Parents complaining about school unform costs

lauren_1

My DD's school has the logo on everything, cardigans, jumpers, polo tops (they dont wear shirts, just polo tops with the schools logo on) p.e tops and rugby tops.

the only thing that isnt complusory is the school fleece and hat.

the colours of the uniform is not available in asda or anywhere apart from the school, they only thing I can get from a shop is the black shorts!

Its £165 for a complete uniform but I have managed to save a few ££ by only letting her have jumpers so I can pass it all on to ds when he starts in september.

Abbafan1972

Our school uniform isn't really expensive. Most of it can be bought from Asda. The royal blue cardigan has a badge, but it's not compulsory that they wear a badged one. They are £10 from the school and do last a fair while. The school office usually keep a stock and I can just get one when I need it.

I agree with what the previous poster said and I just buy the stuff as I need it. I don't necessary buy all new stuff for the start of the September term. Although they do tend to have new shoes, these are usually changed around every 6 months or so.

I find the shoes are the biggest expense around £30 a pair and not many choice of styles either.

pigpen

Unless it is a private school then school uniform is not compulsory at ANY state primary school.. they staff can whinge but they CANNOT enforce it..

Secondary school however is a different matter altogether.

DS2 this year needs new shirts.. plain white, long sleeved shirts.. but he is a grot and needs about 10 a year. plain fronted black trousers.. non-pleated.. easy enough.. black shoes.. no stitching!, no trainers, laces only (like doc marten shoes basically is all they are allowed).. the hat is £65 and the blazer £140.. then there is the bag and pens and pencils and pe kit etc.. on average I think his works out about £600 a year.

The 2 girls and DS3 are about £120 plus shoes/trainers/bag/pencils etc.

The littlies I usually have enough hand-me-downs from the older ones so just need polo shirts and shoes.. I do NOT buy the school ones.. they are crap quality, get stolen, are over priced and I just buy cardies or jumpers in the school colours.

mine have problems with their feet so we have a nightmare getting shoes for any of them.. and 2 have to have boots all year round.. I am forking out in excess of £40 each pair of shoes and maybe £30-£40 for trainers each child.

this year I am down to 6 lots of school uniform (from 8) as DD1 is off to college.. but she needs new stuff for there too.. but I fully intend flinging her £50 and sending her shopping!

penelopedee_2

Sorry to moan but DS's uniform is still terribly expensive too. I know it saves on their normal clothes and I'm perfectly in agreement with all the children needing to look like they belong but it is getting silly.

Since Christmas I've had to replace 6 polo shirts - he's now in men's sizes so they charge even more and they have to have the proper logo it. Its nearly £11 a shirt and as we are out in the sticks its another £5 on top to order on-line or we have to travel to another town 30 miles away to get them (no shops near the school). Also a PE shirt with the name on it at £14. They don't have aprons in craft lessons so the white polo shirts are always covered in dye and paint and they never come out white whatever I use to wash them. Plus the extra rugby socks at £5 and shorts at £10 (which the seams split within a couple of weeks). Luckily DS is good natured enough to not moan at wearing mended shorts!

They don't have lockers which doesn't help with trainers or football boots going missing either. One pair were lost within the first couple of days back and the school were really helpful in trying to find them for us but they never turned up. I'm glad sometimes we only have one child in school because even when we were on 2 wages it was difficult.

galvanizersbaby

lol! - I wonder if this thread will get bumped at the start of each new term?!

I recall posting last time before the kids went back for Sept term.

I've just brought summer dresses and shorts in preparation for return after Easter break and have gone for M&S for the shorts but Tesco (2 for £6) for DD's yellow checked dresses as seems to be tricky to get hold of them in yellow around here for some reason.

luxor4t

My nephew & niece go to a secondary school that rigidly enforces their uniform policy as it makes the school money, lots of it.

Take trousers: pupils have to wear one specific style which has the school name/logo attached on a tag. Local suppliers cannot sell them & so parents can only purchase from the school , at £12.99 for waist size 24 inches compared to Asda £5.

Sister did try unpicking the logo label from an old pair to 're-use', but it is stiched in such a way that it cannot be removed easily

Shirts in winter, logo'd polo shirts in summer, a sports kit list that would put Eton to shame ...it's the local comp for goodness sake! ....and totally ignoring the Government's instruction that:
"No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling excluded."

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/SchoolLife/DG_4016078

tattoed_bum

Well I have just had a run in with ds school this morning ,We all had letters home from the school before easter with a reminder that uniforms had to be worn ,
Now my ds is now in a small mans size polo shirt and the school suppliers dont do this size .
So i thought i was doing well getting a workwear place to make him some with the logo on and the headteacher has just gone balistic .
Saying that the company had no right to do this as they have copywritted the logo .
Ok so maybe the company might have wrong to do this but as there are no other suppliers of the uniform where am I supposed to get it from

jellyhead

ask the head what she expects kids to wear if the uniform doesn't fit them? you've tried your best, so perhaps the only option is plain uniform for your DS.

jellyhead

this thread has reminded me to ask where to buy from now that the uniform shop in town has closed down ... our schools stopped selling the uniform themselves so the shop in town was the only option. My eldest MUST have logo stuff for high school or he gets detention for PE, and they are not allowed to wear non-logo sweatshirts inside the building, so if they have tescos own they have to remove them while still outside, and will be cold if the classrooms are cold.

Spendless

One of the best tips I ever read on this site for my DD's school uniform when she was due to start Reception was to buy pinafores. You don't always need them to wear a cardi/jumper when doing this as they already have the double layer of polo shirt & pinafore, which makes the jumpers/cardis last longer! When they spill stuff down them it goes on the darker stronger material pinafore rather than the light coloured harder to get out polo shirts. Buying long in Reception year means we have only just grown out of them. As she's now yr 2 and changes to Junior school in September and a different uniform she can spend the last term in summer dresses I delibrately bought long last year.

I don't remember who the person was who said this but thanks you saved me a fortune.:A

Just need someone to similarly enlighten me for the Junior and Secondary school years.:rotfl: