School changing to an Academy - Uniform costs!!

[CardyMow]

My DD's Secondary is changing to an Academy in September. During the consultation process, I asked the HT at the meeting if there were any plans to change the uniform like they did at the other Secondary that has already changed to an Academy, and only gave out one free set.

The HT reassured me, in a public meeting in January (the minutes of which are available) that they would most definately NOT be changing the uniform.

Fast forward to this week - we get sent home a price list complete with pictures of the new uniform, that can ONLY be bought from the school, at eye-watering prices. Only one free set will be given out. And none of the new, school-logo'd PE kit will be given free.

Horiffic white knee length pleated school skirt with black plaid pattern - £25. School trousers with Logo on the waistband (visible when blouse tucked in) - £22 a pair. The school will only give girls a free SKIRT. My DD hasn't worn a skirt since she was approximately 18mo. She wears trousers that cost me £12 for two pairs from Sainsbury's. She gets through a minimum of 3 pairs a week. I don't have a tumble dryer, so everything has to be dried on the airer and can take 2-3 days to dry (crap spin on my washing machine), so overnight washing and drying is not an option. Logo'd embroidered shirts, £17 each. New blazer (though this would be included in the free set, as would the new tie). New PE jumper, new PE trousers with logo, new PE shirt with logo instead of the plain white tesco one she has currently , new PE socks (logo'd, natch). Nothing coming in at less than £9.50 - and that's for the PE socks. OH - Logo'd kit bag too.

I am VERY pissed off annoyed, as 1) DD is already IN adult sized clothes, goes into Y10 in September, and her uniform would have lasted her till she leaves, and 2) I am NOT paying that amount of money for a pair of trousers EVER, and 3) I don't even HAVE that sort of money to pay for uniform, as I am on benefits.

There's no grants for uniform in my LEA, hasn't been for years. There's no Social Fund to get a loan from any more. I can't get a loan from anywhere else - not even Provident or Greensward because my LL (Housing Association) has barred them from conducting business on their properties.

And to make things worse - there is a high chance that as my younger dc's primary school is in the process of conversion, for September, that I may ALSO be facing this issue with those 2 dc, and then be unable to hand down any of the uniform I had saved from DS1 to DS2.

There is not a hope in hell of me affording ONE child's full set of uniform come September at these prices - three will just be impossible.

Are they REALLY allowed to do this? Change the uniform, just giving one free set, and no free PE kit, despite reassuring the parents that the uniform wouldn't change, even for dc in Y10? They will let the current Y10 (next years Y11) wear the 'old' (current) uniform, but not my DD's year and below. IMO, that STINKS.

Do I have any way to challenge this?

except by doing that they ARE going against government guidlines and the office of fair trading rules.

i went to a grammar school, blazer etc but even we were allowed to wear trousers, and only the blazer and tie was from a specific supplier, the shirts, skirts, tourser and jumpers could be bought from anywhere, they had to be navy blue, and jumpers had to be v necked, proper button up and collar shirts but they could still be bought from any supplier and most were bought from m&s etc.

the school wear shop or school uniform outlet is crap anyway our school has had huge issues with the logo jumpers from them being of very poor quality andhugely overpriced ie 3 times the cost of the same sweatshirt without the logo! parents are voting with their feet and buying supermarket own brand ones instead, in this case sainsburys as the colour is burgandy and not available in all other supermarkets.

Of course it can be uniform if it's from Tesco - as long as it's a specified SKU.

I am not ashamed of referring to some uniform items as tart-ware because that is exactly what they are. Thankfully, I don't get to buy these for my DDs.

Do you not see that that is a vile comment?

Items of children's school uniform are 'tart ware' because they come from a cheaper shop than you have to shop in?

Words fail me a bit, here.

I hardly think supermarket clothes are 'tart wear'...maybe its just that schools with lax uniform regs allow skirts to be rolled up to tarty lengths, blouses unbuttoned part of the way etc.

Tart wear?

Hunty I imagine they will agree to phase in the new uniform for existing pupils, and by giving you one free set you will be able to continue to wear the old stuff until it needs replacing anyway, but you will at least some new stuff to wear. I'm sure that in a school like the one you are talking about the majority of parents of existing pupils will have the same issues. I doubt very much the school will object to the wearing of non logo blouses and trousers, for example, providing they are the same colour, but they will expect you to replace them with the correct type when the time comes.

I think schools do this as a way of keeping some control over the increasingly lax styles/cuts that pass for school uniform. If they insist on their own very specific skirt for example, then they will not be faced with fifty different skirt styles, of varying inappropriate lengths/cuts.

