My kids school is an !!!!

ALIBOBSY

At DD1's school they are allowed to wear grey pants/skirts with white polo shirts from anywhere plus a green jumper/cardie. You can get everything with the logo on, but most (myself included) just get a cardie/jumper with the logo on.
But they are only about £8 the price your school want is crazy. DD2's school is pretty strict and is a c of e school with good sats scores and a recent excellent ofstead report.

The cardie/jumper seem pretty good quality, better than cheaper ones from the supermarket and have washed well (DS used to go there as well).
DS went up to high school this time and had to have more "logoed" stuff. His high school are big on the sports side (should see the trophy cabinet lol) so have to have logos on the games kits, but after chatting to a few local kids who go there I worked out what bits we needed and what we could do without (I was informed that the boys wouldn't be seen dead in the school tracksuit or waterproof, but the hoodie was essential lol.
T-shirt, hoodie, school socks(yes really), rugby shirt, and shorts cost £48, but are good quality. They can wear any smart black or dark grey pants/skirt , and any white shirt, but have to have a logoed jumper and tie.
Now the jumper is a wool mix and pretty nice with a embroded logo directly on it, very smart but only £12.50. Tie was £2.50.
So all in all not bad compered to other schools (my friends son's school changed the whole uniform completely and it all now has to have logos on, cost her almost £300 :eek:).

Mind you I am lucky my Mum works at debenhams so gets better quality shirts and pants/skirts for me from there when the sales are on with a 25% discount on top. So for the Asda/tesco cost I get much better quality items.

So overall I would say some schools rip you off for uniforms and they must definately be getting a share, but I can see how much better it looks if all the children have at least the same jumper with a logo on. Plus my kids are hard on clothes and the Asda/tesco type just can't take the pace lol.
I reckon if they don't get the cash through the uniform you will pay it one way or another, its fair this, sponsored that all the time :rolleyes:.
Mind a good MSE tip for the fairs is to bake, mind you the teachers always pinch my mince pies at christmas (paid for of course) before they get onto the stall. DD1 always brags that my cakes sell for the highest price really quickly rofl.

I would contact the school directly and go in softly softly at first and take it from there..

Good luck
ali x

Birdy12

I knew it, I just knew where this thread was heading. All parents who complain about the price of a school uniform are now being lumped together as 'council' living with children all wearing Nike/Adidas/Reebok hoodies/trainers/tracksuit bottoms but not willing to spend money to wear the correct school uniform and showing no respect for their peers/elders. How did we end up here?

The OP complained about the price of a school uniform. At no point did they say they'd spent all the money on branded items for their child so they didn't have money for a school uniform or where/how they lived. Why are people assuming?

Looks to me like we've got a few snobs on this thread...

mrcol1000

Birdy12 wrote: »

I knew it, I just knew it where this thread was heading. All parents who complain about the price of a school uniform are now being lumped together as 'council' living with children all wearing Nike/Adidas/Reebok hoodies/trainers/tracksuit bottoms but not willing to spend money to wear the correct school uniform and showing no respect for their peers/elders. How did we end up here?

The OP complained about the price of a school uniform. At no point did they say they'd spent all the money on branded items for their child so they didn't have money for a school uniform or where/how they lived. why are people assuming?

Looks to me like we've got a few snobs on this thread...

The OP isn't exactly doing much to dispell the stereotype but saying her kid would beat up anyone teasing her for wearing an Asda jumper.

Birdy12

mrcol1000 wrote: »

It does make them ready for expectations of not being able to wear what they want. i.e. a shirt and tie to work (even if its a cheap asda one)

So work will give you the choice in where you get you shirt and tie from, will they? They won't send you home then? How lucky. I seem to think that some companies that require a person to wear a uniform wil be provided with one for free (or at a vastly discounted rate). What makes a school so different that they can justify charging vastly inflated prices?

Birdy12

mrcol1000 wrote: »

The OP isn't exactly doing much to dispell the stereotype but saying her kid would beat up anyone teasing her for wearing an Asda jumper.

Blimey, you assume a lot from one sentence. I like to wear a Nike hoodie at home. Would you assume from that sentence that I will go out and mug people?

Let's get back to the beginning, shall we, and that the fact that a school is charging a lot of money for their school uniform with no option to buy it anywhere else.

tandraig

I sympathise with OP I really do - I too had three kids in same school and you guessed it - one local shop had monopoly on uniform! I worked out that no-one would notice if trousers and skirts and shirt came from elsewhere and just bought the jumpers and ties - the local shop did allow items to be purchased on a payment plan - a godsend at the time as my OH wages werent very much and we struggled a lot. Schools seem to send out letters asking for money for this and that at least twice a week (my grand-daughters go to same school) and honestly seem to think that parents have a money tree in back garden!!!

ALIBOBSY

I agree birdy, my kids know you don't always get what you ask for and you should shop around for a bargain, however my son has had branded trainers sometimes and cheap at other times. Its all about value for money and knowig where to shop/spot a bargain.

E.G recently he neede new trainers and we went around a few different shops. He tried on unbranded and branded trainers and ended up with some "osaga" trainers for £15. But adidas football boots for £17 both on offer.
Both were much,much better quality and fit than the really cheap pairs around £8-£10 and as he is a size 5 (he is going to be tall like his dad I guess lol) pretty reasonable.
BUT DS would (and has in the past) worn cheaper non branded stuff without complaint.

I am lucky that in the last few years we have cleared most of our debt and worked hard. OH's wage has shot up and we have much more disposable income through old style budgeting and cooking from scratch. So we could afford to buy all logoed uniform, but I still think it is a rip off and would complain if they tried to force us to buy it all from one source at a massive price.
Therefore to generalise about this is a load of rubbish and simply not true.
ali x

mrcol1000

Birdy12 wrote: »

So work will give you the choice in where you get you shirt and tie from, will they? They won't send you home then? How lucky. I seem to think that some companies that require a person to wear a uniform wil be provided with one for free (or at a vastly discounted rate). What makes a school so different that they can justify charging vastly inflated prices?

Not all places that require you to wear a uniform will pay from it. Many companies that require you to wear expensive safety equipment will make you pay for (although some will refund it after you have been there a while).

Schools will help parents who struggle to pay for uniforms but only if the parents approach them first.

LearningToSave.

sorry if anyone else has already said this and im repeating but as far as i am aware they cannot force compulsary uniform at all in primary schools.....only in secondary schools.luckily although our schooll says everything has to have school logo its not enforced and most people only buy the jumper/cardi and rest from supermarkets etc.....some just buy all from supermarket.
if you are willing to fight etc then they cant actually make you send your child in primary school.....its only suggested not compulsary.
will try to come back with some official links.

Bufger

Despite the OPs comments leading to everyone making a stereotype there is still a point here and its something parents from different backgrounds agree on. It is illegal to force a monopoly so if there is only one source these uniforms are coming from you can argue the case.

Who has the right to make 30-60 parents each year pay 3x(whatever they want). They can charge anything they want and have a school rule about uniform MAKING the parents pay this money. If there are 2 sources it will keep prices competative.

Please keep this on topic guys. You're starting to go into stereotypes and stuff now which isnt what i thought this forum was about. She is trying to save money by not being forced into a monopoly. LETS SEE IF WE CAN HELP HER