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?

I know, that worries me too, as the HT (she, not he though) also made a clear statement that they wouldn't drop the level of SEN support that my DD gets. And I admit that she is lucky - the school is giving her a level of support that you would normally only get when you are statemented, even though she is 'only' on SA+. Though this is because the school are insistant that she SHOULD be statemented, but even they have failed because our LEA sets illegal 'target' levels for dc without behavioural difficulties blah blah blah.

I'm sure that I'm going to get flamed for this - and to be honest I really don't care.

There are some of us that would like to see their children go to school in a proper uniform; shirts, ties, blazers etc. I wore a shirt and tie to primary school and got used to making sure that I look smart at all times from an early age.

I am sick of these scruffy looking sweatshirts that everyone has to wear now due to making sure everything is 'affordable.' Surely if you can't afford a couple of hundred quid every September for your children then you had no business having them?!

My boys see daddy going to work in a shirt and tie and I make sure that they have smart clothes to go to church/restaurants/parties in. We try and show them how to dress appropriately as we hate to see children in sportswear unless on the sports field. It really gets my goat to hear people whinging about uniform as I really think people need to be instilling some standards into their children when they are young, not pandering yet again to the lowest common denominator.

IMO schools need either a uniform uniform, not tat in a specified colour bought as cheaply as possible from wherever, or more parents to take pride in their child's appearance so non uniform smart casual clothes can be worn at primary age. My two often wear chinos, a shirt and a smart blazer style jacket and they're aged 2 and 3. I'm not too fussed about what they get up to either because I buy them quality clothes that will withstand being washed and dried.

Otherwise the entire population of the country will be thinking it's acceptable to wear trainers and tracksuits all day every day. Sorry, but this is a real bugbear of mine. . . .

therose I won't flame you (although your comment about a couple of hundred quid each September is revolting).

You are perfectly at liberty to dress your children as miniature Bill Gates. But it would be unreasonable of you to expect everyone else to do the same.

What schools don't take into account as well as cost is that one style of skirt or trousers does not necessarily fit all. We have had huge problems getting a school regulation skirt to fit my daughter as she has a 'sway back' and the skirt does not fit without a huge gape. Had to resort to the sewing machine to get it to fit!!!
I too object to having to pay huge amounts for logo uniform when it isn't even of good quality. £9 for a polo shirt when I can get 3 smart white shirts in M&S for £10.???
Oh and to pick up on a comment earlier....of course it is cheaper than Jack Wills......or Jack Willies as we call them , because Jack Wills is over priced and pretentious

Therose. You are completely out of touch with the reality for many in this country.

Your children are lucky to have a father who has a job for which he leaves each morning in a suit and tie. I dare say, you also ensure they are well fed at breakfast time too. Saying, to those who cannot afford this, 'it's their fault for having children' is Victorian in the extreme. It is very sad when people in our society who have a decent income critisise (and you are by no means the only one) parents who are not in such happy circumstances.

Next time you go to post something similar to what you have above, just step back first and think : what would it be like if, say, due to a major disability/accident/illness your husband wasn't in work and you had to stay at home and care for him while your children grow up. How would you feel if someone advised you that you shouldn't have had children because you don't have £200 to spare, per child, every September.

Kez100 - I don't think it's me that's out of touch with reality - it's those who don't plan ahead properly and expect others to lead similarly shambolic lives.

If, God forbid, anything happened to DH, life would go on pretty much as normal. Having seen the exact scenario you describe unfold during my own childhood, we would simply carry on using savings where necessary and I earn enough to be able to pay for a carer while I work. I earn as much as and sometimes more than dh. I find it scary that people who are responsible for children can't put their hands on such a small amount of money if needs be.

Theroseofwait - You are hilarious

I suspect academies can do what the hell they one as regards uniform !
( they can do what they like re teachers contracts after all).

School concil should already. Be shouting loudly.

I agree that probably the only thing you can legally object to is the supply of skirts only not a choice though.

Dunno what your yr10 dd gets up to though. My girls trousers/ skirts last a week between washings. Yes we have a clean shirt daily and jumpers x2 a week but ds is the only o d that plays out in the mud!

Cost wise it's on a par with our school. The clothes last much better than supermarket stuff too. Dd2 has 3 shirts and they are nearly 2yrs old and I shall replace them in the summer. She has 1 skirt and 1 jumper a year ( had 2 in year 7 so 3 in use now) . PE kit was £££ but dd 1 wore hers for 5 yrs ( and dd now has it lol. I don't believe the sweat shirt ever has been worn).

