Would you pay £100+ for a school uniform?

[BatShite]

The question sounds ridiculous, but DSD is apparently meant to buy everything from one very expensive shop. Logos on most, but even stuff like trousers or skirts, the skirt she needs (if wanting a skirt) is 27 quid alone. Even poloshirts have to be from that one shop, and are 13 quid each (same ones you get from tesco for 2 quid by the looks of it too..)This sounds totally insane to me?

In contrast, DD and DS..we got their uniforms yesterday, and its come to round about a fiver per set.

DSD 'normal' uniform is about a hundred, and 'PE uniform' is 50 also, hell they even are trying to say she needs a certain pair of socks for PE?!

Not sure what to do here as this would leave us hugely short. Technically we can 'afford it' but..it would cause issues for a while. School is in an area where a fair few kids from very poor backgrounds live too..so I hate to think what those parents are thinking right now.

I am considering just the logo blazer, the tie from the overpriced shop, then just normal black trousers and stuff. Even doing it that way would be 50 quid, but I can stretch to that. Playing for a PE uniform though...seems ridiculous.

Not sure what my options are so basically just wondering if I am being unreasonable or not tbh. Am I just being stingy?! The gulf between DS/DDs fiver uniform, and 150 quid is just so much..

Also no, apparently no grace period.

Went and kitted DS out fully last week - £400

My DD is starting year 7 and her uniform was expensive! I spent £256. We are only allowed to buy it from 2 shops and you can not buy it from super market

I’m so glad that the school I’m governor at are much more sensible. Everything can be bought from a supermarket and no specialty shops involved.

My DC’s went to a school with no school uniform. It was very easy - they evolved their own uniform - jeans and a hoodie in winter or T-shirt in summer with jeans or shorts.

We had a years grace so yr11s didn't have to buy a new set and people could slowly buy the new items.

Having said that - the new blazer alone is £89 that's nearly double the old one!

It's a private school so I'm bot moaning as such, it's just annoying that they've changed the uniform for something SO much more expensive

To initially kit my dc for secondary. All the uniform came to £200. That was one skirt, one blazer, one jumper, one tie, one PE top, I PE bottoms, one PE jumper, one apron. Three shirts, one pack of five tights, one pack of five socks, one pair of shoes and we used trainers she already had.

Since then I only replace items when essential.

Primary you can get really cheap. Secondary not so.

Should be a minimum of two years grace in my opinion. Uniform has always fit my DS that long, size 12 actually fit for three years, now going into year 10 in a size 14.

I just buy one new skirt and a blazer then the shirts arent too bad. Everything else I get second hand, they almost never wear the bloody jumpers etc anyway.

The sports kit is the thing that annoys me.

Normal for DD’s school, I think I spend around 300 two years ago.

One very special design for the blazer plus PE top with name embroiled, logo on skort and special hockey socks, all for normal lessons, not for teams.

Luckily all but shirts, shoes and PE bottoms still fit and it is very good quality.

I do admit they look smart but all is polycottom and stinks after a couple of days even with daily shower and a fresh shirt.

Even after years with her in school I still can’t see the point in uniform at all.

Bear in mind if there was no uniform you would still need to clothe your child, including suitable sports stuff.

I am very pro uniform. State schools you get educated for free, so I think paying for uniform seems a minor amount in reality. Private schools you go into knowing the costs.

Oh and I buy as much second hand as possible.

@FedUpWithCovid

Bear in mind if there was no uniform you would still need to clothe your child, including suitable sports stuff.

I am very pro uniform. State schools you get educated for free, so I think paying for uniform seems a minor amount in reality. Private schools you go into knowing the costs.

I do that already for weekends, three months of holidays, and pandemics. Then sports clothing for sport outside of school and hiking clothing for Scouts. Uniform is additional to that.

I’m sure I’ve paid over £500 for uniform, with no duplicate items.

At the end of the day the principle objective should be getting them back to school after a break/breach of six months. One would have thought that might have helped align priorities and that most Head teachers would be happy to teach them whatever they they wear. I am pro uniform but what gets me is the sheer pettiness for the sake of being petty approach. I remember ds was ticked off once for wearing the wrong colour socks (The flipping school shop had closed for 4 weeks and by our slot- the only one before school opened the following day, they had run out of school socks. And no I didn't have time to go to Tescos when I had already left work early for a 5.30 apt and there were two days before I went to Tescos on Saturday.)

The deputy head was almost offended when I pointed that out and noted a little more understanding would go down well when the school shop had closed for 4 weeks, had been short on appointments, had run out of stock and yes he could cancel the detrntion because I hadn't yet posted that term's £4,500 fee so it was entirely up to him whether he cancelled it or not.

Some of these prices are insane. My school only insist on a tie and blazer from the school supplier, or a skirt if students want it. Everything else has the option between the school supplier or the equivalent non school version (eg either a school jumper with the crest or a plain jumper in the same colour).

