Money Moral Dilemma: Should I challenge my daughter's school over pricier uniform with logos?

Gillemeow99

atw1979 said:

That’s the school uniform. Surely you knew what it was before you applied. If your not happy choose a different school.

Families should be able to send their children to their local school, otherwise they will be disadvantaged by having increased commute times and transport costs.

The government issued guidance about the cost of school uniform stating "Parents should not have to think about the cost of a school uniform when choosing which school(s) to apply for. Therefore, schools need to ensure that their uniform is affordable."

It's the school that's at fault here. All schools were required to comply with the guidance by September 2023.

Gillemeow99

Bonnypitlad said:

“I’m Spartacus!”
Well done Gillemeow99 for informing me of the petition 
I have signed it…I’m number 1796, I hope it reaches the required number to be raised in Parliament 
What is the point in the Government issuing guidance if the Schools choose to ignore it?
If compliance becomes part of the Ofsted inspection process it should stop these nonsense uniform requirements 
I would encourage other MSE newsletter readers to sign the petition too
Good Luck

Thanks so much!

Gillemeow99

Jason9091 said:

I don't think it's right to require logos on anything other than the blazer/jumper. But I wouldn't get too worked up about such a small issue. You have to weigh up the fact that people who get angry/frustrated/upset over small issues like this end up with high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attacks.

Please sign my petition to change the law to stop schools having expensive uniform policies. This includes setting a maximum number of branded items, allowing complaints direct to the Department for Education, bypassing the school and including compliance checks in Ofsted inspections. 

Gillemeow99

sunshinebubble said:

My sons high school also has branded trousers (at £25 a pair), blazers, jumpers, skirts, PE kit etc. the school reviewed the guidance from the government last year (summer term 2023) and determined that they were in line with the policy regarding prices as they were equally priced compared to other local high schools. Off the back of the policy they did, however, make a change to the PE kit and gave us a grand total of £14 reduction on a £400 complete uniform by changing this kit.
If he goes into school in the incorrect uniform, regardless of whether it’s because I can’t afford it or any other reason he gets put into isolation until the “issue is resolved”…

sunshinebubble said:

My sons high school also has branded trousers (at £25 a pair), blazers, jumpers, skirts, PE kit etc. the school reviewed the guidance from the government last year (summer term 2023) and determined that they were in line with the policy regarding prices as they were equally priced compared to other local high schools. Off the back of the policy they did, however, make a change to the PE kit and gave us a grand total of £14 reduction on a £400 complete uniform by changing this kit.
If he goes into school in the incorrect uniform, regardless of whether it’s because I can’t afford it or any other reason he gets put into isolation until the “issue is resolved”…

I would say that they're breaching the guidance here. Particularly with branded trousers and skirts, as multiple trousers and skirts are needed.

The guidance states 
"Schools should assess the overall cost implications of their school uniform policy for parents and be aware of how costs could mount up where multiple items of the same garment may be needed. For instance, when a child may grow out of an item quickly or where spare items are likely to be needed."

Happy to help draft a complaint letter if you would like to take this further. 

Please sign my petition to change the law to stop schools having expensive uniform policies. This includes setting a maximum number of branded items, allowing complaints direct to the Department for Education, bypassing the school and including compliance checks in Ofsted inspections. 

OptimisticAbby

sunshinebubble said:

My sons high school also has branded trousers (at £25 a pair), blazers, jumpers, skirts, PE kit etc. the school reviewed the guidance from the government last year (summer term 2023) and determined that they were in line with the policy regarding prices as they were equally priced compared to other local high schools. Off the back of the policy they did, however, make a change to the PE kit and gave us a grand total of £14 reduction on a £400 complete uniform by changing this kit.
If he goes into school in the incorrect uniform, regardless of whether it’s because I can’t afford it or any other reason he gets put into isolation until the “issue is resolved”…

Something does need to be done about this. Children’s education and emotional wellbeing should not be disrupted just because of uniform. Schools are wrong if they create issues like this. I hope your son wasn’t too upset by being treated like this. When schools behave like this, the issue moves beyond financial and into children’s wellbeing. 

