Academy with a pechant logos on all school uniform

[teachersaspirations]

have a dc who is starting senior school tomorrow
new school uniform can only be sourced from one supplier
as school uniform has to have a logo on virtually everything
concessions for socks!

i expect a badge for the blazer but you can only buy a blazer with sewn on badge, you cant buy a badge and sew it on a blazer bought from any where else

black trousers have to have a logo on them at 17 pounds

this is another the hidden side to academies
senseless imposition of cost on parents

is there anything we can do
are academies allowed to do this with impunity?
apparently wearing of incorrect uniform is isolation
so black trousers with no logo means isolation from lessons

Article on the BBC
Schools warned over new uniform costs
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19411171

"Head teachers have a moral responsibility to minimise any additional costs"

but that is all just a moral responsibility
but they are not forced to comply!

It doesn't just stop there. My 3 ds's ended up going to 3 different secondary schools. Two became academies. One of these stuck to their polo shirt and sweatshirt but no tie existing uniform, the other went in for weird coloured blazers sourced via the school. The "blazer school" and LA non-academy school also changed their logos as a separate event and although existing uniform could be worn for a few years by existing pupils you couldn't pass it on to younger dc. PE kit was all logos so that had to be bought new for siblings.

One of the academies went in for the trousers with logos as they said otherwise dc went for unsuitable trousers (currently too tight but previously too long or too baggy) and parents ended up paying twice, once for the unsuitable ones and again for more "acceptable" ones. So they claimed to be saving parents time and money.

There is no evidence that strict uniform policies, in themselves, lead to improvements in achievement or behaviour as every school that goes down this route is also implementing other changes. You could start a campaign. You could raise it through the school meetings they have with parents- not the meetings about individual children, the ones about policies. You could raise it through your MP. It depends how much time and energy you have and how visible you are prepared to be.

Use of logos on all items isn't an academy thing - many schools do it to remove any arguments about uniform. 17 quid for trousers is a few quid higher than normal but you'd pay a couple of quid for a logo to sew on anyway. And provided the stuff provided is of good quality it would probably save you more in the long run.

Runningtokeepstill
that doesnt lend itself to hand me downs
and the policy is even saving parents money (that sounds like a brexit manifesto statement!)

I am old fashioned and oldish
I thought a blazer with a school badge and a school tie with school coloured pe kit with the minimum demand for logos is good enough topped up with a good academic education
but we seem to be getting 1st class parking ticket enforcement (school unnecessarily expensive logo'ed uniform enforcement) and 2nd class port hole repairs (academic education)
there doesn't seem to be any moral responsibility to minimise any additional/unnecessary costs nor any accountability when it is fragrantly disregarded

t4nut
a quick search on school trousers gives 6 pounds for a few 11 pounds for more expensive and mumsnet suggest a 6 pounds
so 17 pounds is almost 3 times that cost
for the well off that may not be an issue
for the not so well off it is shameful imposition

My two went to a private school, as long as they had a navy jumper, white or blue shirt, grey shorts (dd had a kilt or kilt skirt) and the school tie and a blazer with the school badge, they weren't fussed. You could have shopped at any supermarket as long as it was a woollen jumper, the shorts were m&s or whoever sold the cheapest.

I have in the past bought blazers when C&A closed down (a long time ago) for about 3 pounds each and just sewed on the badge that could be bought on it's own.

They did have two rugby tops and a gym polo shirt, surprisingly the one item of clothing with a logo.

When you saw them all together you couldn't tell the difference. I feel sorry for parents struggling.