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School Uniform

BigShadowtinytree

BigShadowtinytree

TS Member
Team edit: Posts moved from the Top Rip Offs thread

The cost of secondary school uniform. Still reeling over the shock. Going from £100 to kit out two kids for primary, to almost £400 to kit out one child for secondary in all the branded nonsense the school insists on. I bought slightly oversized in the hopes my kid can get at least a couple of years use out of it all but we are about to enter a time where they are growing at their fastest rate since the baby years, so who knows if my plan will work out.

The financial demands these schools put on parents are too much. They’ve learnt nothing from the cost of living crisis. Doesn’t need to be so expensive. It’s not even comfortable for them to wear and they all look ridiculous going to school like they’re ready for a day in court or something.
 
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BigShadowtinytree said:
The cost of secondary school uniform. Still reeling over the shock. Going from £100 to kit out two kids for primary, to almost £400 to kit out one child for secondary in all the branded nonsense the school insists on. I bought slightly oversized in the hopes my kid can get at least a couple of years use out of it all but we are about to enter a time where they are growing at their fastest rate since the baby years, so who knows if my plan will work out.

The financial demands these schools put on parents are ridiculous. They’ve learnt nothing from the cost of living crisis. Doesn’t need to be so expensive. It’s not even comfortable for them to wear and they all look ridiculous going to school like they’re ready for a day in court or something.
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Haven't the government tabled a bill to do something about this yet?

When I was at school, they insisted on a school branded sweater and tie only. The rest, such as PE kits and shirts were just colour guides and you could buy cheap unbranded stuff. There was controversy when they allowed us to not wear ties in the summer months but only if you bought a school branded polo shirt.

Now they're insisting on expensive blazers, full branded PE kits (including socks and shorts), separate boots for rugby and football (as football is played on astro) and it costs £hundreds. The boys aren't far apart in age and size, and my daughter will obviously be smaller and need to the female equivalents, so I can't even rely on hand-me-downs.

How do less fortunate families than mine afford all this?
 
Matt.GC said:
Haven't the government tabled a bill to do something about this yet?

When I was at school, they insisted on a school branded sweater and tie only. The rest, such as PE kits and shirts were just colour guides and you could buy cheap unbranded stuff. There was controversy when they allowed us to not wear ties in the summer months but only if you bought a school branded polo shirt.

Now they're insisting on expensive blazers, full branded PE kits (including socks and shorts), separate boots for rugby and football (as football is played on astro) and it costs £hundreds. The boys aren't far apart in age and size, and my daughter will obviously be smaller and need to the female equivalents, so I can't even rely on hand-me-downs.

How do less fortunate families than mine afford all this?
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They have yes, not really a new thing either at this point: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-to-drive-down-cost-of-school-uniform-for-families
The Department for Education (DfE) cost of school uniform guidance means schools in England must ensure that school uniform costs are reasonable, and parents get the best value for money.
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This is not happening. Not in secondary schools. Granted some changes have been made, a school near me had striped shirts for decades as part of their uniform and in the last couple of years changed to generic white shirts that can be bought from anywhere. So that’s progress I guess. Still need an expensive branded blazer, jumper and pe kit though.

My daughter’s school apparently went from skirts with branding on, to plain skirts. However the skirts still have to be specific ones bought from specific shops with one skirt costing the same as a multipack equivalent from a supermarket.

I also think with some schools, they try to price certain demographics out via their uniforms. They don’t want the ‘riff raff’ bringing their results and reputation down, they can’t outright say that, they do it in a more subtle way.

The kids get punished in the form of detentions, eventually escalating to isolation for having incorrect uniform. No parent wants that for their kid so of course we all comply, with gritted teeth and a sense of resentment. Only way to stop this is if all parents band together but I can’t see that happening.

