My kids school is an !!!!

MrsE_2

susieb wrote: »

I have to agree that I prefer a strict school uniform.
If they all wear the same, it levels out the economic differences.
I know the school uniform is much more expensive than the supermarket version, but at my dd old school where the kids could wear supermarket stuff, the rich kids wore next stuff and mine wore tescos, and where teased because of this, now it has to be from the school , they are all equal and leads to much less tears for the kids. More for me as yes its more expensive, but happier kids.

Too true, there is uniform & uniform.

I had a fetish for dressing my daughter (her & I are very into clothes) in the more expensive kids clothes (I only had the one, I could afford too, so I choose too).

So I would buy the uniform as I was told, but I could team it with an Oilly coat & Kickers boots (both very practical & trendy, but quite expensive childrens ranges) & out of the price ranges of some.

elfen

mrcol1000 wrote: »

Rubbish. You just need to go to any "poor" area full of council houses and see all the kids are wearing brand names. Parents will always find a way to buy stuff for their kids even if they have to pay it off a pound a week for the rest of their lives.

Can say this ISN'T always true. My school uniform cost £250 (and thats just winter, summer was an extra £50, as was Yr10/11 uniform) and neither me or my sisters wore designer stuff, cos it wasn't affordable and didn't last. However, we DID get taught proper manners and decency for free (including being smacked if you were bad, it was just a way of life and you got used to it) Possibly why I am painfully shy and polite now, since my parents were more concerned with getting food on the table than what we wore.

However, OP I think you should write to the governors, cc'ing a copy of the letter to the head. Also, find out who else isn't wearing the mega expensive uniform, and see if you can work together to find an amicable outcome for you all (one that hopefully doesn't cost a fortune)

gowergal

i live in wales and we got a 100 quid grant for the oldest boy starting at comprehensive all year sevens get this but his uniform had to be got at this shop miles away and i have no car so that cost £10 just to get there on bus and then the rugby top 20.00 and the shorts 1o quid and the jumper and pe kit another 25.00 quid were not even good quality. And there is no guarantee like asda is offering. The school requested black shoes and did not specify so I got these trainer type ones which were not appropriate but apparently the school is strict with the year sevens to try and get the uniform ethic rammed home but the older kids twist the rules and get away with it. So he is wearing an old pair of black shoes at present cause i dont have the cash to buy another pair! i dont have much money and even with the grant I feel that the jumpers fade and this sweatshirt material is rubbish. I am going to try hand washing it or ex delicate but i dont think it will last. The only silver linning was i got the trousers at tesco and the assistant double scanned the trousers so I went to refund desk and got a £16.00 refund and the trousers for free cause of double the difference!!!! :T

gowergal

mrcol1000 wrote: »

Rubbish. You just need to go to any "poor" area full of council houses and see all the kids are wearing brand names. Parents will always find a way to buy stuff for their kids even if they have to pay it off a pound a week for the rest of their lives.

this is true for some people I know firms like brighthouse make alot of money off of people with no other way to get credit. But personally i have lived on council estates and I always went to the tk max shops and got reduced nike or whatever sports wear very cheap. Infact I only ever pay five pounds or less for clothes. I got loads of kids clothes from m and s last week for 1 pound in the sale and I haunt all the reduced isles in next and the best places I'll have you know and only pay very small amounts cause I do not mind having last years design. This is why the school uniform issue rankles as you are stuck having to go to one full price supplier.

lynzpower

I remember many years ago having to get our secondary uniform from Monkhouses. ( is it the one in CH OP?) I think we are all quite clear what a blazer is MrCol so theres no need to patronise.

That place is one of the biggest rip offs Ive ever seen AND has a monopoly over pretty much the whole borough. The way that the LEA maanges this is - to my mind- creation of a monopoloy.

dori2o

OK, been to work and come back and can't believe the response this thread has got. But can I please clarify a few things first.

1- I'm a man. I know people would normally assume that somebody complaining about school uniforms may nornally be a lady, but not in this instance...Please don't worry those who addressed me as 'she' or 'her', no offence taken.

2-

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.

mrcol1000 I never said she would beat somebody up for teasing her in her Asda jumper, but she has been brought up in such a way that she will not allow anyone to pick on her, neither of my kids will.

