School Uniform Snobbery?

[CookingDinner]

I have a horrible feeling that the competitiveness between parents about their primary school children has started even before our kids have started school.

I live in an affluent area, but I am not affluent myself. First a couple of parents snorted when I said that I was going to skip buying the checked summer dresses for my DD starting Reception in September, because they will soon need the winter wear and it's a waste of money. Now they are name dropping where they got their school uniforms from. I got mine from ASDA, and it seems they are going out of their way to let people know they got theirs from John Lewis or M&S.

Every supermarket sells school uniforms - who would go to John Lewis? Except to tell people they went to John Lewis. Oh, and apparently the 'stripey ones' are more impressive than the checked. Yawn.

I get uniforms from Asda. The logo uniforms I have bought in the past got stolen. No one steals an Asda uniform. And I kit 2 children out for about £50. Why would you spend where you don't need to?

And people say school uniform is a great leveller.

Hmmm. I can't speak for the whole country of course, but round our way only private schools have stripes. All the state school actually specify that they have to be checked. And of course lots of people just go straight in to the winter uniform anyway. If the school isn't a stickler then don't be either. Plus, please don't let yourself get irritated or stressed out by this - before you know where you are, there will be a million other things for them to start banging on about. Smile and breathe.

Sainsbury asda and Tesco here.

The bloody logod jumpers and book bags and the shoes are what sends it all into the hundreds price range

They all look the same when there's paint or lunch on it

I use tesco and asda. I tried M&S once but the stuff was small made and didn't last. I don't have a John Lewis near me. My two are age 10 and 13.

And we dont have a summer uniform either

We ended up with M&S summer dresses because they wore pink so less choice and also because my girls were so slim no other brand fitted - they were all massively too wide and looked ridiculous.

Fortunately at least they got to pass down through 3 of them!

Doesn't the school dictate where you buy the uniforms from?

I have a horrible feeling that the competitiveness between parents about their primary school children has started even before our kids have started school.

It can be quite acute in reception, especially among parents for whom this is the first child. I can promise you by year 2 they are all in slightly too small, totally washed out ASDA rags this time of the school year.

Does the uniform say if the dresses should be checked or striped-schools usually have just one or the other?

In my school it is about pure cotton vs polycotton.

Which I suppose it's not snobbery. But really, it doesn't matter where the uniform comes from. It really doesn't.

I'd get the dresses as it can still be hit in September - you get them for a couple of quid in Asda.

I buy tights and skirts in jl as they're the only ones that fit mine. I certainly don't feel the need to tell other people where I get them from. Likewise I get pinafores in Asda because the sizing is better for mine.

They'll be disappointed if they bought school trousers in M&S. We did and DS2 put his knee through every pair very quickly. The Tesco reinforced knees ones last much better!

Honestly, just feel sorry for them that they think anyone is impressed they bought their school uniform in John Lewis.

JL uniform is like a trip back to the 50s anyway. Much prefer the sporty fit summer dresses in asda or Tesco

Ignore the competitive parents. There will always be something, it's uniform now because that's all they have , but then it'll be book bands or who's child is on the sports team or got a speaking part in the play.

I will say though that I didn't get any summer dresses for my DD when she started, and we ended up having an Indian summer. If I were you I'd get a couple of cheap ones, or even better if you know someone with children at the school ask if they have any hand me downs.

I can promise you by year 2 they are all in slightly too small, totally washed out ASDA rags this time of the school year.

DH kept going on and on about how DS2 (Y3) looks like a ragamuffin in his ankle swinger trousers and too small polo shirts until he did the school run last week and learnt that all the kids have grown out of their uniforms too. Everyone is refusing to buy new uniform in June.

I've been running PTA second hand uniform sales at the introductory sessions for those starting nursery and reception. It was all immaculate and all £1 except polo shirts which were 50p. Not an affluent area at all but loads of snobbery from anyone with a PFB.

My DD has a couple of John Lewis summer dresses, because they came as part of a huge bundle of school uniform I bought off eBay. I can honestly say they are the worst dresses she has. They're boxy and really plasticy, there's literally no shape to them at all. I still make her wear them though as I'm cheap and don't want to buy more .

Yawn indeed. Rise above it. Anyone snorting at children's dresses is an idiot and best ignored.
You soon work out where's the best to get uniform to suit you and your child.
DS's shoes are an absolute state and my mum keeps dropping hints about John Lewis having a sale on but I am NOT buying him new shoes with 3 weeks of term left!

You should get the summer dress IMO. You don't really want your DC to be hot and uncomfortable starting school. One year my Dc wore the dress for 4-5 weeks in Sept. if money is your concern here, buy a big one and take up the hem so you can let it back down when summer comes

Anyway. Only an asshole boasts about where their uniform came from . If the Asda uniform bothers you then cut the labels out.
Fwiw I have DC at a private school and people there happily wear Asda uniform.
Other ways of saving on uniform - 2nd hand sale, hand me down from siblings/friends, labelling very well and prominently so not lost

Definitely don't buy a summer dress for the start of the autumn term.

Who really cares why you buy school uniform?

I don't think you can even tell when it's on.

DD will be going to a (state) primary with no uniform in September. I was chatting to a couple of other mums, and said that for nursery, DD has specific clothes (not uniform, but ones I don't mind getting wrecked), and others she wears at home. One of the mums thought this was a good idea, and said she might get some cheap clothes at somewhere like Next for school. I haven't bought DD anything from Next, even for 'best'. Tesco and Asda all the way... (and that isn't going to change in September!)

I wouldn't even have realised people were being competitive - I would have thought they were sharing where they found a nice dress. I was a regular parent helper in reception and lots of the girls were already very particular about what sort of dress they wanted.

Disclaimer: I have boys.

I would still get your DD a dress though - depending on what part of the country you live in. Round here they can have them on until October half term.