free xtra benefits???

moggylover

mitchaa wrote: »

I think slight exaggerations into what is required:rolleyes:

Why did you need a new shirt every term? The time between say when you go back after summer to the time you get off in October, or that again to xmas is only around 6-7wks at a time. Why would you need a new shirt so often? You can buy packs of 3 for around £10 that will do you the whole year.

Again, you do not require a new pair of shoes 3x a year. That is ludicrous, 1 pair of good shoes will do you a year no problem. Why are you including bras? That has nothing to do with school, just day to day living.

No idea what pants are, but again if you are a boy 1 pair of school trousers can easily last 1 year.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Oh boy do you have some HUGE surprises coming!

Boy, aged 11 - new trousers bought 3 days before term started cos I have been caught before. Turned up hems (playing safe here) starts school in September - hems let down end of October, trousers round his upper ankle by the end of Chritmas hols - so two new pairs for spring term! He also went up 1.5 sizes in shoes at the same time - so that was school shoes, football boots and trainers TWICE. It will just not wash with the school that you say "sorry he has outgrown them and cannot have anymore until next year". Fortunately the polo shirts and fleece had been "bought big" so fitted for a while longer.

BTW - they are boys! One pair of trousers is almost certain to end up in holes before the year is anywhere near over - and that is without them outgrowing the blessed things!

I don't know which planet you are on - but it is a long way from reality!

Come back and post when you actually HAVE the t-shirt - not post rubbish just to have a go at the OP with your anti anyone unfortunate trash.

Eight months old - that is the easy bit - AND the cheap bit as well!

Oh, and whilst we are on the subject - they may not be "sporty" but they still have to do sports/pe as it is part of the curriculum!

God give me strength - some of these people!

moggylover

mitchaa wrote: »

Well that is debatable;)

Child related income should be spent on exactly that, i don't know what is ill informed about that:rolleyes:

It's when people spend this income elsewhere that people jump on the child poverty bandwagon.

I'll leave it at that as there's no point in arguing about it, we all have our opinions so we will agree to disagree okay

Over and out.

The "child-related income" is meant to be spent on the whole gamut of raising a child - extra on heating/water, food, clothes, bed linen, toys, in and out of school activities - and even the cost of getting them TO school in many areas - that alone costs me about £20 in diesel as the local village school shut down.

I live in a tiny village in Wales, we have three secondary schools available to us - and they ALL have the same uniform requirements (not that that would be my way of choosing a school for my kids :rolleyes: ) so no options there then:D .

Like I said you have a lot to learn - and I would love to be around when you get some of those shocks!:D I too, would say that you are more ignorant than blunt - but then I would also suggest that your main aim was to unkind and unpleasant to the OP - not to add anything of use to the forum.

Think - there but for the grace of God go I before you set yourself up to be so much better than others - some of those people you so rudely criticise may not "do it the way that YOU say they should do it" - but there is a distinct possibility that they are kinder people.

Benefit bashers abound these days - appears to be the new "National Sport" now we are not allowed to be racial or hunt foxes!

moggylover

kianicky wrote: »

i know the school i went to doesn't have a strict dress code, this is in scotland. so it seems this is something that happens in schools in england. i think it's a bit unfair to make folk buy things they can't afford. it should be optional. please don't think i'm wanting to offend folk, just wanted to have my opinion.

And so you should! All any of us ask is that it is put politely and without pedantism and ranting! And you did that just fine.

bestpud

moggylover wrote: »

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Oh boy do you have some HUGE surprises coming!

Boy, aged 11 - new trousers bought 3 days before term started cos I have been caught before. Turned up hems (playing safe here) starts school in September - hems let down end of October, trousers round his upper ankle by the end of Chritmas hols - so two new pairs for spring term! He also went up 1.5 sizes in shoes at the same time - so that was school shoes, football boots and trainers TWICE. It will just not wash with the school that you say "sorry he has outgrown them and cannot have anymore until next year". Fortunately the polo shirts and fleece had been "bought big" so fitted for a while longer.

BTW - they are boys! One pair of trousers is almost certain to end up in holes before the year is anywhere near over - and that is without them outgrowing the blessed things!

I don't know which planet you are on - but it is a long way from reality!

Come back and post when you actually HAVE the t-shirt - not post rubbish just to have a go at the OP with your anti anyone unfortunate trash.

Eight months old - that is the easy bit - AND the cheap bit as well!

Oh, and whilst we are on the subject - they may not be "sporty" but they still have to do sports/pe as it is part of the curriculum!

God give me strength - some of these people!

I agree you cannot get away with buying one pair of shoes a year, at least not in the first few years of secondary school!

My dd (and indeed me when I was at school) had one pair last a year in theb last two years, but we had both stopped growing and girls are generally 'easier' on shoes than boys!

My ds was still growing up until the time he left school (and a bit after!) but he was still into football and various other 'team' games at breaktimes so was going through a pair if shoes a term anyway. Tbh they were not looking good by the end of term and they were decent shoes too.