I don't agree with lots of single supplier uniforms, but have some sympathy if schools do because every September there's always moaning Minnie's with their sad faces on in the local press when they kit their child out in non uniform.

Anyone slaying cheap uniform due to sweat shops- only a couple of suppliers/ manufacturers supplier the entire UK market due to very specific machinery needed for certain things at UK standards. Paying more for uniform will not mean anyone is being paid more.

My DS has to have certain socks for pe (the schools pe kit is all Nike as well 🙄) it’s cost me over £400 for everything he needs to start secondary 😩

Going to be a financial nightmare if schools close due to Covid outbreaks after all this spending on uniforms. Perhaps schools should have had a more relaxed policy this term.

I think they should have Parker231, particularly with shoes. If they allowed trainers then they could be worn outside of school unlike school shoes. I am lucky to have a small teenager so I am hoping that his school shoes bought at Christmas will last until at least October break, but they are barely worn. He will be in whatever second hand football boots I can get if last year's are too small.

@FedUpWithCovid

Bear in mind if there was no uniform you would still need to clothe your child, including suitable sports stuff.

I am very pro uniform. State schools you get educated for free, so I think paying for uniform seems a minor amount in reality. Private schools you go into knowing the costs.

I am from Germany, no uniform there and my friends pay at least 1/2 of all school textbooks, workbooks, arts supply etc. Nobody moans about this unless a school is very unreasonable and expects only top of the brand items instead of run of the mill.

Strangely enough most children learn decently without a uniform.

I would understand PE requirements if a child plays for a school team and they need a kit. But for normal PE lessons? Why do I need to pay £80 for a top, skort, shorts, socks?

DD changes after school and we need jeans, shirts, jumpers etc anyway and so far I didn’t need to buy a week’s worth of clothes for £200.

Does your school have a secondhand uniform shop? Some kids grow really fast and you can often pick up barely worn blazers or PE kit for a fraction of the cost. Asda good for shirts / socks.

Definitely buy big!!

The Department for Education’s school uniform guidance (DfE, 2013) states very clearly that “school uniform should be easily available to purchase and schools should seek to select items that can be purchased cheaply, for example in a supermarket or other good value shop”.

The governing body should be able to demonstrate how best value has been achieved and exclusive single supplier contracts should be avoided.

@Parker231 and to add to your post I will repost what I added earlier:

*The importance of cost consideration
The School Admissions Code 2012, which is statutory guidance, states “Admission
authorities must ensure that […] policies around school uniform or school trips do not
discourage parents from applying for a place for their child.” No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend, a school of their choice, due to the cost of the uniform. School governing bodies should therefore give high priority to cost considerations. The governing body should be able to demonstrate how best value has been achieved and keep the cost of supplying the
uniform under review.'

Note it is statutory - Statutory guidance sets out what schools and local authorities must do to comply with the law. Schools should follow the guidance unless they have a very good reason not to.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform*

I think £100 is on the cheap side for secondary uniform
I do feel for you though. Dd1 and Dd2s school changed uniform for dd1 in year 11*no longer in black but blue and for dd2 full change of uniform. I minded a lot for 1 year.

Dd3s school skirts cost around 40 for blazer 40 for skirt and 27 for shirts 30 for jumper and then you need pe kit too at 85 total so for just the base outfit its £222 this is before you consider more than 2 shirts jackets or scarfs, socks

My dad went with us and paid for DS1's school uniform thankfully - it came to nearly £400.

2 years later my dad is housebound and couldn't make it - he has given me some money but I was worried about what I would be able to get. DS1 has grown out of his blazers (but they did last 18 months) but they're too big for DS2, who is probably a similar height to what DS1 was at the same age but much skinnier, so some of DS1's outgrown stuff looks ridiculous.

We have managed ok, and my sister has bought a set plain shirts and an extra pair of trousers each from M&S and a bag for DS2, very kindly.

But I do think it's a lot, and in my London borough the most competitive to get in school in the poshest part of the borough has no uniform while over here in the poorer bit they all have logo blazers and PE items.

We will probably need a bit more but I'm just going to build it up. DS1 has never worn his school uniform jumper as it's not required, while the blazer is compulsory. So if DS2 wants it, it's in new condition but for now I'm not buying a new one for either. On the other hand, they will probably need a second blazer each..... Assuming school doesn't shut down within a few days of everyone going back. (the years are going back over a few days, then everyone next Thursday).

The change in uniform is particularly annoying, as it means you can't pick up secondhand stuff, that might be in better nick if only worn for 6 months last year! For people whose kids schools haven't done that, there seem to be lots of offers for outgrown uniform, free or cheap, on FB parents' groups, school parents groups and local sell or swaps. I was going to get a blazer but realised it was the same size as the ones we have that don't fit either son at the moment.