School uniform and benefits

SingleSue

Dunroamin wrote: »

School uniform is dirt cheap these days and not that expensive even if bought from exclusive shops. You seem to think that £150 is a high price to pay but that doesn't seem a lot to me to buy the clothes a child will be wearing 5 days a week for about 40 weeks a year. There are many parents who would baulk at this amount but think nothing of paying the same price for an expensive pair of trainers and a couple of pairs of designer jeans.

Sometimes it's all about priorities.

If you times it by how many children you have, it can be quite expensive.

It cost me nigh on £400 to kit out two children for the September start, mainly because the school insists on everything having their crest on (including socks for crying out loud!) and also being the only place you can purchase from. As it is a new uniform, there were no second hand items available or hand me downs and woe betide if your child goes in with an item not with their crest on...they get sent home!

To add salt into the wounds, the things don't even last the school year they are that shoddily made, all the parents are moaning like mad about it.

Re my clothes, I baulk at spending more than £10 for a pair of trainers (the ones I have now were free, given by a neighbour), the last pair a fiver. I probably spend less than £50 a year on clothes and shoes for myself (my court shoes are 7 or 8 years old and cost £3)

That said, I may moan about it but they always have their uniform as per specifications. I know I have to buy it so budget accordingly...I just resent how much it is for the quality we get and the fact we can't shop around.

mumps

Poppy9 wrote: »

I am intrigued at what this expensive calculator is. I just had to buy a new one for DD as she said the display was fading on her original (bought in 2006) so bought the same one (Casio 85) as school specify Casio but it's under a tenner which I think is quite cheap.

DD does Math, Chem & Physics A level so it takes a battering and the other one lasted 6 years so this one should see her through uni.

Hers cost about £30, I can't remember the model but her school didn't recommend the Casio, they preferred them all to have the same model so I went for the top one they recommended, as most people did.

Did you DD have this from year 7, if she is doing A levels now and had the original one in 2006? We were definitely advised to buy more expensive model at start of A levels and it was a good investment as it lasted her through uni.

Tigsteroonie

Just an aside, I bought a scientific calculator in 1983 when I started my Maths O'level, it then saw me through two Maths A'levels .... I still use that same calculator at home now and, more amazingly, I think I've only replaced the batteries once!

mumps

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

Just an aside, I bought a scientific calculator in 1983 when I started my Maths O'level, it then saw me through two Maths A'levels .... I still use that same calculator at home now and, more amazingly, I think I've only replaced the batteries once!

My daughter's is wearing well so I think in the long run it was a good investment. £30 and it has seen her through 3 A levels, one degree, and still in use now for her post grad studies. The other person has bought two in that time so who knows how long the second one will last? Although I object to how schools tell us to spend our money maybe they get it right sometimes.

mumps

SingleSue wrote: »

If you times it by how many children you have, it can be quite expensive.

It cost me nigh on £400 to kit out two children for the September start, mainly because the school insists on everything having their crest on (including socks for crying out loud!) and also being the only place you can purchase from. As it is a new uniform, there were no second hand items available or hand me downs and woe betide if your child goes in with an item not with their crest on...they get sent home!

To add salt into the wounds, the things don't even last the school year they are that shoddily made, all the parents are moaning like mad about it.

Re my clothes, I baulk at spending more than £10 for a pair of trainers (the ones I have now were free, given by a neighbour), the last pair a fiver. I probably spend less than £50 a year on clothes and shoes for myself (my court shoes are 7 or 8 years old and cost £3)

That said, I may moan about it but they always have their uniform as per specifications. I know I have to buy it so budget accordingly...I just resent how much it is for the quality we get and the fact we can't shop around.

I do agree with you about quality. When I started grammar school in the 60s the uniform was expensive but it certainly did last. We had a skirt with a bib top in year 7 and 8, in year nine we unpicked the bib top which made the skirt drop to our waists making it longer and we then wore that until sixth form when the uniform changed, not that I stayed for sixth form. The idea that the uniform at my DDs school would have lasted five years is hilarious. My school skirt looked better after five years than daughters did after one.