My son was pulled out for wearing “narrow trousers”. I had to send in an email explaining that his trousers were standard fit, but they appeared narrow because he was tall and thin. Sounds funny, but he was embarrassed. 

daveeeeed

Gillemeow99 said:

sunshinebubble said:

My sons high school also has branded trousers (at £25 a pair), blazers, jumpers, skirts, PE kit etc. the school reviewed the guidance from the government last year (summer term 2023) and determined that they were in line with the policy regarding prices as they were equally priced compared to other local high schools. Off the back of the policy they did, however, make a change to the PE kit and gave us a grand total of £14 reduction on a £400 complete uniform by changing this kit.
If he goes into school in the incorrect uniform, regardless of whether it’s because I can’t afford it or any other reason he gets put into isolation until the “issue is resolved”…

sunshinebubble said:

My sons high school also has branded trousers (at £25 a pair), blazers, jumpers, skirts, PE kit etc. the school reviewed the guidance from the government last year (summer term 2023) and determined that they were in line with the policy regarding prices as they were equally priced compared to other local high schools. Off the back of the policy they did, however, make a change to the PE kit and gave us a grand total of £14 reduction on a £400 complete uniform by changing this kit.
If he goes into school in the incorrect uniform, regardless of whether it’s because I can’t afford it or any other reason he gets put into isolation until the “issue is resolved”…

I would say that they're breaching the guidance here. Particularly with branded trousers and skirts, as multiple trousers and skirts are needed.

The guidance states 
"Schools should assess the overall cost implications of their school uniform policy for parents and be aware of how costs could mount up where multiple items of the same garment may be needed. For instance, when a child may grow out of an item quickly or where spare items are likely to be needed."

Happy to help draft a complaint letter if you would like to take this further. 

Please sign my petition to change the law to stop schools having expensive uniform policies. This includes setting a maximum number of branded items, allowing complaints direct to the Department for Education, bypassing the school and including compliance checks in Ofsted inspections. 

Petitions and law changes not required- the guidance is sufficient, schools just have to follow it. Bypassing schools and going directly to DfE disempowers schools and will have unintended consequences. 

As others have said, this is an issue for the school governors and can be easily resolved through due process, without unnecessary escalation and bureaucracy. 

a_car_person

MSE_Kelvin said:

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

My daughter is starting at a secondary school that requires pupils to wear blazers, skirts and trousers with its logo on. Trousers with the logo on are up to £16 a pair. In contrast, you can get two pairs of school trousers for £12 from a well-known retailer. Government guidance says "schools should keep branded items to a minimum and limit their use to low cost or long-lasting items". I asked about this and got a fudged answer. I want a good relationship with the school and don't want my daughter disadvantaged by me kicking up a fuss, so should I grin and bear it and find the money to buy the required uniform, or take it further?

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What my mum did was buy the proper badged trousers for one year then from then on bought supermarket trousers and stitched the badge on from the first pair. I absolutely hated it as I was constantly worried a teacher would notice but nobody did (even one of the strictest teachers said my uniform was perfect).

Spendless

The fudged reply when you've queried it is a taste of what's to come. I highly suspect this is an Academy school which will be more focussed on things like this. I've got a 20yo still suffering with MH caused by a school more interested in what colour bag the students had rather than the bullying that was taking place that they ignored. If I had the time back I would send my child somewhere different. I'd be wary whatever you decided to do. 

Curmudgeon228

Someone on here said that the parent should have known what the school uniform policy was, and “choose” a different school. They obviously don’t know how school admissions policies work. 

lizzblue

When I was at school, eons ago now, we were given badges to sew onto uniforms. That way when the item was outgrown, you could remove the badge and sew it on to a larger size. We need to get back to recycling more. I remember my mother sewing on name labels on the collar, then the badge, or have people forgotten how to sew?