Parents complaining about school unform costs

jellyhead

Our high school insists on navy sweatshirts and they look old really quickly, whereas the grey ones for primary look okay because of being such a pale colour, you can't tell how fast the dye is washing out.

JBD

Both of my kid's uniforms come from Asda/Sainsbury's. The only special things I have had to buy is son's blazer- 24pounds and his clip on tie- about 3.50 if I remember rightly. Their PE kit is cheap umbro shorts and plain white t-shirts. I honestly don't see how schools think they are justified in requiring parents to pay these rediculous prices for logoed sweatshirts etc.

barnaby-bear

JoolzS wrote: »

There is one thing that parents could do about restrictive uniform policies - refuse to conform. If your child is strong enough to stand up for h/irself then let them go to school in clothes that you can afford. I don't mean breaking the uniform code completely, but simply don't buy the stuff that is extortionate.

I can see that working if the uniform is navy/grey/red/black but an awful lot of the primaries near me seem to go for the logo'd sweatshirts in the most horrendous range of trendy colours - colours I've only actually seen used to good effect in the Dyson range of hoovers.... we actually call the local primaries by the corresponding Dyson model... we have the weird grass-green one, the orangey-yellow, the bright purple, the intense cyanish turquoise.... and don't get me started on the one with pale pink polo shirts for the boys.... the high schools have gone the other way for the most traditional impractical old-fashioned stuff particularly for the girls - weird heavily pleated kilt type things that I suspect are made by one particular old woman in a hut in a forest somewhere... utterly bizarre.

barnaby-bear

achtunglady wrote: »

My son starts secondary school in September, uniform is navy blazer with school logo, black trousers, white long sleeved shirts, clip on tie, pe tracksuit with school logo and gold coloured logoed polo shirt.

I bought his shirts from Asda when they were on offer and got him two pairs of black adjustable waist trousers when Asda did their offer of two trousers for a fiver, at the school uniform shop they wanted £14.95 EACH pair and their shirts were something like £12 for two shirts, the rest we bought from the Uniform shop, can anyone explain what the devil are " NON MARKING SOLED TRAINERS", what dont they want you to mark???????

The sports hall floor, particularly with rubbery black soles - when they skid a bit grazes off leaving marks that are difficult and time consuming to remove and make the floor a bit stickier and less good to play on as well as looking dirty.

barnaby-bear

JoolzS wrote: »

I doubt that any school, even over-subscribed ones, would want the media reporting that they were expelling children for wearing clothes that were in the correct colours, but not bought from the correct shop with logos.

Maybe the choice of weird obscure vile colours is a cunning ploy.... choose a colour no mainstream retailer would stock and then have a policy that supplier is irrelevent *AS LONG AS IT'S THE ***RIGHT*** COLOUR*

Spendless

I agree that uniform was more expensive for my parents to buy than what I pay for my kids BUT we only wore uniform at secondary school so from ages 12-17 for me (I stayed on 1 year) and 12-16 for my sister. With a 7year age gap between us it was only 1 uniform at a time too. I know that meant we had to wear other clothes but I don't remember a 'school' wardrobe, we just wore from our everyday clothes.

In comparison I have been paying for school uniform since mine were 3 and in the school nursery and will continue until they are between 16-18 (6th formers here wear school uniform). With a 3 year gap between my son and daughter I've also been buying double for the past few years.

Mine are at seperate infant and junior schools. The jumpers are logo'd and everyone wears one though I'm pretty sure they are not compulsory reading the school info. There are also logo'd polo shirts. I bought one when my son started juniors intending it to be worn for school concerts and photos etc on the first day the embroidery stitching cut into his nipple.:eek:and he hasn't worn it since. It cost £8.50! There are other items with the school logo on, some of which I've bought at times. Had to buy the school book bags as mine have drawers and I've never seen generic ones in same style, but school coats, hats and a PE top have been my choice to buy I didn't have to, sometimes I've got it as I've wanted to make something for 'school time' only.

mum26

We are quite lucky with our schools I think (in a 3 tier system) as the lower school only has logo jumpers / cardigans - rest can be from anywhere as long as it is right colours ( charcoal grey with white shirts or polos so nice and easy) middle and upper school are black skirts or trousers, some school logo pieces of pe kit but quite hard wearing so last well and not extortionate prices, school logo jumpers which are the acrylic type so wash well and dry really quickly, upper school requires proper shirts ro blouses until summer term when logo polo shirts are acceptable - I don't mind that if it's only for x weeks, silly when they are covered up by jumpers otherwise!

I do know of someone with children at a school required to buy pure wool pinafores for 41 euros each! Cardigan was 29 Euro, Shirts X 2 at 7 euro each, School Tracksuit was 39 Euro, Tie was 7 euro,school polo shirt for under tracksuit was 6 euro.... and this is for a child just starting school so small sizes - plus school bag, lunchbox, shoes etc and this child is not only a sibling but a twin so her brother needs new uniform at the same time too!

Oh the joys of parenthood, lol!

Dazi

I am going back a few years now, but can remember how glad I was that addidas started making orange shorts so it saved me having to buy the orange shorts from the 'official' suppliers at x 3 the cost. hmmmm the school were not impressed but when faced with half the school in the addidas ones they backed down. Also they suddenly insisted that sweatshirts had to have the official logo on them, a group of us also insisted that we should be able to buy the said logo and sew it on, and guess what.....we were allowed.

Also wish to say that I did not buy kids 'designer' clothes for out of school etc....couldn't afford it, my kids were bought up on Primark before it became fashionable to shop there, in fact my kids would look up and down the street before going into Primark incase some of their mates were around :rotfl:

buxtonrabbitgreen

Ds is going into 6th form this year so I only have to buy uniform for one. It is a relief. They have to wear school logo jumpers. And we have a bit of an argument going now as I have tried to pass her brothers jumpers on to her for her last year. She says she doesn't want to wear jumpers that smell of boy!!! So lots of washing with plenty of fabric conditioner.

mum26

barnaby-bear wrote: »

the high schools have gone the other way for the most traditional impractical old-fashioned stuff particularly for the girls - weird heavily pleated kilt type things that I suspect are made by one particular old woman in a hut in a forest somewhere... utterly bizarre.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: