Bloody School Uniform

[gscrym]

I'm all for it. I think the kids look great in it. I've just got the form in for it and it costs a small fortune. I'm surprised and I've only got 1 to kit out. How do people do it with more than that? They're charging £7.50 for a polo shirt. I've seen them, they're not up to much. Do the school make money for their funds on this? I've just totted up what DS'll need and he's over £100 and I've still got to get trousers, shoes, gym shoes, bag, lunch box and other gubbins.

I'm sure once I see him in it, I'll feel better and forget about it until next year.

Also what size in inches does an age 5/6 need?

[DominiConnor]

I'd also be interested in whether the roughened teflon is a breeding ground for bacteria.
Fabric softener won't touch teflon, nothing in your home will, it's one of most inert substances known.

[PrincessPeaHead]

yes DC I don't think it is the teflon itself, just that it is so rough and abrasive. I think it is just sandpapering off the skin at the back of his leg (and then he exacerbates by scratching etc)

it is very localised, just where the shorts hit his legs, not on the trunk of the thigh, for example

[christywhisty]

There is another ebay shop that does different colours

search.ebay.co.uk/100-cotton-school-dress_W0QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQmaxrecordsreturnedZ300QQsatitleZ100Q25Q20cottonQ20schoolQ20dress

[DominiConnor]

I'm interested what's going on with PrincessPeahead's DC and teflon. PTFE and I have a bit of history, and I'd be mildly surprised if it had any biological reaction directly.
I'm guessing that the problem is not the Teflon per se, but something used to make it stick to cotton, or even some sort of abrasion.
I once had to get Teflon to stick to things for a living, and "roughness" at a very small scale was useful.
I might be tempted to try ironing the trousers with the hottest setting that did not destroy the fabric.

[shergar]

Never was any blimming use at emoticons....

[shergar]

Christywhisty - thanks for that. Unfortunately DD's summer dress is yellow gingham, which seems to be one of the rarer ones :-(

[idlemum]

Christwhisty - thanks for that tip. I hope they do red.

[MrsSpoon]

I initially thought School uniform was expensive, IIRC jumpers are about £14 at DS1's School, however he has worn the same jumpers for three years now (bought them big). I will chuck them at the end of this year as he won't get another year out of them, and they are starting to look a bit worn. I agree about the polo shirts, the School charges £9 for them and they are awful quality, ASDA much better. DS1 had a fleece, I thought it was a good buy but DH left it at casualty and they incinerated it, haven't replaced it and DS1 hasn't missed it. DS2 goes this year and I will buy him three pairs of trousers, two pairs of shorts (trousers and shorts from either Next or M&S), polo shirts from ASDA, two short sleeved shirts from Next or M&S, a school tie and two jumpers, nice and big so hopefully they will last three years.

[hoxtonchick]

isn't that t-shirt age 3 MI?!

[tissy]

I've got two of the 100% cotton dresses for dd from the ebay shop below- they are great! Luckily dd's uniform is blue!

[Spidermama]

Excellent. I' waiting for more colours then I will definitely be trying these.

[christywhisty]

found this on ebay

stores.ebay.co.uk/100-percent-pure-cotton

[PrincessPeaHead]

oh and our private school has a school second hand shop open twice a week. you dump your stuff there and get back 80% of what it sells for, and pick up what you need and it gets put on your bill

nobody has entirely new uniform, what's the point?

[PrincessPeaHead]

My son is ezcema free for 95% of the time. Put him in a pair of M&S grey teflon coated shorts and he has massive bleeding weeping patches of ezcema behind both knees within a week.

Try and find a pair of non-coated grey shorts

Impossible.

Luckily being at a poncey private school means that he can also wear blue corduroy shorts so I have just cut down his blue corduroy uniform trousers from the winter (which were too small)to make shorts. They'll be hotter than the teflon but at least he won't be bleeding and sore

[shergar]

Can anyone advise me on which shop sells summer dresses that are highest in cotton before I go out and start scouring? TIA!