This is presumably how many schools are getting away with it:
To support families, schools will have to make sure second-hand uniforms are available
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They just say “well you can buy second hand to save money”. Problem being all parents can’t buy second hand because there isn’t the second hand stock available to kit out every single child. My child is on the small side, most things at the second hand uniform ‘shop’ the school puts on is way too big. Also it shouldn’t have to come to that, uniforms should be affordable in the first place. I should be able to walk into Asda who sell a wide variety of school uniform items at a very reasonable price and get everything my child needs.

The contrast in uniform requirements between primary and secondary schools is stark, my younger child goes to school in all generic unbranded stuff in school colours, my older child goes to school looking like a walking advertising board for the school and it’s academy trust. I don’t really see a good reason why that needs to be the case.

To me it gives the impression that the school is more concerned about their ‘image’ than the welfare and education of the kids.
 
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Matt.GC said:
When I was at school, they insisted on a school branded sweater and tie only. The rest, such as PE kits and shirts were just colour guides and you could buy cheap unbranded stuff.
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My school was the same, you needed the school tie, but any navy jumper, white shirt and black or grey trousers was OK. We did have specific PE kit though, needed the school rugby shirt and shorts, but I think two rugby tops got me through the five years of school. The short was reversible gold (yellow) on one side and dark blue the other so two teams could be made easily for most things.
 
I remember the toll on my parents when I got to 15, as I had a massive growth spurt. Coupled with loosing a tonne of weight playing rugby. I don't think any of my uniform ever fit. Half mast kecks and a jumper handed down from my brother, 5 years older than me.

My old secondary school changed it's uniform from a white shirt and jumper to a full blazer and tie. Despite the massive up roar they went ahead. The cost amazing. The excuse was "this is smarter" they look horrible. I don't see the issue with a decent jumper or polo shirt with the school logo. No need to send comprehensive school kids to school dressed like an Etonian has been ordered from temu.
 
I don’t really get why school uniforms have to be all branded, or anything like as formal as they often are. Surely a branded jumper or cardigan would suffice, with the rest being able to be bought from the generic range in Asda or similar?

My secondary school was probably more lenient than most on uniform, but even then, we needed a whole branded PE kit, and being a boy, I was also forced to have football boots. Being a teenager with a disproportionately small waist relative to my height, I seem to remember the branded stuff being a nightmare for my mum to buy, with the stuff from the school shop normally coming up either massive on the waist or short on the legs.

To be honest, I don’t really get the need for school uniform full stop. Plenty of countries in Europe, as well as the USA and Canada, cope fine without school uniform, and it doesn’t aid learning at all (if anything, I imagine it might inhibit learning, if uncomfortable). The justification was always that it “readies you for the workplace”, but I don’t see that this is true anymore; the fact that my dad, in a management role, rocks up to the office in a polo shirt, chinos and smart casual shoes and is not exactly out of place would suggest that the workplace is growing more casual. Certainly, I know that in a number of industries, the dress code is often very casual. The only jobs I can think of that would require wearing a uniform are customer facing roles in retail or hospitality, roles working with heavy machinery, and some roles in the healthcare sector. And even in those cases, it’ll often be no more than a branded shirt.

With that being the case, I don’t see how dressing schoolchildren in blazers, ties and such is relevant to the modern day workplace anymore.
 
Matt N said:
To be honest, I don’t really get the need for school uniform full stop. Plenty of countries in Europe, as well as the USA and Canada, cope fine without school uniform, and it doesn’t aid learning at all (if anything, I imagine it might inhibit learning, if uncomfortable). The justification was always that it “readies you for the workplace”, but I don’t see that this is true anymore;
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The whole idea behind a school uniform is that it's supposed to be an affordable and practical leveller for all students, and that it removes stigma and class divides. There's no pressure to buy designer clothes, or foot ware, the latest fashion trends do not matter.

The present trend for everything having to be branded to the nth degree can be explained by introduction of for profit, and private, enterprises into our education system. Multi-Academy Trusts are businesses, and they're run and branded as such. The uniform now isn't for the student, or for the parent, it's a walking advertisement for the school / trust.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with hard wearing school trousers, a polo shirt and a jumper (with a school badge on). That's as much as you need. Practical, hard wearing, affordable, washable and bland.

