Parents complaining about school unform costs

Dippychick wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Bless the poor little mites when they go on field trips :eek::eek::eek:

Poor little mites? They're bloody bigger than me now lol!

They do have their own coats you know, i'm not that mean, they just don't need coats for school!

ELC staff cheerfully informed me yesterday that there are only 3 paydays until christmas! (I think it's 4 though?)

In the late 1960s I passed the 11+ exam so I had to have a grammar school uniform which in those days included a pure wool gaberdine gymslip, pure wool blazer, pure wool beret etc etc. Also, a mackintosh for wet days and a woollen coat for cold days. All were excellent quality but painfully expensive.

My grandfather kindly stumped up the money, otherwise I dread to think what would have happened -there was a lot of worried muttering and grumbling at home. I know my friend's mother took a cleaning job to pay for her uniform. Thank goodness the garments were made to last!

I did think those days of unrealistic elitism were over, until my eldest son started in the local comp in the mid 1990s. Although the actual uniform itself was mainly polyester or blends, the cost was high & the quality was low and so needed annual replacement. The lextensive ist of sports equipment and clothing was frankly ridiculous in its demands.

All garments (except trousers) had logos & so were stocked by a very few specified suppliers. The school itself charged more than the shops. This meant that the (then LEA) uniform grant could not cover the daily uniform, shoes and the most basic PE kit (ie logo'd t-shirt, shorts, specific coloured socks, trainers).

DD and DS's school introduced iron-on embroidered emblems last year. We buy sweatshirts and polos at ASDA (quality seems to be much better this year) and the emblems from the school.

Logo'd sweatshirts used to cost us £9 when we had to buy them from the school. With the switch they are now only £2.60 including the badge. And there's none of that ordering in May in time for September or having to wait until the school has got enough orders together before they get more in.

wobblebottom wrote: »

I just wish the supermarkets would increase thier sizing on the girls shirts- my poor teenage daughter is rather top heavy and try finding a 15-16 yrs white girls shirt is nigh on impossible- poor lass has ended up in a Mans shirt to fit this year- come on supermarkets- not all school girls are size six waifs.... and dont start me on lads Blue shirts- it seems the world and his dog have bought the entire stock of 8-9 Blue shirts- grrrrrrr

:rotfl:They'll never get this right! I used to have the opposite problem, my gym skirt was a careful balancing act between buying a size big enough to be long enough to cover my bum and small enough that I could keep it up round my waist! The compromise was an age 11 that lasted me until I was 16 and was kind of hipster throughout..... I had the same trouble with trousers if they were long enough I looked like something in an after shot on a slimfast advert!

Manufacturers need to learn that kids don't grow up and out at the same rate and should perhaps base sizing on waist measurement and offer a tall and short option.