Poppy9

mumps wrote: »

Hers cost about £30, I can't remember the model but her school didn't recommend the Casio, they preferred them all to have the same model so I went for the top one they recommended, as most people did.

Did you DD have this from year 7, if she is doing A levels now and had the original one in 2006? We were definitely advised to buy more expensive model at start of A levels and it was a good investment as it lasted her through uni.

The school likes them all to have the same make (casio) calculator (easier for teacher when they are new to using them). She wasn't told to buy a new one for A levels but she said over Xmas that her screen was fading (poor light as the back up batteries which you can't replace probably fading so reliant on solar) so just in case teh exam room was a bit dim bought her a new one for her A2 exams in January.

She has this one

The school specify this one as it's not programmable or does graphic which would enable them to cheat in exams so is therefore not allowed.

She's done her AS exams and is on her A2 now and it's done the job with no complaints.

Poppy9

Regarding state schools limiting parents where they can buy uniform and using expensive suppliers I think the Govt. needs to act.

I complained to DD school when they introduced logo trousers, skirts, PE kit, blouses, shirts etc. and their attitude was that I was lucky she was able to go to the school. I pointed out that it was her catchment area school (all schools here are catchment area based) so she wasn't lucky and the school should remember it was a state school.

I also complained, as did other parents, about the poor quality. They did seek a new supplier due to the complaints and they failed to stop a local supplier selling their PE kit and Sweatshirts as the school emblem was not copyrighted unlike the new logo they introduced for trousers etc. They also agreed parents could just buy plain white shirts/blouses so parent power can change things.

If you have no joy with your school Headteacher then go direct to Governing body. The school governors are elected periodically so you could even stand on the basis of the uniform issue and see if parents vote you in.

Luckily DD was not so up it self that it had blazers, berets, tartan skirts as part of uniform but I know one of my work colleagues DD school did. She said you had to buy the tartan fabric and have the skirts made and the fabric was dry clean only. Girls were not allowed trousers so she protested against this, used sex discrimination etc and girls were then allowed to wear black trousers.

mumps

Poppy9 wrote: »

The school likes them all to have the same make (casio) calculator (easier for teacher when they are new to using them). She wasn't told to buy a new one for A levels but she said over Xmas that her screen was fading (poor light as the back up batteries which you can't replace probably fading so reliant on solar) so just in case teh exam room was a bit dim bought her a new one for her A2 exams in January.

She has this one

The school specify this one as it's not programmable or does graphic which would enable them to cheat in exams so is therefore not allowed.

She's done her AS exams and is on her A2 now and it's done the job with no complaints.

I don't know why her school recommended the one they did, I know it was on her uni list as well so I assume it is a good one and is still suitable for her current studies. I can't swear to it but I think her calculator was programmable as they used school calculators for the exam, identical in operation for what they needed in the exam but approved for exams. If they wanted to use a personal calculator it had to be checked by the examination officer at the school.

We were quite lucky as my DH spotted one at a car boot sale for £1.50 so she had a spare if she needed it but she never has, so it sits there as the bargain that never was. Maybe hers will wear out one day and she can use the spare.

notanewuser

My scientific calculator was programmable and could do graphics (I sat my A levels in 1996). That was the requested calculator. We had to turn up for our exams 10 minutes early so that the invigilators could go around and "reset" them all to avoid any cheating.

Poppy9

notanewuser wrote: »

My scientific calculator was programmable and could do graphics (I sat my A levels in 1996). That was the requested calculator. We had to turn up for our exams 10 minutes early so that the invigilators could go around and "reset" them all to avoid any cheating.

They have to turn up 15 minutes early now so they can check under religious headresses for anything that could be used to enable them to cheat in exams :rotfl::rotfl: