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.

This is one of my 'rant' subjects, my sons school seem to go out of their way to encourage the kids to wear their branded clothing and accessories, all of which is ridiculously expensive for something that differs from stores in just one sense, a badge on the front, and yes, there definitely is snobbery among mothers if you are one of the dreaded 'store bought' uniform people.... you can almost feel the scathing gaze as your child walks out of school across the playground at home time!

I can't see why anyone would shell out loads for posh or branded uniform when they get through so much of it, my son has literally destroyed so many tops with paints, marker pen, glue .. you name it, he has thrown it at himself in some way over the years.. I stick with Asda and Matalan and find them excellent quality, and for the prices it is okay if my son has to get replacement items as they are utter bargains.

I can seriously recommend the Sainsbury polo shirts. 3 for 7 pounds or something silly and they have a pretty little butterfly on the pocket. Reasonably thick material too so not see through and they wash/dry well

Prep school here - and interestingly the 2nd hand shop is very well used - definitely no shame, but pride in using it.
To be fair, much has to be bought from the new school uniform shop at school if wanted new, so no choice or chance to pick a snootier or less so brand, but good enough to sell on.

Starting Secondary next and apart from shirts will be second hand all the way. Love it! Plus hope to get at least£50 from sale of old uniform via 2nd hand sale there.

Agree Op maybe being over sensitive.
Don't mums love to discuss this stuff in intricate detail first time round. School uniform is just a new consumerism for them to enjoy.

If moneys tight don't buy the summer dresses or get some in the 2nd HND sale - no wrong or right.

Bloody hell! Does it really matter where the uniform comes from? Not a dig at anyone but really?? All this stuff about how uniform makes everyone equal, it doesn't.
I'm very pleased DD is at a school with no uniform. H&M seem to do well out of us at her school.
I was always quite neutral about uniform but some things I've read on MN have made me very against it and we are one of the few countries where most schools have uniform.

my son has literally destroyed so many tops with paints, marker pen, glue

That's not destroyed, just personalised. Such stains once washed are declared "clean dirt" and worn with pride. Especially this time of the school year.

I'd get your summer dresses when you need them, they might not fit next April when they need them. I only buy three of everything, one in wash , one on and one spare. I got carried away in reception but you learn, someone got some nice skirts in the 2nd hand uniform, have a look because often reception parents ( if they're new buy too much) Supermarket uniforms are good, they all do some do, Asda is fine, no one can tell the difference

My dd has worn summer dresses every September for about 4-6 weeks. They are 2 for £6 and always fit her the next summer if you get the tie back ones a bit roomy. It depends what fits really. My boys only really fit in m+s slim fit trousers but they get the cheap version which are not much more than asda but use sainsburies for polo shirts and summer dresses. Also second hand shop is great.

I love our school for the sensible green polo shirts. We used to go to one with white polos. Honestly if all other things were equal I would choose the school for the the green shirts over silly white polos.

Our school is great though. Trainers not shoes. Joggers are fine, so my lot are going to get a shock when they go to senior school.

To me this sounds like inverzed snobbery. Just buy what you like from where you like. Why are you worrying about what everyone else is doing?

In my experience (four kids in various state schools in very mixed areas) it's the most m/c parents who were most likely to get uniform from the PTA 2nd hand stall or the local charity shops, and the least affluent families who were insistent on buying it all new.

Who gives a fuck, really? If you're happy with your own choices, and as long as your child isn't wearing anything that makes them feel they don't fit in with their peers, then other people making different choices doesn't really affect you.

Plus as others have said, the less you paid for the stuff, the easier it is to be nonchalant when they lose it or it gets covered in marker pen.

And a PSA: come October, the next thing those parents will be competing about it what colour book band their child is on. If you're already stressing about uniform one-upmanship, it's definitely time to take your bullshit deflector in for an upgrade - it's gonna be a looong 13 years till A-level, you'll be needing it.

I got all mine at the second hand sale. For a £1. Because the more I save on dd the more I spend on me!

We've had M&S trousers for DS ever since Year R (he's a teenager now) and they gave always ended the year still looking brand new, never had a hem down or a knee frayed. Well worth the money and they usually have special offers, we do click and collect from the local M&S Food.

