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.

BarbarianMum agreed, the only such conversation remains shoes from year 1-6. Never about the pretty Mary Janes from StartRite, but anything short of DocMartens that makes it past half term.

And this time of the year we have a little laugh about all our kids in their way too small, stretched and washed out rags, because who buys school uniform in June? Year is over, let's see how big the summer growth spurt will be...

PS. Is it ok to go to school in blue trainers yet, the school shoes are in a scandalous state, but it's only three weeks til the summer?

Surely you go in the winter uniform in September

Surely you go in the winter uniform in September

Very rarely. Summer until October half term and they prefer that.

I am a veteran of primary school now (one left school altogether and the other at middle school) and I can assure you that by the end of the school year pretty much all their uniform will either be too small, ripped or decorated so badly that they can no longer wear it.

I have just bought DD2's uniform for September (complete uniform change - thanks school!) and the only thing I can buy outwith the uniform shop is the shirts so got them from Asda £5 for a twin pack of them and £10 has sorted that out.

Be grateful not everything is at the logo stage. DD's jumpers were £25 each, her PE top is another £25 and if she loses any of it I shall weep.

I would definitely buy the summer dresses, get them a size up as someone else suggested and they should do for September and hopefully early next summer. You can always pass them on to someone else starting reception next year.

I know how you feel OP. I live in a very affluent area as well, and although we are not poor by any means, we are comparatively speaking bloody peasants compared with (Reception aged) DD's classmates' parents with their four holidays a year and fat City salaries

I too refused to buy summer dresses for the first few weeks of September because I knew she'd have grown out of them by this summer, and I was right to do so.

And, to be honest, only a few girls wore them before the weather changed and they were all in regular uniform again.

Just shrug off the snobbery

Asda and Tesco here.

In the end it is about fit and durability but you can be sure that no one in school gives a stuff about where the uniform is bought from.
My children had uniform from a variety of shops because of the fit for their individual bodies. My daughter has dresses from JL because they fit her better, but blouses from Asda!! In the end it's about my child looking smart and I couldn't care less where the other parents get their from.
Almost every parent I know doesn't buy a summer for September - they are only worn in the Summer term, once it gets warmer at our local schools.
If they think where they get their uniform from is a status symbol, they have a lot of growing up to do!

Why can't you just buy school uniform where you want, without judging people who choose M&S or John Lewis? The same goes to the other parents you mention, who judge parents that choose asda etc.

Buy where you want, stop judging others, stop being bothered by other people choices!

*summer dress!

PS. Is it ok to go to school in blue trainers yet, the school shoes are in a scandalous state, but it's only three weeks til the summer?

We bought DS1 new school shoes at the end of June once. Fifty bastard quid and they didn't fit in September.

I buy mine from M&S and JL and it wouldn't occur to me to think I was name-dropping to say so - it's not exactly designer!

I prefer to buy things that wear well and will last a couple of years. I also try to buy 100% cotton, which is harder to find in supermarkets. I do buy some items from Asda (eg sweatshirts) because they are good quality.

But honestly, I think you may be being oversensitive, OP.

Summer dresses will probably be in the sales in a few weeks...

Supermarket is fine: no one can tell the difference, least of all the children. Buy age 5-6 if your child is average height so that you can use it next summer too.

I think that this is your issue not theirs to be honest. I usually buy in Marks & Spencer because I like their uniform. I always bought DD her skirts there because they held their pleats well and I liked the cut of the summer dress, how is that snobby? As for this,

Like my friend who makes me get out of the car, leave the kids in there and walk over to the intercom (cause you can't drive alongside it), to tell her I've arrived at her house for a play date, every time, so she can then talk back to me and open her gate. Even though I'm always on time, and she could just leave it open around the time I'm due I think you've got a chip on your shoulder. Why should she keep the gates open, presumably they're closed for a reason. I have quite a few friends with gates, it never occurred to me that they keep them closed to prove how rich they are.

I found i can get away with not ironing marks skirts whereas Tesco did need to be ironed. The Tesco summer dresses were fine though when dd wore them. Dd in Year 5 and supermarket uniform is considered fine by kids and parents in her school.

We get our uniforms from Tesco/Sainsbury/Asda really just depends who has what I need when we have the money.

Ours have to go back in September in winter uniform, the school only let them wear summer uniform from Easter to July.

Dd2 has managed to go through six, yes SIX pairs of shoes since she started reception in September. We have bought shoes from various shops and various price ranges but she still manages to wreck them. Dd1 is on her 2nd pair.

OP I don't necessarily think they are name dropping as such, they are just buying from where they would normally.

HeyRoly - Thanks x

I think some of you get what I'm talking about and others don't. This is possibly just another boastful topic of conversation I've had with women in my village, at the end of a long list of boasts, so it's possible I am sick of it (and therefore over-reacting). Although my post does not sound like it - I am actually a very unmaterialistic person who is not bothered about wealth and find a lot of people in my village quite sad. Their whole lives revolve around money. I can tell the difference between someone mentioning particular information because it cropped up in conversation, or because they are saying it for affect. These are the kind of women who will go out of their way to tell you how much their house cost, their holiday cost.....the list goes on.

Yes, there's a difference.

In response to "ooh I like your skirt" you could say "IT'S BODEN I LOVE BODEN ALL MY CLOTHES COME FROM THERE" or "thanks, it's my favourite. Where's it from? Catalogue I think, Boden probably? It's last year's though."

It's a bit off topic but I've just gone to have a nose at the JL website. It looks as though they've more or less completely sold out of the striped summer dresses. So either they're really popular or they had fewer in in the first place.

My children have been in independent schools; eldest is on her 3rd school now and has never had summer uniform in September when starting a new school. Large majority of uniform second hand too, at that. I have to admit to having bought John Lewis trousers for my youngest a couple of times, since I wanted wool mix and a pair of M&S ones wore through in a few weeks and had to be returned. (the previous pair had lasted quite a while - I turn up 3" hems and let them out a couple of times). Said son is almost 12, growing like topsy, and will have any necessary "new" uniform from the school second hand shop when school goes back! Not buying him new school shoes till the week before either ...

It sounds a sad way for them to live. I'm glad you can vent on here. It seems you live in a very particular type of area !

I've tried all sorts of school uniform, I have a bit of a problem...I do obsess about uniform. Each brand has plus and minus points.

Next- great for tights and socks

Only M&s seem to do pure cotton summer dresses, well JL might but their sizes are no good for muscly Dd. But I bought DD a gingham M&s dress for the end of reception and she's still wearing it in Y3. It's age 9, I hemmed it up and next year if it still fits around the chest I'll put a frill on the bottom.

Would you hear the men talking about the uniform? Maybe muse on that the next time the subject is brought up- you'll have gained the moral high ground without mentioning the money.

DD at private school here - insanely expensive uniform, and yet the bits I've bought for DD from Tesco, ASDA etc, have been much better quality and fit than the logo'd items we have to buy online. I'd be delighted if we could buy on the high street.

Always the case with summer dresses and shorts CruCru, isn't it? That's why you have to get them in now if you want any for September.

How may summer dresses do you think I will need? I have bought two, and a winter skirt that could be worn with a white polo shirt - thought that would be an extra 'summer' option.

Two is plenty, they dry in no time at all. If they don't, it's too cold for them anyway.