School Uniform Supply Monopolies

looby75

When dd started high school her uniform was a black blazer with a separately bought school badge that had to be sewn on (but could also be reused when a bigger blazer was needed) school tie white school shirt, black skirt/trousers. PE kit was blue shorts, white polo shirt, red netball skirt and trainers. There was an optional school track suit but we didn't bother with it as dd isn't particularly sporty.

All but the tie and badge could be bought from any shop/supermarket and the tie and badge were available from the school and a local shop for under £10

Her uniform cost me about £200 in total.

Half way through her first year they got a new head who had previously been at a private school. She decided to completely change the school uniform. For girls mainly. The first thing to change was the blazers, the school badge was no longer available to buy separately and could only be bought pre sewn on the blazer, available from one supplier, trutex direct, prices started at £35. Girls were no longer allowed to wear shirt and tie and had to have a open necked blouse with a tiny gold logo on the collar, £13.50 each. Then the PE kit was changed to a logo'd school tshirt at £10 and a skort at £14. The school tracksuit also became compulsory.....well in as much as it was the only one they were allowed to wear and if they didn't have it the were expected to do PE outside in the winter in just the tshirt and skort.

The second year of high school the uniform cost me over £300, it would have been more but she hadn't grown out of her blazer so was able to re use it.

Oh and I forgot to add, the school get 20% kick back from trutex, I wonder why they suddenly became the only supplier of the school uniform.

Sarahsaver

I had a letter somewhere from the DFE stating that schools are NOT legally entitled to insist on one specific supplier. I was a school governor. If i can dig iot out i will!

Sarahsaver

...back already ...from DfE...
Cost of school uniform

6.1. School uniform and other items that must be purchased in accordance with school rules can be expensive, particularly for low income and large families. In deciding the design of its school uniform, DCSF expects the school governing body to give high priority to cost considerations. No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend a school of their choice, due to the cost of the uniform.
7. Schools or retailers that have exclusive contracts with suppliers may in principle be subject to enforcement action under Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998, on the grounds that these exclusive agreements may restrict competition between retailers to supply uniform.
8. Local authorities have a discretionary power to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship[1].
9. The School Admissions Code places a statutory duty on all governing bodies to ensure that their policies and practices do not disadvantage any children.

[1] See sections 510 and 511 of the Education Act 1996 and the Local Education Authority (Payment of School Expenses) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No. 1727).

*Louise*

Omg I think I would be having a heart attack if my children went to some of the schools mentioned :eek:

DS1 goes to High School after the summer - the only item we have to get from the school is the tie at £2.50. They have to wear black trousers / shirt / grey V-necks with it but we can buy them from anywhere *phew*

It doesn't seem fair that some of these prices are massively hiked without giving parents the choice to shop elsewhere

vax2002

These schools and teachers are really lining themselves up for the chop.
They have got far to big for their boots, uniform policys, locking children in detention cells (isolation rooms) Striking.
It is all starting to add up and folk are really starting to get peeved off with them.

TechnoBadger

As I said in th OP, the schools themselves are probably happy with the current 'exclusive basis arrangement' as many may receive 'funding' from the supplier. We've also seen from a post earlier in the thread that simply adding a couple of extra outlets will not help keep down costs if they don't compete...

I reckon a primary school parent probably spends £20 per year extra on uniform than if, say, the school organised a termly batch and sold it on to parents at cost (or thereabouts) price. £20 per year may sound small beer, but for a three form intake primary school this amounts to nearly £13,000 for a year group as it progresses through the school - 3 classes x 30 pupils x 7 years x 20 pounds = £12,600. And each and every year a new group starts. Many parents join the PTA when their child starts school - if they helped the school / PTA with this task, during their full 7 years they would have helped save parents 7 x £12,600 = £88,200 and worthy of a 'Thank You' and a couple of bottles of wine!

This must be worth talking to the Chairman of Governors - he's / she's the one ultimately in charge of uniform policy and is unlikely to be swayed by any offerings from shops. Don't forget, this was yourmoney!

I can't help directly but will pop names of some trade suppliers that schools can use (no connection) on the board if anyone wants to try this next term! You never know, this may be all that's needed to bring your shop's price down to a more affordable level. Someone else reading this may know of good suppliers, too.

TechnoBadger

Sarahsaver wrote: »

7. Schools or retailers that have exclusive contracts with suppliers may in principle be subject to enforcement action under Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998, on the grounds that these exclusive agreements may restrict competition between retailers to supply uniform.

I don't believe that this has actually been tested in law yet, and the industry is so fragmented that how would you try to enforce this?

The racket's been going on for decades - my own school suddenly started having a strip of ribbon on the blazer sleeves and this new garment became obtainable only from their outfitter...

Sarahsaver

the schools' policies are often worded so they can use interpretation, my son starts secondary school in Sept and it says 'no extremes of hairstyle' (could mean anything if they want to take a dislike to someone...) and 'black shoes' but it does not say if trainer style without logo is ok, and it says the boys may be kept in isolation or sent home (illegal to do this kind of unofficial exclusion) if uniform is not adhered to. Rules for rules' sake, i really am seriously considering home ed if it does not work out. Daughters bus is £10 a week, sons will be as much if not more, meals its about £10 to £15 a week. No such thing as a free state education!

looby75

oh I forgot about another sneaky thing thats been brought in, name embroidering on uniform.

DS's junior school used to have a really good second hand uniform sale every term, when he started I got most of his logo'd uniform there including a really good school coat all for less than £30. Then the school changed supplier and introduced compulsory name embroidery on all uniform bought from them, and the quality is no where near as good as it used to be.

Which means they can't be resold at the second hand uniform sale :wall:

I get ds plain fruit of the loom sweatshirts from Ebay for less than half the price of the new school ones.

borderlakland

DD starts high school in september and will join her brother (yr8) and sister (yr11) this year the school (after an appalling ofsted report) has decided to "up" the image of the school by ditching the old uniform of logo'd polo and sweatshirts, and changing to shirts, logo'd jumpers and Blazers with school badge, and ties.. badges can not be bought and sewen onto a blazer/jumper they have to be purchased from the school. admitatdly the quality doesn't appear too bad but time will tell how they wash and wear.
What really annoyed me is that there was no phasing in of the uniform, DD will be in yr 11 in sept and finishes school (apart from exams) in may but she still has to have a full new uniform which to me seems pointless. :mad: