How much did it cost to kit out your Yr7 for state secondary?

[YogaDrone]

DS is year 6 and moving to secondary in September. We are very lucky that we were offered our first choice (and closest) school.

I'm doing a quick add up of how much it's going to cost and it's coming in at almost £1000 I'm not complaining - I knew it would be expensive - but with uniform plus PE kit coming in at £300, plus shoes, football & rugby boots, winter coat, compulsory iPad (£400), locker fee, iPad apps, text books, set reading texts plus Rumsfeldian known unknowns it's all adding up quickly. I'm very glad DS can cycle to school and doesn't need a £300 a term bus pass.

AIBU to ask how much it cost to get your child all of the kit and caboodle they needed to start year 7?

And, do you think this is a reasonable amount to spend for a state school?

At an 'outstanding' comp:
Blazer: £28
Tie: £7.70
Pullover: £15
PE T Shirt: £8.40
PE Shorts: £8

Shirts and trousers: high street / supermarket / chain store.

Bag had to be logo free,
Winter coat, black or navy, logo free.

They only needed football boots if they took that up extra-curricular. No rugby as far as I know,
No compulsory iPad, just 'scientific calculator'.

OP: Poncey Academies trying to gain credibility with expensive uniform.

I don't actually think it should be allowed to compel parents to buy tablets. Are they provided for pupils on Pupil Premium?

Comefrom I can assure you that every pupil at our local secondary school who was out in the rain/wind this morning was wearing a coat. They're hard, but not that hard.

Most kids wear coats at DD’s school. Ideally Zara ones though in DD’s year £££

Around £300 here for full kit out in Y7. No iPad - they’d get lynched if they tried to pull that on parents around here
Y8 was cheap though with only a new blazer and skort so far.

Compulsory iPad?!?! I’ve heard it all
Now. My eldest went to one of the top state schools in the uk and all the pupils got by perfectly fine without an iPad.

So what on earth happens if you’re on benefits?!? Unless the schools pay for this with the PP??

All his uniform and PE kit and shoes cost £150 he has footie boots already. Bag and stationery and folders was about £40. Compulsory iPad is ridiculous.

Here in S London teens wear winter coats.

High school kids don’t wear coats in Liverpool, maybe years 7’s for a few weeks Autumn term.

Compulsory iPad .. that's bonkers !! We bought dd a laptop and it's lasted well ( she is year 10 ) .. an iPad won't do everything so not much good . I would say £300 for all uniform and pe kit though . Coats aren't cool so I wouldn't worry about that.. buy it gradually from now though if you keep the tags and receipts out shop will exchange sizes nearer the time

Well they are reluctant to wear them here (Yorkshire) but do when the weather's really bad.

Hardly anything!

Bog standard, cheap Polo shirts, couple of sweatshirts, normal supermarket trousers. PE kit very cheap, already had football/rugby boots. Certainly no iPad or anything else needed. Did buy a more expensive calculator when he did maths GCSE.

I think we have been lucky compared to many on this thread and there was always tons of second hand stuff doing the rounds or in the local charity shops (& given away free at the local church).

Agree compulsory ipad are ridiculous and I hope they're not using Pulpul Premium to pay for disadvantaged students to have one as that's not what it's bloody for. The school should meet the cost of iPads for all PP students themselves, and then use PP for its sole purpose (to close attainment gap between disadvantaged students and the rest of the cohort).

DD is at a state academy (part of MAT) in East Anglia.

Blazer-£32
Tie-£4.50

They are the only compulsory items.
I bought her 2 pairs of trousers from New Look at £8 each (she's year 7 but tall so girls trousers are no good for her)
5 pack of shirts from tesco or asda, can't remember. No more than £12.
Black shoes from Next which were £20, black socks for a fiver and a plain black new look coat in the sale for £10. The only thing we 'splashed out on' was a Hype bag, because we let her choose. Even that was only £25.
PE kit is all black, plain black T, shorts for summer and joggers/running tights with black hoody or jumper for winter. We picked it all up in the women's gym wear section in primark for under £20, plus bog standard pair of black running shoes from sports direct at about £15.

So total cost was around 170 quid. DD is pupil premium (we received FSM for a while 2 years ago so she'll be PP for another 4 years) so we could have had the entire cost met by the school if we needed to, as they recognise that not having correct uniform/equipment is a barrier to learning, but as we can afford it we declined. She does however get free transport to school, which is standard for all PP children at DDs school.

That’s crazy.

Dd - cost about £200 for uniform and pe kit. Excluding trainers and school shoes, along with coat and bag. Then about £50 on stationery and calculator/equipment.

