School Uniform !

Oldernotwiser

Less than £100 for 5 items of clothing doesn't sound particularly expensive to me, particularly when two of the items are jackets. Children have to wear clothes, wherever they are!

I do think that buying two sizes of blazer at the same time is making life unneccessarily difficult for yourself though.

bobblebot

Few years back i was going through really bad patch after divorce left me with £40K debt I was stupid left with kids and debt because i was being too nice! AAh learnt from that one lol! Had to bankrupt in end.

Anyway had 4 new uniforms to buy as kids had to start new schools and no money....someone on here told me about the POLICE FUND, most towns have them, its a charitable fund that helps low income families buy school uniforms, you make a call and make an appointment, you have to apply theyask for income and outgoing details and then they will contribute. I managed to get new unifrms for most the kids, you get told how much and where you spend the voucher can. Everyone was very nice.

Put a search in google for your area and school uniform police fund.

Best of luch hun

theoretica

Do you (or your daughter) know anyone with slightly larger children at the school- there must be plenty of outgrown clothing somewhere, and it sounds like the parents could find someway of passing it down. The school may be making a profit which is why they won't help. If you have to buy, I suggest going for the old-fashioned buying to grow into!

I think you are more likely to have luck with freecycle and charity shops near to the school year end, and again before the new term when other parents are finding their kids have outgrown their uniforms- now is an odd time for existing students to be parting from uniform.

BeenieCat

AsknAnswer - good for you!!

thorsoak

Ask the school if they have a second-wear shop - I know several Parent Teacher Associations that run a stall every week or so (especially just before the new school year intake) where second-hand blazers and articles of clothing with logos are sold.

If they haven't got one - suggest that they do establish one!

gizmo111

( thats 2 blazers,1 polo shirt,1 rugby shirt,1 trackie bottoms and a tie )
I have no idea how I'm meant to pay for all this, and this price hasnt taken into account of all the other stuff she will need.

You dont need 2 blazers, you need more than 1 polo shirt but these are mostly hid under a swearshirt, a tie is about 5 quid and the rest is just normal clothes ie asda will kit out most of her needs - skirt or trousers.

chnelomi

i know how you feel wench my DD is starting secondary this year and the school has decided that all blazers sweatshirts polo shirts gym short/skirts and t-shirts have the school logo and so very nicely have given the option of buying a small badge for shirts. had to laugh when i got the school info when it states that "brand named footwear was not to be worn so as not to apply financial pressure to parents that could not afford them" followed by the heart attack inducing price list for the uniform.

No one at the school is happy at these prices(increase on last year) most of the parents only bought 1 sweatshirt and polo shirt everything else was high street cheaper stuff. but now they want everyone to buy from them and no were else dose the uniform and to top it all if the same company as last year make them we will be lucky if they last till xmas as the quality is really bad.

i wonder if you could get them for monopolizing the market lol

dmg24

Is this type of situation not what CTC/ CB are designed to cover?

I still can't understand why two blazers are required due to being 'large in the bust'.

tori.k

speak to the school again, i had a list of PE clothes that was stated as compulsory items which will push the school clothes bill to over £200 each with their fleeces etc,
i called the school as said with 3 kids in the school, there no way im paying that much,as 2 of my kids are not even sport minded, was then told as long as the kit was the colour they required they didnt mind if the logo was mising, Asda it is then....
so much for the compulsory kit...
fair enough for school ties and blazer's...but extras like footy socks (£8) forget it...

SuziQ

This subject comes up this time every year. It is just a cynical attempt by some schools to get money from parents. My big argument,like others here,is that whilst the sweatshirts/polo shirts etc are often 2-3 times the price of those in tesco etc the quality is really poor. My youngest has excema and the school polo shorts are so rough-even after conditioner,tumble drying- that he can't bear the material next to his skin. I think a good blazer with the school logo looks great and maybe even the sweater or fleece underneath with logo, but why do shirts-obscured by the aforementioned-need to be logo-d as well? My oldest 2 childrens school had a wonderful second wear arrangement,but ironically the younger one is in a different school due to special needs and although it is in a poorer demographic than the school my oldest attended they have no such scheme.
I put money away all year for the new uniform onslaught so am never caught too much off guard but it still annoys me!