I was picked on at school and hated going everyday, until one day I clocked the ring leader right in the mouth and never had a problem again. A friend of mine was bullied at school, worse than I was, and I got extra for being his friend. Unfortunately he killed himself in his room after being chased home by his tormentors when he was 14. So I will not have my kids bullied by anyone.

It's not as though they go around bullying themselves, I have brought them up to be polite and respectful to everyone, but not to be bullied.

3- The designer clothes argument.

My kids get a pair of trainers every Christmas that are 'designer' i.e. Nike, Reebok whatever as a present off my brother. They are for best only, for going to the shops, or on a family day out and normally last the year. For playing out in, they have plimpsoles, or wellies, or their old school shoes and trainers.

95% of their clothes are bought from Primark or Asda (George), the only otherstuiff they have is bought as presents from relatives for B'day and Xmas. I have no problem with Primarni, it's what I wear, and the wife, and it's fine, looks smart, no problems. Plus George clothes are (or at least were last time I checked) made by the same company that makes NEXT clothes, so they're not bad quality.

4- Our local LEA/Counci no longer offers school uniform grants, this was stopped about 5 years ago, so I cannot get help with school uniform costs.

5- Yes I do begrudge paying £18 for a jumper, of which I need 4 (2 each), £15 for a cardigan X4, £30 for a coat X2, then I have to buy 2 PE shirts at £7 each (grey fruit of the loom t-shirt with school logo on) PE shorts in red, 3 shirts each, 2 skirts each, 2 pairs of trousers each, socks, tights, school shoes (only buy good quality leather school shoes to make sure they last), school logo'd book bags, lunch boxes.

It all adds up to a whole lot of money we just don't have.

6- Not that it is any of mrcol1000's business but we do not live on a council estate (not that it wouold make any difference- a home is what you make of it), I have a mortgage, pay council tax, insurances, feed and cloth my family, have travel expenses to get to and from work, earn £6000 below the national average salary and am told I cannot get any other benefits cause I am in a well paid job!!! My wife was made redundant in January reducing our household income by £9k, yet we still have the same outgoings we had before.

We live a good life, but it is hard and me and the wife have had to cut back on most things. I don't go out, stopped smoking, buy 4 cans of 81p(for 4 cans) lager from Asda every friday and Saturday and that's my indulgence for the week.

So...do I begrudge paying £206 for jumpers, cardigans, and coats.....DAMN RIGHT.

love-hearts

Good luck dori2o, I hope you win

Oldernotwiser

Glowie2k2 wrote: »

I have not been in the OP's situation but I do agree that the prices being charged are extortionate especially for a coat that is going to be trashed after 3 days and the kids will not want to wear after school or at the weekends because it will feel like they haven't left school.


!

The only reason for a coat to be trashed after 3 days is if the child doesn't look after it!

marcowil

mrcol1000 wrote: »

Rubbish. You just need to go to any "poor" area full of council houses and see all the kids are wearing brand names. Parents will always find a way to buy stuff for their kids even if they have to pay it off a pound a week for the rest of their lives.

mrcol1000 - you really are a pretentious snob aren't you.

valk_scot

Yes, but bottom line is that if the OP knew this was the school uniform policy before the start of term, that was when he should have challenged it, or at least contacted the school and asked if there were any acceptable alternatives. Why should the school think..."Oh, 20% of the pupils are not wearing uniform as instructed by the clearly stated dress code...so that's okay then, we'll just ignore them, despite it peeing off the other 80% of parents who stumped up for the correct one." Or are they supposed to be psychic or something?

Yes, it would have been nice if they'd just ignored the kids in non-standard uniform. What would have been nicer though is if the parents had raised their concerns before the school governers or whoever runs the school last term, when there was time to make compromises. Did the OP do this, by any chance?

Just to go with my own school, last year it was proposed that the kids wear shirt and ties from S3 upwards....as it stood, they had the option of polo shirt and sweat shirt till S5. The forms went round and we all had the chance to make comments and vote on this. I think ties are archaic and ludicrous objects and a potential safety hazard on a bunch of very physical 14 year old boys so I said so, voted against it...but other parents voted the tie in, so there it is. Am I going to whinge about it? Well, only a little but I'll buy my lad the required shirts, jerseys and tie for next year, even though his sweatshirts would have lasted him years yet size wise. Waste of bloomin' money imho...but fair is fair, I was consulted, I had my say so I'll cope.