously isn't
theirs and parents not notice Confused? I bet it'll turn up tomorrow.

LynetteScavo · 06/10/2011 18:45

You spent £80 on a coat and didn't label it. Confused

It probably will turn up tomorrow. With someone elses name written in permanent marker on all the labels.

Then again, schools are big places, full of DC with each with their own winter coat. To think your DC is the only child with this coat is a bit arrogant. Another child with the same/a similar coat may have taken it home, in which case it will turn up in the morning.
Then again, we are talking reception. It's probably been worn home by someone who's own coat is a completely different colour, and has been collected by their grandma or childminder/gone to after school club, who wouldn't have noticed it's not their coat, in which case there is one very cross working mother out there right now.

Foubijou · 06/10/2011 18:46

I think for that sort of valuable item you need a proper, sewn in label and also one inside the sleeve so you can still check if someone lifts it.

I have not heard of things like this being pinched at our school but I've heard about it on here. So be extra careful. You could stitch some coloured thread inside a sleeve instead, no one would think to look there or notice it, but you would know.

RustyBear · 06/10/2011 18:50

At the junior school I work at, we have second hand uniform for sale, including coats, so we can lend an item from there if necessary - for example to the children whose parents send them in without a coat even when they know they are going out on a town walk on a cold day...

talkingnonsense · 06/10/2011 18:51

My ds had a lovely, labelled, distinctive coat that went home with someone else and never came back. The only saving grace was it was a hand me down. NEVER buy a new coat for school!

Feenie · 06/10/2011 18:51

Re borrowing coats - most schools keep a stash of coats which are grown out of/or never claimed to give to freezing cold children who aren't lucky enough to have sensible parents to buy them a coat. We keep a couple in the staffroom for just such blue-with-cold children.

Original poster
potaufeu · 06/10/2011 18:52

What would you do if it doesn't turn up tomorrow? I am just a bit worried with the weather getting colder, sending DS to school without a coat. But also don't want to buy another coat this weekend if there is a good chance that it turns up. What would be a reasonable time to wait?

OP posts:
treas · 06/10/2011 18:56

At dd school items are sometimes picked up by other children by mistake i.e. the coat is the same colour as their coat so must be their's - despite the fact it has a hood and is made of a completely different material.

Usually, the item gets returned the next day and if your lucky it has also been washed.

However, on one occasion dd new bobble hat went missing for more than a week so we wrote a few sentences highlighting our issue and got the school to add it to their school letter. This usually works a treat as parents have a look at their washing and ironing piles and find the additional item.

Foubijou · 06/10/2011 18:57

Mention it to everyone, caretaker, cleaners, teachers and office. You could even offer a reward and stick up some posters.

Also go in and search the classroom/cloakroom in case it's been stufffed under a bench or something.

mrz · 06/10/2011 18:59

foubijou we have a whole selection of coats we loan to children who arrive at school without one. Some are "samples" we got from the supplier, others are donated by parents once their child has outgrown them and some are outgrown coats from children of staff ... all washed and stored for when they are needed.
OP was there a coat left unclaimed that could belong to the child who has left with the wrong coat?
I have to say in a class of thirty pupils I can't honestly say which coat belongs to which child so I rely on the children being able to identify which is theirs and parents being honest if their child is wearing the wrong coat at home time.

mrz · 06/10/2011 19:00

We always tell parents we can't be responsible for unnamed clothing

UniS · 06/10/2011 19:05

DS's school year R have a stash of cagoules and wellys.

AngryFeet · 06/10/2011 19:07

£80 on a kids coat! Blimey I barely spend that on myself. DD's coat went missing today too - god knows how but hopefully it will turn up tomorrow. Luckily it cost £10 and does have her name in Wink

mrz · 06/10/2011 19:08

It's quite common with our fickle weather for a child to leave home coatless in t-shirt weather and need thermals by afternoon

AyesToTheRight · 06/10/2011 19:08

Have you looked in lost property? A large amount of things turn up there in DCs school - every so often it all gets laid out and then anything left over disappears domewhere.

Generall6 at least one of DSs sweatsgirts seems tp be there Hmm. Most unusual thing I have seen was a snorkel mask Grin

muddyvampsters123 · 06/10/2011 19:12

Hopefully it will turn up in the morning!

I've lost count of the coats DD has "lost" in school/ on the school bus.

I now buy 2-3 good quality winter coats just for school off e-bay. That way if DD misplaces them, she has others and they haven't cost a fortune.
The coats need washing all the time as Dd thinks nothing of playing in the mud!Hmm

She has 2 nice new winter ones for home/weekends.

DD has also had coats ripped/torn/hood pulled off over the years.

ThePathanKhansWoman · 06/10/2011 19:13

Well lets hope they both turn up ehh Angryfeet wouldn't want anyones DC to have to go cold.Would we?

Lougle · 06/10/2011 19:17

What were you thinking? Spending £80 on a coat!

Children lose stuff. All the time.

I bought DD2 a school coat (as in school branded) for £22. At the end of a school day I said 'Can I have DD2's coat please'? TA said 'DD2 didn't have a coat today'. 'Yes she did...' 'No, she didn't....'

'Yes, she did, really Smile' I said.

'Are you sure she had a coat, because she borrowed a coat to go to the church because she didn't have one.'

'I am sure, because I carried it in Grin'

DD2's coat was there, labelled, and just on the wrong peg.

To her, she couldn't see it, so it wasn't there. That's what reception year children do.

catsareevil · 06/10/2011 19:23

Will you be able to go into the school tomorrow and have a look about for it? Knowing what it looks like you might be better able to spot it.
If you do manage to get this coat back then it would be good to label it ASAP.