She’s still wearing (year 11) the same school shirts (luckily they’re not white so have maintained their colour/still look fine) as well as the same PE kit. The skirts I had to rebuy in year 10 because they changed from kilts to A line for years 10 and 11. And got her a new jumper at the same time.

Ds is in year 8. To kit him out to start with came to about £200 (including blazer, no need for jumpers). That included PE kit. But not trainers and coat/bag. I have, however, already had to replace trousers and shirts because he’s growing like a weed. So that was another £25 per pair of trousers (x3) and £25 for 2 school shirts (x3 - I’m not mad keen on ironing). So another £150 already. And then they change uniform in year 10 to a different blazer, tie, trousers and shirts. Which is sodding ridiculous, given that will prob have to buy more trousers next year in year 9 anyway.

Both state schools. Main difference is the wholesale uniform change in year 10 along with the fact that girls often develop earlier or just grow upwards while shrinking in the middle. Whereas boys just seem to grow in any direction after they’re 11/12/13.

These are all logo’ed items by the way - not capable of being bought in the high street shops.

£600

£400 on one blazer, two skirts, four shirts, a science/art overall, an apron, and a full logo PE kit, right down to the socks. The blazer was £80.

£200 on lockers, diaries, art supplies, bag, coat, disco, calculator, two pairs of trainers and a donation to the school ('optional').

Then £130 on two more skirts and four more shirts in Year 9.

It's a state grammar school and I find it infuriating. I'd love Dd to have more than one blazer but all the students look a bit shabby and ill fitting because they are squeezed into their uniform for as long as possible. None of it can be bought in supermarkets, even the shirts (particular collar required), it all has to be bought from the specialist suppliers. Second hand uniform is usually in terrible condition because it has been worn to death before being donated.

Is that even legal Moonsick? I guess they want to be really sure that they only attract kids from the leafy suburbs.

I assume so barbarianmum. The school's line is that the uniform is smart, good quality and hard wearing, saving parents from replacing it more regularly.

There are some wealthy parents, but all of DD's friends and most of her classmates are in the same situation as us, lower income, limited uniform. Dd is very tall but when she grew out of her skirts she couldn't pass them on to her shorter, skinnier friend because the waists and skirt length can't be altered on the kilts.

Wow moonsick that's outrageous! I thought compulsory iPads were a form of social engineering but that takes the biscuit!

I don't know whether pupils who attract pp get their iPad paid for them. I hope so. I certainly hope it doesn't come from pp money.

My friend has just told me her year 7 (different local authority) had to have a lab coat too

I've also been told about another state secondary where you have to have the child's initials embroidered onto their rugby and pe shirts! Blimey.

Times have certainly changed. When I went to school all you needed was the school jumper and tie and you were told not to bring valuables into school!

The embroidered initial thing is a good idea tbh. Best tip I got was to get DD’s name embroidered on inside of her blazer collar. No way it can be mixed up as it stands out a mile when it’s not on. Cost £3 to get done in the uniform shop. Money well spent

DD’s uniform is ridiculous, only one shop, blazer alone is £80. All together I think uniform was £300. That’s just one set, only shirts are multiple.

Luckily only normal trainers, no extras for football or other PE equipment. PE bag from school is not mandatory, we used an existing one.

Bag was £40, the school now insists on backpacks but it can be any. Stationary I would say around £30, they only specified a calculator, the rest can be bought anywhere. Arts kit, bought via school, was £15 but that is def value for money as they buy in bulk, the paint palette alone would be £9 in the shops.

Locker has no fee but we had to buy a padlock.

Winter coat was £40, from school shop but cheaper than M&S or other high street shops and good quality. She needs a second one anyway as she is a Scout and has different requirements for coats for this. She has a packaway coat for wet day. DD def wears her coat when it got cold.

So all in all I would say we paid £500 with all other bits. My mum paid for skirt and blazer and my in-laws paid for the bag and shoes, so that was nice but I have to start in Summer again as she will need new stuff, so even with buying large it only lasts one year.

£350 for uniform. £150 for other things, like stationary, shoes etc. No compulsory iPad.

Doesn't need an iPad that's ridiculous

Has the school got a second hand stall?

I'm going back a bit but I bought blazers for a fiver and the rest of the kit for £1 a pop. New stuff really doesn't look new for long!

I kept an eye on it and bought bigger sizes as they appeared. When last dc outgrew gear/went into 6th form I donated the lot back.

That’s excessive. My dd went to secondary last September it cost £102 for the compulsory uniform which was blazer, skirt, tie x2, PE top, PE shorts and socks. I probably spent around another £130 getting trainers, bag, shirts, tights, calculator and stationary.

About £250, including the crested uniform, trousers, shirts, ties, created PE kit, rugby/football boots, shoes, stationery, coat and backpack.