Zone out and dont even think about it. It all gets wrecked. No one cares really once they have started. No one at our school buys summer dresses for a few wears in Sept. I use hand me downs and supermarket stuff as its fine and the kids dont care. Our school dont worry about it. Stained stuff gets worn as I'm not buying new for it to have yet more white board marker all over it.
Everyone at our school is the same mostly. The ones that insist on expensive brands and logo everything are in the minority.

They are really really sad if they think where they buy their uniform from makes them look posher/wealthier than others. You should feel sorry for them, not the other way around.

For contrast there was a girl at my secondary school who had her uniform made specially for her in nicer fabric and slightly better cut, not just taken to the tailor as a lot of us had to do that, but made entirely from scratch. Boasting is lame, but at least that girl actually had something to boast about! John Lewis ASDA etc are probably all made in the same sort of sweatshop at the same basic cost price, just some places can justify a higher profit margin.

I'd get the summer dressed, late summer early autumn can be warm and they are cheap and easy.

I started DS in reception in shorts. Cue lots of good natured moaning from the other mums who were being plagued by, "But junior Tink has shorts, why can't I?"

I think you are over thinking this. I am an "affluent" mum. I buy school uniform from asda, sainsburys, m&s and john lewis (only occasionally - I just don't tend to like the JL style). The asda cotton summer dresses wash absolutely fine. The asda yellow ones are too transparent for me but the red and blue ones are fine. They are very similarly priced to Sainsbury's pack of two, which is what I now get for yellow (yes we have quite a relaxed school uniform!). However the sainsbury's ones would be better for an iron as they are a marginally heavier fabric, but life is too short to iron a primary school child's school uniform. The m&s grey/black skirts/tunics wash IME better than the asda one I got, but as I only had a handful of items it was not exactly a controlled experiment. I couldn't care less what other parents buy. I have become annoyed with the school's polyester/polycotton polos because they wash badly, are expensive for their poor quality, look tatty within a term, and hold their stains, and aggravate one of my children's sore skin - so i have moved to buying 100% cotton ones for next year and will only have one or two branded ones for them to wear when they want. We will see if they wash better....

I buy dd's summer dresses from JL because I prefer them, simple as that. I've bought from Sainsbury's before and while they looked nice they were poorly designed and dd struggled to get her arms into them by herself. Also, she only has a couple so spending £10 rather than £5 doesn't really make a difference. I know it would to some families but I'm guessing your 'friends' don't fall in to this category either. I've certainly recommended JL dresses but then maybe I am a snob?!

It really is just a combination of PFB and reception, this pure JL + startrite.

All subsequent children (and from year 2 the PFB, too) start in a mix of cast-offs, second hand, supermarket and JL/ M&S with whatever shoes this particular child doesn't shred before half term.

Secondary school uniform was from Harrods! Lot of money and not good quality. Prep school sourced their own with excellent quality. Other secondary school was sourced from the shop that sells the Eton uniform in Eton. I could talk about it to friends, but I don't. However, there is more to uniform buying snobbery than M & S and John Lewis!!!

Well, if the school stipulates Harrods it isn't snobbery. This is a school that clearly allows ASDA as well as JL.

my 2 boys had 12 polo shirts between them last year.
at the end of the summer term I washed then assessed them -
of those twelve, there were 3 with "might come out with some vanish" level stains, and ONE unstained shirt (presume it was at the bottom of the pile for most of the year)

the replacements came from Aldi :)

I feel I should point out that they were washed after every wearing, I just didn't worry about stains

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.

Eurgh, so much. At the Reception New Starters meeting last year I had the following experience multiple times:

One parent wanders over and starts rummaging through the logo jumpers. Other parent does massive double take and drags first parent away by elbow. "NO! We'll buy all new."

Come back to me when you've spent £40 on brand new school jumpers which are too small by the middle of September and you've realised you need minimum five to get through the week even with a Wednesday laundry day.

This. Literally the only conversation of this type I've had of this type in the last 6 years (my kids are Y6 and Y4) is regarding shoes - ie where to get some that won't be kicked /scuffed to shreds within weeks.