Plus both of mine were in size 5 shoes before leaving primary school (and it looks as though no 3 will follow the same :rolleyes: ) so we had to pay adult prices for the trainers and footie boots when they were very clearly still children too. And there is a significant hike in the Clarks prices between the 'primary' and 'secondary' ranges!

Like I have said before, I see no reason why any of us can't actually afford school uniforms BUT it is a struggle for a lot of us and it is NOT cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Also, i think it is more expensive than it needs to be and providing for compulsary education should not be something which causes us to worry and struggle - and for many of us, while we provide what is needed, it is a struggle, working or not! And it should be the same across Britain too!!!

Re mitchaa - didn't we all think it was 'easier' before we'd been there? I remember sitting with my first baby and thinking my child will never eat that, say that, wear that, behave like that, and so on... I think priorities shift all the time when we have children and we just have to find out by doing.

Like my mum has always said: never judge other parents until yours have passed that stage as you have no idea what is in store!!

mitchaa

moggylover wrote: »

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Oh boy do you have some HUGE surprises coming!

Boy, aged 11 - new trousers bought 3 days before term started cos I have been caught before. Turned up hems (playing safe here) starts school in September - hems let down end of October, trousers round his upper ankle by the end of Chritmas hols - so two new pairs for spring term! He also went up 1.5 sizes in shoes at the same time - so that was school shoes, football boots and trainers TWICE. It will just not wash with the school that you say "sorry he has outgrown them and cannot have anymore until next year". Fortunately the polo shirts and fleece had been "bought big" so fitted for a while longer.

BTW - they are boys! One pair of trousers is almost certain to end up in holes before the year is anywhere near over - and that is without them outgrowing the blessed things!

I don't know which planet you are on - but it is a long way from reality!

Come back and post when you actually HAVE the t-shirt - not post rubbish just to have a go at the OP with your anti anyone unfortunate trash.

Eight months old - that is the easy bit - AND the cheap bit as well!

Oh, and whilst we are on the subject - they may not be "sporty" but they still have to do sports/pe as it is part of the curriculum!

God give me strength - some of these people!

Yes god give me strength, you are arguing black is white.

In 12 years of schooling, i never once ripped my school trousers. Yes when i grew my mum bought me new clothes, but to say 3 pairs of shoes per year is the norm is absoloute ludicrous.

My feet are firmly on the ground here on planet Earth thank you. I only went to school myself a few years ago, i know what was required:rolleyes:

mitchaa

moggylover wrote: »

The "child-related income" is meant to be spent on the whole gamut of raising a child - extra on heating/water, food, clothes, bed linen, toys, in and out of school activities - and even the cost of getting them TO school in many areas - that alone costs me about £20 in diesel as the local village school shut down.

I live in a tiny village in Wales, we have three secondary schools available to us - and they ALL have the same uniform requirements (not that that would be my way of choosing a school for my kids :rolleyes: ) so no options there then:D .

Like I said you have a lot to learn - and I would love to be around when you get some of those shocks!:D I too, would say that you are more ignorant than blunt - but then I would also suggest that your main aim was to unkind and unpleasant to the OP - not to add anything of use to the forum.

Think - there but for the grace of God go I before you set yourself up to be so much better than others - some of those people you so rudely criticise may not "do it the way that YOU say they should do it" - but there is a distinct possibility that they are kinder people.

Benefit bashers abound these days - appears to be the new "National Sport" now we are not allowed to be racial or hunt foxes!

Who is the 1 being unpleasant in their posts? Like i said the figures i have posted are more than enough. It shocks me to think people want more of the tax payers money:rolleyes:

The £18.80pw CB i receive for my son every 4wks is put straight into his savings account and he will receive it all back on his 18th birthday. I didn't need it before he was born, i don't need it now so i use it as an investment for him. I realise for low income families, they depend on this money so cant do this but all i was trying to get across is that this money could be more wisely spent. The amounts given as shown in my previous post £6k+ is very generous and there should be no excuses for child poverty.

I hope you were not suggesting i would send my child to a school solely based on that of the uniform policy, is that the best you can do:rolleyes:

I dont see why you are getting upset at my posts? I find your posts to me far more ''ignorant'' than mine as you are attacking me, but yet i have never attacked you

cheap_charlie

mitchaa wrote: »

The £18.80pw CB i receive for my son every 4wks is put straight into his savings account and he will receive it all back on his 18th birthday. I didn't need it before he was born, i don't need it now so i use it as an investment for him. I realise for low income families, they depend on this money so cant do this but all i was trying to get across is that this money could be more wisely spent. The amounts given as shown in my previous post £6k+ is very generous and there should be no excuses for child poverty.

And therein lies the problem I have with your posts on this forum.

You clearly state you do not "need" the Child Benefit you receive for your son yet you still claim it.

What then gives you the right to complain about other benefits and comment, from a somewhat smug perspective I might add, upon the fact you feel there are no excuses for child poverty?

