Prep School Uniform

[VerityClinch]

Have had confirmation of DD's place at her private prep school which she will start September 2013. DS will start in the nursery attached at the same time.

Having just about got my head around the fees, I decided to freak myself out by looking at the uniform lists - mainly to see what items were common for both boys and girls, as DS will be two school years behind DD and hopefully there will be things she does not totally ruin which can be handed down.

But - OMG - why do I not understand the lists? There are optional and compulsory items (yep, understand that) and summer and winter uniforms (understand that too), but out of the compulsory items I cannot begin to imagine what they actually go to school wearing. It seems like they could potentially be in a different outfit each day - joggers and polo shirt one day, cords and sweater one day, tunic, blouse and tights one day, dress and cardigan one day... And any mix and match in between...

Is this NORMAL? In my day we just put our uniform on, same thing, every day and if it was hot dug out last year's too-small nylon summer dress.

The website and prospectus is no help either, all the photos of the children are outdoorsy or paint and craft type things and they're all wearing coats or aprons!

I know I've got a year to get my head around this, but is it really normal to have so many potential outfit choices within one uniform? I thought the point of uniform was so that everyone looked the same? What am I missing?

Wow, sorry, that was long! Maybe I'm overthinking this?

At the school ds goes to, there are pretty much set dates for the summer and winter uniforms to be worn, and in reception and y1 they wear their PE kit (joggers, sweatshirt, polo) on at least one day a week when they have pe to save changing.
They wear their joggers at playtime when it is cold/wet.
It was all made clear as to what is to be worn when.

ask to have a look around during a normal school day and take notes of what the children are wearing?
then go back in a different term e.g. to see summer not winter uniform, and see what they are wearing then?
does seem rather odd though.,.

Seems odd - DD's is nothing like that. Not even a summer dress.

Agree with look around or try and find a mum with a child there to speak to re what is actually needed/second hand sales.

2nd hand is not looked down on at all at ours - much trading in the playground last few days of term.

Am I stupid for not instinctively understanding? Am I enrolling my children into a lifetime of bullying for the basic mistake of failing to understand how to get dressed?

Would be really interested to see the uniform list... is it online???

Disclaimer: I am unreasonably nosey....

We have a summer and winter uniform which you can't mix and match- it's either all summer or all winter.

The only real option we have is the hats!

Nursery children wear the summer uniform, but just wear school joggers, polo shirts and sweatshirts with a duffel in winter.

Maybe park up outside school and see what children are wearing to go inside.

DS1 is just about to start year 3 and the PE kit seems to have got very complicated!

Don't get me started on DS games kit - that's about six years off though! Can't quite get worked up about that yet!

Wait to the letters for the extras start! Milk, fruit, clubs, trips etc DH and I have a bet on how many days into term we get without paying for something extra!

girls' uniform

Maybe its the full summer and winter kits? Do you know anyone else there who can enlighten you? If you say whereabouts you are, people can PM you if they are in the area/at the school!

At least you don't have to get your kit from Horrids Harrods.

Would the school uniform shop referred to on the list be able to give you some hints?

Why does it not surprise me that this is Dulwich? I went to JAGS and my new uniform (a) bankrupted by parents and (b) took up an entire chest of drawers and half a medium-sized wardrobe!

My parents, even. And it could only be bought at Selfridges.

On the crapberry so can't quite see... Usually its summer and winter kits. Little ones in tracksuits with t-shirt or polo neck depending on weather. Older kids in shorts/short sleeved shirt or long trousers and long sleeved shirts.

The full list is daunting but is realistically ok! Olus we have second hand sales at school - good for the pricier things (like jumpers and blazers).

You're right, I am going to have to go and silently stalk the YR's. almost certainly I will get arrested and banned from the school and as a result will no longer have to inwardly fret about all this. Local state primary is just joggers and polos. MUCH easier to understand!

No, not Dulwich in Dulwich - Dulwich in Kent - completely different schools!

Bluestocking My best friend's sister went to JAGS (he went to Colfe's) - what year were you?

Ok I've been down the list
From what I worked out (going down the columns)
Years below 5 - tunic + roll neck + jumper/cardigan. Summer dress for summer
Years 5 and above - blazer + jumper + shirt + skirt

That's totally ignoring the optional items

Any pics on the school website you could look at?

Looks like yr r they just need polo, and joggers or tunic. Then in the summer they can wear the dress or not. Start with the minimum and then buy second hand. We have 3 second hand sales a year, and the girls summer dresses seem to go on forever

It is odd to have so many optional items. I guess they have a "formal" school uniform, but you can mix and match the optional items in on normal school days?

If it were me I would just go for the compulsory stuff - so roll neck, cardigan or sweatshirt and joggers for reception - and see what happens.

verity do what i did, go to the school uniform shop, meet lots of other "older" parents there, they will explain it all to you.

Failing that, ask the school shop staff, they know most of what the dc need to at least get them through the door on resumption day, then you can have everything else explained by teachers, head, admin, students etc on the day.

However! If you turn up on resumption day and you're still not sure, just dont put little johnny infront, cautiously look round if it becomes obvious that dc is mistakenly wearing his football gear, race back to the car and change

Good luck!

Didn't look too complicated to me. When I got ds's uniform for his new school I had to get the lovely lady in the school shop to explain it to me. It was ridiculously long and included six separate bags for kit!

Oh Verity, I am vair vair old indeed - I was there between 1975 and 1980. I do still have, somewhere, a pair of official JAGS knickers - they were made out of a double layer of ultrathick navy jersey and had an unfeasibly generous gusset!

Lol. You're right. I need a mummy "buddy" to help me navigate my way!

I may suggest to the school that they implement a buddy system for mummies as well as the actual schoolchildren! That would be ace, wouldn't it?