School Uniform questions

COOLTRIKERCHICK

my olderest is going to com..school in september.....and i am just about to leave to go the the school.. for an informal... meeting etc... all the parents are going... my son has given me the list of the school uniform that is compulsory....with the school logo etc..... it will cost me more or less £180. for two sets....... and thats without ...a new coat....

how the heck am i supposed to pay for it....i did not realise the price of it all.....that's without a new school bag etc.....

can the schools get away with it.....can they do it........as far as i know the only place you can buy the uniform new is in the school.....so they got you by the whatsits......

i did manage to get a school jumper from the local charity shop for a £1.00
but i thnk that was a one off.....

i am not on benifits......even though i dont work.....i am on tax credits... but that a laugh as i now owe them money...

do you know if there is anyway around it....surely its wrong... if they want yuor kids to wear their uniform.. they must supply it.... like work clothes really.. if yuor work has a uniform with their logo on it they give it to you....
you dont pay for it....

chatta

Believe me it will work out cheaper than if he had to wear own clothes, that of course would have to be the latest style, most popular label etc. And it stops them from being singled out as the poor kid. Apparently in USA the shooting of kids went down in some states when uniform was introduced. Thank god for England!!!! I also found it easier to make sure they had clothes to wear on a monday morning............. No arguments.......

funky-footprints

i guess we buy clothes through the year as and when, where as when it comes to school uniform it is purchased in one big lump ! Can you enquire whether the school has a 2nd hand stall ? ? Im all for us paying it actually, we have to clothe our kids and surely its best in long if they are dressed the same.

Rikki

Only buy what you need for each term at the beginning off that term.


Mine had a mixture of new and secondhand to start with and then I gradually replaced it with new.

Rachie_B

put an advert in shops local to the school asking for 2nd hand stuff

or ask on your local https://www.netmums.com site

or https://www.adtraders.co.uk

Poppy9

The compulsory part of the uniform shouldn't cost you £180. Shoes, coat and bag you would need anyway.

My DD off to comp in Sept and I've just been to buy her uniform from the school.

1 pair of trousers with log £12
1 sweatshirt with logo £10
1 pe t-shirt £9
1 outdoor pe t-shirt £10
1 tie £3
1 apron £3
1 pair of hockey socks £4
1 pe skort £10

Total cost £61

plus 3 school blouses from any supplier £12
plus black coat from TK Max £30 (I could have got a cheaper coat i.e £15 in Tesco but as she is walking to school I wanted a fold up techincal top that is rain and windproof)
plus shoes from Clarks £35
plus bag £10 (I will keep an eye out on Argos who often sell their back pack off during July for £5)

I haven't bought 2 sweatshirts as it will be quite warm in Sept so it won't be worn much and she might have a growth spurt. I will buy another for the winter as they are quick to wash and dry.

Girls don't get their trousers so dirty as boys and I've found that 1 pair is ok for the week, again I can wash overnight and dry by morning if need be.

If I had to kit her out in an outfit that would meet her fashion sense everyday of the week it would cost me a lot more. A pair of jeans for her is at least £15 and a fashion top £15. She would want a different outfit everyday:eek:

I'm a big fan of uniform, we have had it althrough primary and it's amazing how long items can last. In infants I bought a pack of 3 white polos from M&S for reception. They still fitted at the end of year 2 and were in superb condtion. I passed onto a friend who has a few boys and they are still wearing them. In juniors she has had to have blouses, no so easy to buy generous to get a couple of years wear out of them but I find M&S wash well and need minimal ironing.

If you cannot afford the uniform speak to the head. They will usually assist with uniform that has been donated to the school by parents who's children have grown out of it. I know our PTA sells every item at £1 each and only sell the very good condition stuff.

culpepper

Are you sure he MUST have the Logo'ed items?
I thought schools were now not allowed to insist on precise makes of uniform any more.As long as it is the correct style and colour it should be fine.
Logo'ed items are sometimes only available through the school but that doesn't mean you have to buy them.

Lillibet_2

By agreeing to send your child to that school you are agreeing to their rules, and if one of their rules is logo'd uniform then it's that or find another school I'm afraid. However, I would enquire about 2nd hand/re-selling.
A friend of mine bought the offical uniform once, then as it was worn out/grown out of she cut out & hemmend the logos & sewed them onto the next sized generic uniform. she gave her daughter the choice basically, it was either this & a bit more money to spend on non-school clothes or much less in her weekend wardrobe with the offical school clothes. Daughter chose the cheaper option & told any kids who commented to get stuffed (or words to that effect:p).

black-saturn

Are you sure the logo is compulsary? At my daughters school they sell almost eveything with the logo on but my daughters only have the sweatshirt which costs £10 each. If i wanted to I could spend a fortune buying coats, hats, shoes, cardigans, lunchboxes, waterbottles, pencil cases and you name it with the school logo on. As it is I have bought the rest of the iniform from Tesco, Asda and charity shops.

Also in some areas if you are on benefit you will be entitled to a clothing grant. You apply for it from the local area education office. It's £15 for Primary schools and it gradually goes up with age each time they change schools. I know it's not much but it's better than nothing.

Prudent

Check locally who embroiders the logo on the uniform. A friend of mine saved a lot of money by getting the company to embroider the logo on items she had bought in supermarkets. Speak to the school, they are usually very supportive where a parent genuinely can't afford the uniform.

bulchy

I usually just buy the sweat shirts from the school, with logo, and just get the polo tops from Asda or Matalan or where ever there cheapest, same with trousers,shoes,coats etc. If you have a Donnay or Sports Soccer, coats, bags and sometimes shoes are usually cheaper there, but I wont be buying a new coat until about end of september. My kids schools do sell P.E tops with logo, one school says compulsory other not, but I still get them these, but you can usually just get this when they go back to school in september, they dont need them straight away. Footwear for P.E is usually there older but cleanest looking trainers.
I agree it is expensive kitting kids out with school uniform, but its better that they wear it.
Sue