School Uniform Supply Monopolies

borderlakland

TechnoBadger wrote: »

So the school want to quickly 'up' its image and parents are the ones footing the bill? That's crazy - I'd like to think that the new uniform was sold to you at cost price or below! (Not much hope of that I guess). After an apalling OFSTED surely there were more pressing problems than an immediate change of uniform? The cynic in me says that the funds they raise will help pay for some of them of them to be addressed! How much is a blazer? I had to pay £65 for my son's first secondary school blazer. It was much the same as one I could have bought from a wholesaler for £12.99 apart from the embroidered badge. Needless to say the badge was removed and re-sewn on plain blazers from then on...

nope def not at cost price lol... usual crap about "offering an affordable supplier etc etc" can't find the price list but it wasn''t what i would call affordable, but annoys me that there isn't the option to source a cheaper option, and add a badge etc
i personally think the school needs to adress many more serious problems before it worries about the uniform.
I have no issues buying dd her uniform as i would have had to buy her a new one regardless. its supplying eldest dd with a whole new uniform for her last year of high school that winds me up.

rosalie-lavender

pigpen wrote: »

We weren't told the prices of the uniform until the induction day by which time it was too late to change schools.. but I would gladly pay my left arm to provide the uniform for the sake of the better education they get.

How much were your blazers if you don't mind sharing? I am yet to find anyone who pays more than we did! I jut want to know I'm not the only twit who willingly pays it!

The last time I bought a blazer from the proper uniform supplier it was about £45 but that was going right back to 2004 when my son started. I should imagine they cost a lot more now. By the time my daughter started the school, a new uniform supplier had started supplying the uniform at a greatly reduced price much to the disgust of the official place. The new supplier sells a blazer and jumper for what it was costing for just the blazer alone. The logo is embroidered on the blazer pocket and the jumpers are plain black with a stripe round the v neck. The quality is better at the cheaper supplier too.

My daughters friend left the secondary school after 6 weeks and I was given her blazer which was the next size up, so I have only had to buy my daughter one blazer in all the time she has been at secondary school.

I do remember on a different forum a few years ago someone paying about £140 for a blazer for a primary school child. I seem to recall comments along the lines of "the cost of the uniform keeps out the riff raff."

scooby088

School uniform is expensive when there is only one supplier, in our town there is a market stall that sells cheap school uniform but with every year and as schools change to academies or re brand the supply is getting more and more scarce. The schools don't seem to realise that some cannot afford the expense of having an exclusive and often rubbish supplier of school uniform. The quality is so darn rubbish too.

hardpressed

I think we need to call on Martin to get a campaign going to force school to have a basic uniform that can be bought from any shop.

rosalie-lavender

hardpressed wrote: »

I think we need to call on Martin to get a campaign going to force school to have a basic uniform that can be bought from any shop.

Good idea.

GobbledyGook

My DD's school has a full uniform list that you can buy. Technically the children should be wearing school bought blazers, jackets, jumpers, polo shirts, pe kits and gym bags.They also have skirts for girls as they have a tartan skirt as a choice and have badges available for sewing onto blazers, polo shirts and sweatshirts if you want.

However, thankfully the head is a sensible woman who has said that black trousers or skirt and plain black cardigan or jumper worn with a white shirt and school tie is perfectly acceptable to her. All she asks is that pupils are appropriately dressed for school. Each child is given a tie when they start. That is a complete change from the last HT (before my DD started) who was very harsh in insisting that all children must wear the full uniform bought from the school all logo'ed. As it is because people are not under pressure to buy the pe kit and the likes anymore more children actually wear the school jumper because people don't mind buying one thing and it's reasonably priced.

I've bought my DD the school jacket because it's great quality and DD2 can wear it when it gets too small for her and also a couple of cardigans (unusual colour and DD loves it). Other than that she just wears plain black trousers/pinafore and cardigan with a shirt and tie. A very sensible policy imo.

I abhor the practise of putting children into detention for their attire. 5, 6 and 7 year-olds don't decide what they wear in the morning (mostly). They don't decide what their parents can and cannot afford. For that matter neither do teenagers. Children should not be punished for either their parents financial situation or lack of planning/organisation.

pigpen

rosalie-lavender wrote: »

The last time I bought a blazer from the proper uniform supplier it was about £45 but that was going right back to 2004 when my son started. I should imagine they cost a lot more now. By the time my daughter started the school, a new uniform supplier had started supplying the uniform at a greatly reduced price much to the disgust of the official place. The new supplier sells a blazer and jumper for what it was costing for just the blazer alone. The logo is embroidered on the blazer pocket and the jumpers are plain black with a stripe round the v neck. The quality is better at the cheaper supplier too.

My daughters friend left the secondary school after 6 weeks and I was given her blazer which was the next size up, so I have only had to buy my daughter one blazer in all the time she has been at secondary school.

I do remember on a different forum a few years ago someone paying about £140 for a blazer for a primary school child. I seem to recall comments along the lines of "the cost of the uniform keeps out the riff raff."

My sons was £140 in 2005 and DS2's was £150 last year.. They are ordinary black blazers with gold buttons which are specific to the school... but you can't buy the buttons on heir own!!!!! And they are put in isolation if they have buttons missing!!!!!!

So if they lose a button.. you can't replace it they boy gets in bother and you have to buy a new blazer at £150!!!

pigpen

GobbledyGook wrote: »

I abhor the practise of putting children into detention for their attire. 5, 6 and 7 year-olds don't decide what they wear in the morning (mostly). They don't decide what their parents can and cannot afford. For that matter neither do teenagers. Children should not be punished for either their parents financial situation or lack of planning/organisation.

Uniform is not compulsory for primary school though so children under 11 wouldn't be in bother .. and if they do as a parent you could take them to task on it.

The high school my girls are at have them a few bits after a teachers stupidity meant their stuff was stolen. DD1 was also given the winter coat when I refued to buy her one as I had spent £65 on a perfectly adequate winter coat and wasn't paying £35 for another one she didn't really need..

GobbledyGook

pigpen wrote: »

Uniform is not compulsory for primary school though so children under 11 wouldn't be in bother .. and if they do as a parent you could take them to task on it.

The high school my girls are at have them a few bits after a teachers stupidity meant their stuff was stolen. DD1 was also given the winter coat when I refued to buy her one as I had spent £65 on a perfectly adequate winter coat and wasn't paying £35 for another one she didn't really need..

I know it's not, but HT's often try and enforce it anyway. They seem to forget that children don't do the shopping and budgeting in families. I would take them to task on it, but lots of people don't always realise that it's not compulsory.

I feel the same about older children as well. 13/14 year olds don't get to pick and choose how their family's precious budget is spent. As long as children are dressed smartly and appropriately I don't see the need to go any further than that.

The attitude of the HT at DD's school means that far more children now wear shirt and tie again and it's much nicer/smarter imo than the trend for sweatshirts in schools.

pigpen

I think a lot of heads have God Complexes.. you know if they hadn't gone into teaching they would have been a doctor...

I make sure as any people as possible know uniform is not compulsory and also as a governor requesed it be put into the prospectus that uniform is not compulsory it does help with getting dressed in the morning and means children are not damaging nice clothes at school while taking part in messy activities and waffle about the uniform being preferred to avoid favourite items being damaged about 20% of the chidren are non-british so it also has to be flexible to cover cultural needs and I think about 90% do wear uniform.

Shirt and tie is great but so hot in warmer months.. esp if they decide the jumpers are non-negotiable then they just boil. At the boys school here they had boys faint from the heat and dehydration when they were not allowed to remove he thick wool jumpers!