She's in adult sizes now so what she's given and what you buy should last year 10 and 11. I appreciate you don't have spare cash- but they have given nearly 6 months notice - so you don't replace any old uniform and put the money towards the new for a start.

I had enough when DH left - we lived off it for as long as we could - it doesn't last forever though. Like you therose I had a well paying job but then ......my son was diagnosed with autism, as he has got older do his life (and mine) has got much harder. Now I cannot work simply because my nights caring for DS are so disturbed.

So £200 might be "a small amount" to you but for me it would be huge. I WAS financially secure - I no longer am because while I planned my finances I did not factor in the disability element.

He looks smart for school( in the despised sweatshirt etc) and also smart in church where he learns a more Christian approach than the one you have just displayed with your posts.

Sometimes people just do not have a "small amount" like £200. Care to donate this "small amount" to a local school charity so a child can benefit seeing as it's so little to you?

IMO the last two places on this earth where shirt and tie are compulsory will be school and the defendant's box in court. Most offices are gradually doing away with the jacket and tie culture in favour of people doing their jobs efficiently as far as I can tell.

Thing is, they ALREADY wear black trousers/skirt, shirt tie and blazer!! So WHY the need to change - I picked the school in the first place on the basis that their uniform was smart with a shirt and tie, but the trousers and blazer were plain black and the shirt was plain white, so were cheaply available from everywhere.

(Partly on the basis of the smart uniform, partly on the basis of their SEN dept.)

theroseofwait - Even £20k savings don't last that long when faced with 3 dc that you had BEFORE your disability was diagnosed, you lose your job because it is barred by law to people with your disability, your disability precludes you from working FT ever again, AND your Ex-P has walked out on you.

I would like you to know that my DD is VERY smartly dressed, in plain black trousers from Tesco's / M&S, white shirts from M&S, and a black blazer from M&S with the school badge sewn on, and shoes from Clarks.

Just because I cannot afford to buy school logo'd uniform that costs as much for a skirt as I get in a week for that child, it DOESN'T mean that my DD is inappropriately dressed in 'tracksuits' or mini skirts.

I take umbrage to your assertation that because I have had a series of unfortunate developments in my life since having my DC, that I do not care about the way they look to other people. It is perfectly possible to dress your children smartly and appropriately on a limited budget IF schools do not insist you buy logo'd clothing directly from them at hideaously inflated prices, for a lesser quality than you can buy in the supermarkets or M&S.

Please excuse the erroneous 'a' in hideous in the above post.

Oh - and having 2 dc that have been diagnosed as being on the Autistic spectrum, and both of them with other medical issues ALSO does not help my budget. And neither does my youngest child being severely allergic to the point of anaphylaxis to dairy. Which necessitates a special diet, extra kitchen equipment to avoid cross-contamination, and paying for some of his Nutramigen formula over and above the 6 tins every 4 weeks that the NHS will prescribe.

The Nutramigen only comes in half-size tins (half the size of a normal formula tin), a single tiny tin costs £13.47, and I get through 10+ in a month, as I have to use it in his cooking too. So I would look inward at yourself and your lack of charitable feelings towards other people who are trying to survive and do the best for their dc in very difficult situations.

There will always be those who blame people for having the nerve to have a penny less than them MardyCow. Sadly until life smacks them right in the face they don't want to see it - makes them feel better about their snobbery.

A new school uniform when a school changes status really irritates me.

Unless there's an identified need in the school for a new uniform, it smacks of corporate branding.

education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/schoolethos/b0014144/schooluniform/cost-of-school-uniform

States that PE kit is included in gguidelines to keep costs low

education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/schoolethos/b0014144/schooluniform/cost-of-school-uniform

I find it scary that people who are responsible for children can't put their hands on such a small amount of money if needs be.

You find it scary. How do you think they feel? Add to that, snobs making uninformed comments on your life, based on some limited experience where - when faced with a difficult situation - they happened to also (luckily) hold down well paid jobs and have £££ in savings (which, by coincidence, has come from their well paid jobs).

DH wears a shirt and tie 4 days a week and anything he likes on Fridays. I've stopped buying him suits, he wears a jacket so rarely.

It really does seem mad that only schools insist on blazers.

As to cost you can buy a whole set of generic uniform for DD2 for the cost of one £18 senior school jumper.

To families on a budget the jump from junior to senior school is astronomical especially if your DC is into adult sized clothes when even logoed stuff has VAT

DD is in yr 9 and apart from shoes she has had no new uniform since she started and won't need any more this year, so its really good value in the long run

If and that's a big if, it is good quality. Schools aren't above charging a fortune for tat.