School PE kit - Cost?

frances2

Hi

My son has started at the local secondary school and after only 6 months has lost his PE kit. At £40 for only the compulsory items I am more than a bit peeved! Can everyone else tell me how much there secondary school PE kit costs as this seems an awful lot of money, not to mention hassle to get it all mail order at 1 company etc.

Thank you

Frances2

jellyhead

£40 - eeek! my boy's at primary school but i'm sure that at secondary school he'll still be regularly losing things - pe kits, scarves, sweaters, gloves especially. at primary it's just plimsolls, blue shorts and white t-shirt for the first few years so the cost is less than a fiver as you can shop anywhere. in year three he started to need a tracksuit but that was cheap in the catalogue sale, it's not a brand named one but he doesn't care. he'll be needing football boots soon and that's going to be expensive, at the moment he wears ordinary trainers in football classes.

have you asked the school about kit? some schools keep uncollected lost property and collect spare uniform. i realise that at primary school it's supposedly for changing children who've fallen in puddles or wet themselves but on the quiet i know the school do give uniform to pupils whose parents say they can't afford to buy it. i don't know if secondary schools would do the same thing.

Glad

At the school my two go to they are responsible for their own PE kit and if anything is lost it rarely turns up again,

they all have to have the same PE kit with the school logo on which can be purchased from a local store,

girls

polo-shirt £10
black shorts £8
black tracksuit bottoms £12
black sweatshirt £14
black football socks £4
shin-pads £5
own trainers minimum £30

boys

polo-shirt £10
black shorts £8
black tracksuit bottoms £12
rugby shirt £16
black football socks £4
shin-pads £5
goalie gloves £12
own trainers minimum £30
astro-turf trainers minimum £18
football boots minimum £30

[Deleted User]

Blimey Glad, that's expensive. Are those minimum figures set by the school or your children?

robnye

tell him to check out lost property.......

my eldest lent a sweatshirt to a friend.... never got it back, had to find one in lost property or replace it herself........... you can guess what she chose...... replace it herself...

i realise some schools have the logo's on, my youngest school, does, but my argument is school uniform yes....... pe kit....... dont think so.....

Glad

Deleted_User wrote:

Blimey Glad, that's expensive. Are those minimum figures set by the school or your children?

the minimum figures are what I pay for those items, not set by school or children just usual price I pay for trainers and footy boots, although I always buy in sales if possible so those prices are sale price.

Savvy_Sue

Definitely worth asking if the school has a second hand shop and if not see if you can encourage PTA to get one going!

Have got off lightly, managed with 2 PE kits for 3 boys: eldest didn't need it from year 11 onwards, and youngest started when eldest was in year 12. But it was very expensive for rugby shirt and 'Dennis the menace' hooped socks. I have just discovered (after having kids at the school for last 5 years!) that they are supposed to have a PE t-shirt with a logo, which I think is £9, but mine have never complained of being in trouble for having a plain one. I know the blue shorts are supposed to be cobalt blue via the school shop, but mine have had bright blue from BHS instead, again no complaints.

It is a pain with lost PE kit, because often the child is getting into trouble for not having kit but what are we parents supposed to do?

tiff

Blimey, our kids are allowed to wear any plain t shirt and shorts for PE. Mine just wear one from last summer that still fits and I wash it when they bring it home on Fridays.

Its a Catholic school and all the children where the usual school uniform but the PE kit seems quite slack compared to some schools. I'm not complaining though.

jellyhead

i don't think PE kit is really that important, it's not what the community sees them wearing, it doesn't represent the school etc.

we wear plain blue shorts and a plain t-shirt, it doesn't have to be white. the school sells white t-shirts with its logo but they're not tumble dryable so i don't like them lol!

the school seems sympathetic to parents wanting to buy cheap clothes, plain t-shirts and shorts are available anywhere. they stipulate that it has to be plain though and no football shirts are allowed, i think that helps cut down on bullying and brand names although some kids have small logos on their shorts and t-shirts. it's not as noticable as the new seasons football shirt would be though.

if the child was in a sports team i can see the point of having a uniform for that but not for just mucking about on the school field.

Glad

the school as a whole has a strict appearance/uniform code,

uniform is
white shirt/blouse
Black v-necked knitted jumper with logo sewn on
black plain trousers
black socks
black plain shoes with no more than 2" heel
coats are to be dark coloured and no large logos, with a full-length zip
girls can wear skirts but must be 2" below knee and worn with knee-length white socks

only jewellry allowed is one plain ring and studs or small loops on ears,
hair must be a grade 2 or longer and a natural colour
make up is discouraged

elona

Glad

You think they are strict !

one of my daughters got a telling off for having a dark red elastic band holding her hair back for PE - it should have been navy or black!

The band was only a few mms wide and hardly noticable. My daughter had never been in any trouble and was a credit -while others who were always in detention etc wore whatever they liked and not a peep out of teachers.
:):)