[idlemum]

Clary - you are right, most school uniform is very cheap. But there is a problem if you want 100% cotton - sweatshirts tend to be polycotton and I have yet to find a summer dress on the high street which is 100% cotton.

[PenelopePitstops]

5 jumpers is extreme, i only had 2 jumpers 3 polo shirts 2 skirts throughout school and this lasted fine. My sister now have the same and mum washes them at weekends and occasionally in the week.

[Clary]

gscrym btw 5 jumpers is a lot, even with the gran thing factored in.

DS1 is the messiest eater in the world and even he (or I) manage with 2 logoed jumpers. They wash and dry v quickly.

DD can wear the same cardi all week if I don't realise and decide she should have sthg fresh on by Thursday

[Clary]

Why do people say school uniform costs more than normal clothes?

Just bought DD 2x shool dresses and 3x polo shirts (all cotton btw) from Sainsbo's for £4 (dresses) and I think £2 (polos).

Hmmmmm I call that cheaper than most of the clothes she wears. (apart from pass ons of course - but then we pass uniform on here as well lol)

[gscrym]

I agree, my DS probably doesn't need 5 jumpers. There'll be 3 kept here and 2 kept at my mums (he'll be going to school from there and staying for a couple of days while I'm working). I'm sure next year he won't get the same. There's probably a bit of it being his first year and me being daft. I bought everything for his first term at nursery. The following yeat he got 2 polo shirts and 2 jumpers. I know DH's parents weren't well off and his clothes (in his opinion) were worn and tatty (handed down from his 2 big brothers). He remembers worrying about that when he was growing up.

I decided against the fleece so that'll save a bit.

[idlemum]

I agree with the pro-uniform points made and am very pro uniform myself. My problem with all suppliers is when it comes to summer dresses why the hell are they all polycotton. My dd has slightly sensitive skin and gets very itchy in non-natural fibres. The only place I have been able to find 100% cotton uniform dresses is in a catalogue for people suffering with eczema and they cost £20+

[DominiConnor]

My DS wears bits of Asda to his private school, and yes the quality is lower. I don't mind that so much since he's more likely to outgrow than wear out most clothes.
The private school stuff is a gratuitous rip off, and they even insist on "uniform" swimming trunks which cost more than serious designer gear.
OK, that's not as bad as the issues my mum had where a school rig out cost a couple of weeks wages, but is still pretty shitty.

But even that is not as bad as the idiot "headmaster" of the state school St. Johns in Buckhurst Hill, who apparently stands at the school gates sending home kids who aren't in full (expensive) uniform.
I don't know what is worse, his demented ideas on uniform and wish not to have maths taught in his school, or the way the other parents drooled over how good he was.
He likes sport apparently.

[bozza]

I don't buy Asda stuff either any more because the quality is so poor. I do for underwear/pjs/casualwear/PE clothes but the uniform just wears out too quickly. I was looking at DS's shorts and he had a pair from Asda that I bought him at the start of reception in Sept 05 and the bottom is totally worn and fluffy. The pair I bought from Matalan (not exactly top of the range shop) in April 06 look like new. They have been worn for just one month (Sept 05) less.

[islandofsodor]

And the only item I can think of which would need dry cleaning would be blazers which not many state primaries have and if they do they are optional.

besides I would just chuck them in the wash anyway unless they were wool like dd's is.

[islandofsodor]

DC, although I don;t like the quality of Asda uniform for cost effective reasons, Asda trousers wear out quicker than M & S the children at dd's prep school all wear a mixture of shirts and blouses ranging from Adams, Asda, uniform shop down to Asda.

I bought ds a pair of nursery trousers last week from John Lewis, not a shop known for it's cheapness I'm sure you will agree. They were £3.50 for age 3, where on earth am I going to get clothes at that sort of quality for that price from other than school uniform.

Working class made good (sort of) here too. And when we talk logos we are talking designer logoes not the school badge. No-one picks on state school children for not having the school badge but in non uniform schools they do for not having the latest "in" desgigner brand.