Legal action against School due to the cost of School uniforms, Please advise

FBaby

Just wanted to ask: Are you sure you have to buy the school fleece, book bag and PE Bag? My son has gone to two different schools in different towns and although these were offered, they were not required. He had his own jacket so didn't need a fleece. I did by the PE bag and school bag because they were actually much better quality than the supermarket equivalent. He has his book bag for 2 years now and is fine to do his last year too.

Lunar_Eclipse

Surely this is a wind up, because those prices are really cheap.

£6.95 for a sweatshirt is cheaper than Tesco & Primark, so I don't think you have any basis for legal action. You do however have the choice to home educate and thus opt out of the system.

School sweatshirts at our primary school are £18 each. At our secondary school, the compulsory skirts are £40.

claire16c

Legal action over a comparatively cheap school uniform? Funniest thread I've seen in a while.

pigpen

aliasojo wrote: »

I'm just glad uniform (usually) no longer includes berets.

I had a stupid black thing with a yellow badge and elastic under my chin. I did all my best scowling wearing that thing. :rotfl:

Actually.. 2 of mine had berets years 7-9.. £10 for the beret and £5 for the badge I had to sew on myself... for DS2 it was £20 with it sewn on.

One of the schools here has straw boaters in summer and berets in winter..

ETA.. the school with the berets would send the boys home if their hair covered their ears!! They had to have hair at a number 2-4 throughout school.. the first thing most do on leaving is grow their hair to a daft length!! lol.. As a parent it is usually in the bunkum you sign on their admission stating you will send them in FULL uniform and keep their hair at this length.. have you tried cutting the hair of a boy a foot taller than you when they don't want it doing? lol..

neverdespairgirl

I never had a school uniform where bits of it could be bought elsewhere - at both the boarding and secondary day schools I went to all of it had to be official, skirts, blouses, ties, jumpers, blazers, coats, and all PE kit.

fluffnutter

saayinla wrote: »

Perhaps I didnt make my whole intention clear , this is just not about the cost but the fact that kids are not allowed into class if the uniform is not 100% as provided by the school, I dont want compensation but I am talking more along the line of allowing parents to decide if they want to buy from the school or elsewhere, as long as it confirms to the uniform standards

You have a point. Much of the comment so far has concentrated on the cost of the uniform but there's also the issue of fair competition.

AFAIK, schools are discouraged from having a single uniform supplier and insisting that parents use this because it creates a monopoly which contravenes fair trade legislation. These particular items might not be prohibitively expensive but what's to stop the company deciding to double or triple the price of everything? If no other company gets a look in, parents will have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded.

It's certainly worth pursuing, IMO. There should be at least two suppliers.

MissMoneypenny

saayinla wrote: »

I have 2 set of twins one in year 4 the second in reception come September. Thats 2 pairs each for 4 kids.

If you are claiming the benefits Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits, then use that money for their uniform. That money is meant to be spent on the children.

lika_86

fluffnutter wrote: »

You have a point. Much of the comment so far has concentrated on the cost of the uniform but there's also the issue of fair competition.

AFAIK, schools are discouraged from having a single uniform supplier and insisting that parents use this because it creates a monopoly which contravenes fair trade legislation. These particular items might not be prohibitively expensive but what's to stop the company deciding to double or triple the price of everything? If no other company gets a look in, parents will have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded.

It's certainly worth pursuing, IMO. There should be at least two suppliers.

A monopoly does not in an of itself infringe competition law, more is required than simply being the only supplier of a good or service. There is no requirement for there to be two suppliers.

Emmylou_2

Has anyone else noticed the combo of "polo shirt (with logo)" and "tie".

Just *shudders* NO.

Polo shirts are fine. Wonderful items of clothing. Generally hard-wearing, practical etc. Ties are also wonderful items of clothing - they can be smart (assuming people tie them correctly). One can tie them round one's head and pretend to be Rambo. One can use them to identify letting and recruitment agents who don't have a clue (generally they are smuggling samosas in the knot). But never the twain should meet!

*goes off to corner, rocking and muttering about the "good old days"* (and I'm only in my mid30s)

laurel7172

My school uniform cost £70.

That was in 1980.

But I agree that the school should allow time for a changeover. My children's secondary school has changed its uniform twice and always allowed a year's grace..The only exception was when they changed the tie to a clip-on (to stop customisation at a guess)...they issued the new ones free of charge. I guess they had to. I know I wouldn't have bought a new one when we already had one in the correct colour and pattern.