School Uniform questions

bottlered

I've wondered exactly who is profiting from the inflated prices.Is it the schools or the suppliers? Either way its immoral,considering that childrens clothes dont have VAT.

school jumpers with logo,£20-£25
school polo with logo,£10-£15
"school" gym skirts & gym knickers (no logo just right colour),start at £18 & £8

I wouldnt mind if I was paying for quality,but the polo shirts are so thin they are see through,and the jumpers are almost unwearable-horrid scratchy nylon material

funky-footprints

i used to get sent home from school if i wore the wrong socks .. a 20 mile trip on the service bus and then a 5 mile trip back home with dad in silence was not an option, so i wore the proper socks, but then my parents only bought uniform knee grey socks ...no ankle or over the knee for me !! it was realy strict , we were only allowed navy shoes ..its was a nightmare for mum trying to find navy shoes that i would wear !!

now im all for uniform, when it comes too choosing secondary education for our children strict uniform rules will be one of the things on our check list as i think it teaches respect and gives a good example of the discipline in school.

the kids down our local comp look a right bunch of gypos going to school, no tie or shirt just grey polo shirts and those minging polysester v jumpers tieds around thier waist or stuffed in thier bags, there doesnt even to be a set pair of uniform trousers, most of the girls wear combats, over worn and ripped at the hem with big chunky silver stud belts with flip flops ? ?

Im only 31 !!!!!! am i realy that old fashioned ?? obviously !!!

black-saturn

Raksha wrote:

I'm in a similar position - uniform BLAZERS for heavens sake - MUST be worn when entering and leaving school.

It's about time schools concentrated on teaching children instead of whether or not they have got their blazers on.

gregg1

Raksha wrote:

I also don't believe uniform is a cheaper option - kids grow out of their ordinary clothes waaaaaaaay before they wear them out, because they only wear them at weekends and holidays. As for 'having to be designer this and designer that' - not if you assert yourself as a parent and lead by example...

Thats all well and good for the parents who do assert themselves but what about the others who allow their kids to have the designer gear. Uniform stops all the competition there would otherwise be if kids wore their own clothes. I think it is also a part of the discipline (i.e. shirts having to be tucked in and looking smart at all times) and I do not think that is a bad thing.

gregg1

black-saturn wrote:

It's about time schools concentrated on teaching children instead of whether or not they have got their blazers on.

They are teaching children - they are teaching them (on top of ordinary lessons) to take a pride in themselves and their appearance and to look smart - a good grounding for when they start work. Surely that can't be a bad thing?

gregg1

funky-footprints wrote:

now im all for uniform, when it comes too choosing secondary education for our children strict uniform rules will be one of the things on our check list as i think it teaches respect and gives a good example of the discipline in school.

the kids down our local comp look a right bunch of gypos going to school, no tie or shirt just grey polo shirts and those minging polysester v jumpers tieds around thier waist or stuffed in thier bags, there doesnt even to be a set pair of uniform trousers, most of the girls wear combats, over worn and ripped at the hem with big chunky silver stud belts with flip flops ? ?

Im only 31 !!!!!! am i realy that old fashioned ?? obviously !!!

no you are not old fashioned at all - I totally agree with your comments (and I don't consider myself old fashioned!).

code-a-holic

My local secondary (that i also went to a few years ago!) is very strict and had a big list of what you 'must' have. But once kids start there then they realised that the parents have spent a fortune when really there are ways around it! For this school there is 1 shop the jumpers are available in but they charge a fortune for everything else - the usual tesco, matalan etc are better for shirts and trousers. The hardest part of the uniform there is the shoes - heel must be under a inch - and they measure! Finding a shop selling heels under a inch was a nightmare, mine was a inch and a half but i was a bit of a teachers pet so it didnt seem to matter!

As said before speak to someone who has already been there a few years or a mum and they should tell you what on that list can be forgotten!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thanks for the comments...i will advertise on the freecycle to see if anyone got any school jumpers etc.. then if not....buy plain white polo shirts... i think as long as i got the main school jumpers then the school is just going to bare with me .....as i will only be able to afford a bit at a time......

its a nightmare....i think this time of year. is almost as bad as christmas....with panic buying for kids going back to school......

lil_me

We complained at my last school I went to about the price of the uniforms. We contacted several suppliers and got quotes from them at half the price for the same garments with the same logos. School backed down eventually and bought elsewhere after we did a gate petition etc. All started as my sister told a teacher hers wasn't a school item but one my Mam had made for her, before that noone had noticed the difference.

Poppy9

Raksha wrote:

As for 'having to be designer this and designer that' - not if you assert yourself as a parent and lead by example...

:rotfl: as others have said "good luck".

My OH still feels the shame he felt in school at being the only one (well he probably wasn't but felt like it) in Woolies trainers and football boots. He wanted Adidas like his mates. He couldn't even have them as a Xmas present. He also hated having non label jeans. He said he felt a complete nerd and used to work part time to try to buy his own stuff.

In comparison I was lucky. Money was tight and I very much appreciated what I had. I didn't have all the latest gear and nor did I ask for it but I didn't have to have naff Woolies stuff either. I always had to wear school uniform (very strict policy on colours but not on logos) so my Mother took the view that as she was saving so much in just having to buy me 2 jumper, 2 blouses and two skirts a year so would spend a little bit more on me for my weekend clothes. When you are a teenager it's so important to feel part of your peer group. This doesn't have to be excessive and has little to do with teaching children the value of money. I only have one child and could easily (and I probably do) spoil her. However she knows we have to work for our money and we have to spend it wisely. She has her own allowance which she has to spend if she wants certain toys etc. This has made her far more sensible than me telling her she can't Nike trainers but supermarket ones. She is given the choice. Yes you can have Nike trainers but you can't have something else you want/need this week IMO works far better.

I think the main point of this thread is that most parents prefer uniform as it should work out cheaper. However schools are profiting from introducing logo'd gear which is over priced and poor quality. Surely it's sufficent to dictate the colour of trousers/skirt, blouses/shirts, jumpers and tie?

I know schoosl profit from logo gear. A friend who owned an embroidery company that was a school uniform supplier said he had to offer freebies to the schools to get contracts. i.e. a football strip. He said the suppliers were played off against one another until only one was left. Now the supplier sells the crapiest quality and an inflated price because he has no competition.