Actually you are fortunate to be provided with one free set of uniform. Think that the girls should be given the option of either skirts or trousers though. Just offering skirts really is sexist!
When dds school changed uniform (not academy school) last year there was no such thing as a free set of uniform. Parents could apply to the school fund for help with costs if required.
However the situation was really chaotic as the sole-supplier they had chosen couldn't cope with the demand and in September many pupils still hadn't received items ordered in June! The new PE kit is being phased in so that only pupils in Y7 needed the new kit in September and other year groups could replace it when needed.
Another cheaper option would be for the school to provide sew-on logo badges so that current pupils could update their current polo-shirts and blazers until items need replacing

prh offers some useful ways to proceed. Cost of secondary uniform is an issue for many, many families (either for cost and/or principle reasons) and the more parents who hold schools to account the better.

But it's wearing and avoidable, if only schools used a bit of common sense and mindfulness about their intake.

Alternatively Claire, why should tax payers fund fiefdoms schools that are only open to those families able to afford the idiosyncratic uniform?

Surely it can't be a white skirt? You say white with a balck plaid pattern. Do you just been black and white tartan type thing? Are you sure white is the dominant colour?

I'm the OP - namechanged. White IS the dominant colour. I will NOT be able to get my DD to wear a skirt - she is on the Autistic spectrum and NEVER wears a skirt. Not in school, not out of school, not since she was 18mo and able to undress herself!!

I have told the school that she WILL continue to wear her perfectly good, smart, non revealing plain black trousers until she leaves, and if they try to punish her for that, I WILL go to the papers.

And yes, white IS the dominant colour, ^extrememly impractical, yes, they ARE trying to price out the 'poorer' elements locally, as it is quite an affluent area, with just a little bit of social housing.

I wasn't planning on BUYING any replacements before she leaves - she is 5ft3, in adult sized clothes( size 8-10), and they will last her until she leaves. Why shouldn't they last her two more years?

And when the primary is doing the same thing too - where exactly is the money meant to come from to buy 3 sets of specific, school logo'd uniform that costs 3 times the amount of the supermarket uniform?

The socks thing - We have had to pay £5 a pair since she has been there, and the socks only last a term - but to double the price from £5 a pair to £10 a pair for something that IMO is awful quality, worse than buying a £3 pair of football socks from SportsDirect, is disgusting!!

I agree that some of the 'skirts' (belts?) that some of the girls wear are very inappropriate for a school age child, but why should I be forced to buy expensive school uniform when my DD wears perfectly good, smart trousers to school? They aren't 'tight fitting' trousers, they aren't an exceedingly short skirt, I make sure that my DD is dressed appropriately, why do I have to pay just because some parents don't ensure that their dc are dressed smartly for school??

Expensive skirts don't help, a lot of teen girls only grow upwards. They soon become too short.

Are you saying they are banning trousers for girls? Wow. That is an extremely outdated attitude and I'll be amazed if they don't have to back down on it. I'd be interested to see how they manage if they have any strict muslim girls, as they won't wear that skirt.

I'm not sure you are right about them deliberately trying to 'price out' the poorer elements though OP. I mean if it's their catchment school and it's the one they've been allocated, irrespective of what they chose as first choice then it's the one they'll go to - expensive skirt or not.

Nearly all the schools in our area have those kilts. They have been the uniform for as long as i have lived in the area which is nearly 20 years and from what I can gather they last the whole of the school life, so value for money in the long run. Our area is not very affluent either, so nothing to do with pricing out poorer element.

Here is a local one to me
www.johnlewis.com/103441/Product.aspx
and I know that those skirts put up with all sorts of wear and tear

Do they wear them that way round TalkingPeace, they look back to front!

despite the john lewis label, yup its flat panel at the front

They last the whole of secondary school? Do the girls not grow? I can imagine they are a good quality, have a changeable waist and wash well and could last (in theory) but do they really without becoming too short?

My DD's wore an ankle length kilt - it was fabulous as it accommodated growing upwards and outwards and was virtually indestructible. DD2's has been chopped to knee length and is now being worn for university back to school fancy dress nights.

Ankle length? Didn't it get all wet and yuck in the rain?

It didn't seem to (obviously coated with teflon or something) instead of going as short as possible the thing to do was to wear it on the hips so that it practically touched the floor :)

They look awful webwiz, I see the girls on the Cambridge train, I don't know anyone who think they look smart.

My DD's always looked smart in theirs bruffin - better than the mini kilts that some of the local schools wear, the girls roll over the waist band so they stick out like lampshades

Claireall I see you are back sprouting rubbish as usual.

I'll be kicking off too OP in a intelligent way of course. This isn't at all inclusive and is a clear breach of trust between head and parents. He made a declaration (minutes) that it wouldn't mean a change of uniform. What else will he renege on?