As a recession looms and more people find themselves reliant upon benefits I hope this smug attitude of those who are doing OK recedes a little.

I used to do exactly the same as you with my daughter's child benefit but then something awful happened and I couldn't do it anymore.

So yes, your comments are ignorant and if you think that having been at school within the last 10 years is the same as being the parent of a school age child then that merely reinforces my opinion of your comments on this thread.

And yes, I am really out of this thread now - it truly has saddened and depressed me to see some of the comments here - once again I will say to you that this board is for help and advice - go elsewhere if you want to spout off about your opinions on who you reckon claim benefits and how in your opinion they should be able to manage on them - a point I notice you completely ignored when I mentioned it to you before.

msmicawber

It's very nice that you're able to save the CB that you receive for your son, mitchaa, but the OP isn't in that position. When you're in receipt of certain benefits such as housing and/or council tax benefits (and probably IS, but I'm not sure), Child Benefit is viewed as income, and other benefits reduced on that basis. In a way you're right that it's a matter of budgeting to ensure that all your essential payments are covered, including children's school uniforms, but when you're on a very low income one or two small glitches - fuel price hikes, broken washing machines, that sort of thing - can really throw everything out, and without savings to provide a cushion, you can spend many months or years trying to get even again.

I don't think your posts are rude, but they read as smug and uninformed about anyone's situation other than your own.

To the OP: Do you know anyone whose child attends your child(ren)'s school? If so, why not ask if they have a uniform sale. A lot of primary schools do, and I know that I donated uniform that my children had grown out of. Also schools quite often sell unclaimed lost property and I've picked up sweatshirts cheaply that way. Schools sometimes provide free or cheap uniform to families in your position from stocks that they have (I know of one round here that does), but they don't advertise this. Do try ringing the school at the beginning of September as there's usually someone there before the school opens. Like other posters, I found supermarkets had some good bargains and have learned to love Primark for T-shirts and so on.

Jo_R_2

My DD1 is starting school in September and a few weeks ago before term ended at that school, we went to a prospective parents' evening. They were selling uniform there and have specific rules similar to those that other posters have mentioned about logos on uniforms. Jumpers/cardigans and PE shirts have to have the school logo, and you have to have the school logo school bag and PE bag as well. If girls wear trousers they have to be 'tailored' meaning the ones Asda are selling aren't good enough :rolleyes:

Now, I have been blessed with an ex who left me with a substantial loan (long story, but was taken out to clear his debts, in my name, when we moved in together, lesson learned!:mad:) which I have somehow managed to pay since I got made redundant a few months ago. However, this meant I could only afford to buy one cardigan and have been spreading out buying the rest of the uniform over the summer - got skirts/pinafore and long-sleeve blouses, tie, need to get a few more blouses, tights and socks in school colours, and school shoes. And sandwich box - it seems if I'm still on IS when she starts school (am applying for jobs at the mo) then she isn't entitled to free school meals until the term in which she turns five, which won't be until next year.

Luckily I should be able to claim on the insurance for my loan because I got made redundant, but given these circumstances I can totally understand how some might find it difficult. Unfortunately for me and some others, we don't have the ease of simply taking our incomings and budgeting bills and essentials, I have to factor in a massive (for the amount I have coming in) loan repayment for now, which really sucks!

krisskross

Jo_R wrote: »

My DD1 is starting school in September and a few weeks ago before term ended at that school, we went to a prospective parents' evening. They were selling uniform there and have specific rules similar to those that other posters have mentioned about logos on uniforms. Jumpers/cardigans and PE shirts have to have the school logo, and you have to have the school logo school bag and PE bag as well. If girls wear trousers they have to be 'tailored' meaning the ones Asda are selling aren't good enough :rolleyes:

Now, I have been blessed with an ex who left me with a substantial loan (long story, but was taken out to clear his debts, in my name, when we moved in together, lesson learned!:mad:) which I have somehow managed to pay since I got made redundant a few months ago. However, this meant I could only afford to buy one cardigan and have been spreading out buying the rest of the uniform over the summer - got skirts/pinafore and long-sleeve blouses, tie, need to get a few more blouses, tights and socks in school colours, and school shoes. And sandwich box - it seems if I'm still on IS when she starts school (am applying for jobs at the mo) then she isn't entitled to free school meals until the term in which she turns five, which won't be until next year.

Luckily I should be able to claim on the insurance for my loan because I got made redundant, but given these circumstances I can totally understand how some might find it difficult. Unfortunately for me and some others, we don't have the ease of simply taking our incomings and budgeting bills and essentials, I have to factor in a massive (for the amount I have coming in) loan repayment for now, which really sucks!

I think this post probably proves the point that child related benefits just go into the 'pot' and are not used solely for the benefit of the child but treated as 'income'. I would not send my 4 year old to a school that had such a strict uniform policy, in fact I have not known it before in primary school except for private schools.