Name labels in secondary school uniform

[mumtosnchild]

My daughter starts secondary school in September. Is it the done thing to label all uniform like you do in primary? Or is that deemed babyish?

If you do label uniform, recommendations for name labels welcome!

Yes, definitely name everything, especially if there's the slightest chance it can get lost (although I do draw the line at labelling underwear and 'everyday' socks and even our DC have managed not to lose these when changing for Games / PE). We mainly use normal sew on or iron on labels - I splashed out on a battery powered label maker, but the ink does fade eventually - but as in primary school, sometimes resort to marker pens, e.g. writing DS2's surname (quite unusual and he is the only one with it at the school) on the sole of his sports socks.

DD spent 4 years at a school where names had to be embroidered on the outside of sports items by the uniform suppliers, which saved on sewing but was a pain when it came to buying stuff second hand.

Definitely label everything that you would find annoying/expensive to replace. And label them on the garment itself, rather than on the care tag or naming label. Expensive things like blazers may get the labels cut out by dishonest people. So I write names on the inside using Sharpie.

Sharpie everything! On DSS's PE kit I ended up putting his initials on the outside bottom corner, otherwise people just seemed to brazenly take them!

I use these pre-cut woven labels, I chose different background colours so I could tell which DC it belonged to. I ticked the pure colour box. The example on the screen is pretty accurate.

I labelled all jumpers as they can remove them in summer, a couple of shirts and trousers that they wore specifically on PE days and I labelled all their PE stuff, including socks.

I use a sewing machine and zig zag stitch the edges of the labels. On the shirts they are sewn onto the back of the collar but the stitching is hidden by the tie and obviously the other part of the collar folded down.

I also labelled shoes. Ds1 is year 11 and Ds2 is year 8. Only ever lost 1 sock, and the labels are bright colours so easy to see inside a shirt or on the inside waistband of the trousers.

I also sewed labels into their bag, sports bag and their coats.

Anything stationery wise is just sharpied with initials.

Yes. I use the little etched button labels that you screw into clothing. They are small and relatively unobtrusive

Name EVERYTHING!!! Secondary is worse than primary for losing stuff because they move around the entire school site. Plus the kit tends to me more expensive.

Write large across inside of hems so labels can't be cut out. Scratch name into back of calculator.

You don't need to name everything - only the items you'd want to get back if she loses them.

At secondary school, the likelihood of her being reunited with unnamed lost school uniform or PE kit is less than 5%.

I coordinated lost property at a secondary school until last year (when I was thankfully able to pass the role on to someone else).

Yup. Label everything if you want any chance of it getting back to your DC via the tutor / lost property system. I label pritt sticks and sellotape too.

(Though that still didn't stop bits of DD2's PE kit disappearing never to be found in the first term of y7.)

Label everything that they can take off or leave behind somewhere by accident (unless it's a low cost item you don't mind replacing)

Not least because they will borrow things from each other (often but not always with prior knowledge and consent). So when a labelled alien item turns up in your home, you can do something about returning it (even if that is limited to nagging your own DC)

We first check the obvious places like the collar/ waistband and then the on or around the label where the washing instructions are. We don't have times to be searching every garment for obscurely located nametapes.

Printed nametapes are best (sewn, ironed or adhered). The little button things are also fine. If the name is handwritten, it needs to be easily legible and not faded out of existence which can happen with permanent marker eventually.

Full name is best. Surname and first initial is OK but might only narrow it down to 5 children.

Another one with the glamorous job of lost property. Hundreds of pounds of ne uniform (we'd just introduced it) without labels. Not to mention the Barbour jackets, Nike and adidas hoodies and other high end bits. Label everything!

Thanks all for your input - name tags it is!

Don’t forget things like calculators, key purse, water bottle, umbrella .

I use a laundry marker to write on the lable

yes or write name on the clothes tags. My tip is to buy a PE bag which is not black - or has some kind of bright trim on it. So many kids have standard black PE bags and they just get lost because kids don't recognise theirs. Same with pencil case - don't get a black one.

I just said to DS today year 8 that he's been the entire hyear with the same PE kit it's a huge milestone in his development... joking obviously but really they lose so much stuff the first year.

Definitely label pencil cases & calculators. And why don’t children write their names on homework diaries or in folders anymore? Another Lost Property volunteer.

And (when it gets to that stage) the files containing their GCSE or A-level notes and any Art sketchbooks / portfolios. You'd be surprised how many of these get handed in with no name on them anywhere.

Cross-posted with Eastpoint

The school lost property lady was well impressed when I phoned about a lost and named winter coat. Naming everything makes everybody’s life so much easier.
Our stamptastic stamp has been going strong for 4 years now. Relatively uncommon surname only so used for both dc.

Ha ha Labels or none it all goes walking, including two raincoats inside 3 months and a pair of prescription glasses. Optician thought someone might have kept them as a 'fashion item'. Ok so DD is prone to leaving things behind (she's no longer taking a coat to school) but even labels are no guarantee the things resurface. At least not at our school

Forgot to say: I'm nearly on first name terms with the lost property lady now , as is my daughter once she picked up the courage to go herself. I had one success retrieving a uniform jumper, but non-uniform and PE items remain quite elusive....

BrexitBirgit

Name labels don't stop things disappearing in the way you describe.

When things turn up in the lost property department (as they do in almost unmanageable amounts), name labels make the difference in whether the item can realistically be reunited with the child.

Please god label uniform. I find bags, pencil cases and items of clothing every bloody week. If any of it was named, all could be returned. At best the pe tshirts sometimes have the initials embroidered on.

Do not complain if uniform goes missing that isnt labelled as it is probably in a classroom somewhere waiting for the child to retrace their steps, or in lost property.

In our school the 'Lost Property Department' is basically a huge flip-top bin. Very little gets returned to the pupil once it has made its way into the lost property bin. Office staff ate far too busy. If a pupil goes to Lost Property they are allowed to rummage for their item. But if it's been more than a week or two since they lost it, it will be so far in that there's not much hope . A few times a year, the PTA empty it. Anything halfway decent goes to their second hand stall. At the end of the year anything left in the bin is properly binned (or recycled). If a pupil finds their item on the PTA stall, they can have it back on proof of ID that matches the label on the item.

I used to try to reunite items left in my classroom with their owners, using the seating plan if necessary!

I recall once giving his expensive black jacket back to one lad after I had worked out it could only be his...he was delighted and said his mum had been going to kill him!

If things were named it would obviously be easier...