Tony Blair really does have a sodding lot to answer for.
 
I'm fully supportive of school uniform. It's main driver historically is indeed a social class leveller. We have very little to learn from the USA education system for a multitude of reasons, where poorer students have far worse outcomes than they do here, spending per pupil is less, school shootings are common, and some schools in poorer areas have to have a heavy security personnel presence and metal detectors as students walk in.

It encourages school students to look smart, encourages a sense of belonging, and teaches discipline. Anyway, whilst work wear is far more casual than it was even 10 years ago, it's still extremely common. Very few people actually work in jobs where they can wear whatever the hell they want. Even some non-public facing roles also have dress codes, and PPE is essential in many roles. So I wouldn't assume that work wear requirements are going the way if the dodo, I'd struggle to compile a comprehensive list of jobs where there aren't any at all.

My children go to school dressed very smartly, and I'm glad of that as so they should. They should dress smart for a day of learning. But the cost of doing so is ridiculously expensive, especially at an age when their bodies change enormously in a five year period. That's where the rip-off is. Most companies in the world of work will provide essential uniform or PPE free or of low cost to the employee, or if there's just a dress code then it's likely you'll be purchasing clothes you can also wear for other things. Besides they're paying you to be there anyway and if you don't like it that much then you do have the option of seeking alternative employment, whereas education is (rightly) a legal requirement and there really isn't much choice.

I can understand cost price blazers or sweatshirts with branded ties. But branded shirts? If the PE kit consists of navy blue shorts, why can't parents buy an unbranded pair from ASDA? Plus this branded uniform is often sold at premium prices.
 
I’m not against uniform either, it takes a lot of stress out of the morning with not having to plan what to wear each day. I can do a uniform wash on a Friday/Saturday and know that that’s my children’s clothes for the school sorted for the week. I don’t feel it necessarily stops the class divide/bullying, although it probably reduces it (not sure if any studies have been done on this) as kids can tell these things in other ways, such as the type of school shoes you wear, the back pack you have, wearing an obviously second hand uniform can also make a child a target.

I don’t understand the need for blazers, shirt and tie, it’s so dated and not really practical for say, design and technology or art or a practical science lesson. I remember from my own school days that blazers are not exactly comfortable either, don’t provide any warmth in winter and get too hot during summer. Polo shirt, jumper/cardigan and plain skirt/trousers should be more than smart enough for school. I don’t even see the need for it to be branded but if a school is so insistent on branded this or that, maybe they should look at providing it to the kids themselves if it’s so important to them.

My work is getting new uniforms and I have been given a brand new, correctly sized branded uniform at no cost to me. Embroidered logo and everything. Some of the branded stuff I’ve had to buy for my own kid doesn’t have embroidered logos, just printed which is not what I expected for the price paid and I’m waiting for the day it start peeling off. I certainly won’t be rushing to buy a replacement.
 
BigShadowtinytree said:
My work is getting new uniforms and I have been given a brand new, correctly sized branded uniform at no cost to me
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There are laws around the cost of getting work uniforms too, if you had to buy your own uniform then the cost of uniform can't push you below minimum wage. https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/national-minimum-wage-manual/nmwm11220
You can also claim the tax back on the cost of maintaining uniform (although this might be a very small amount!)
www.gov.uk

Claim tax relief for your job expenses

Claiming tax relief on expenses you have to pay for your work, like uniforms, tools, travel and working from home costs.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
All of my work uniform was FOC. Needed some more, ordered it. Polos, steelies, bump cap, helmet, different types of gloves job dependant, safety specs, gaiter, hi viz orange or yellow site dependant top to toe. All provided.

Charging rip off prices ain't it. School or workplace.
 
All my uniform at Sainsbury's and Manchester Airport was provided free of charge. Needed some new shoes for the airport, but I actually needed some new smart shoes anyway, so it wasn't actually a big deal.

With school uniform, I can understand the jumper/jacket and maybe PE top being school-branded. Shirts, blouses, trousers, skirts etc? No. Should be absolutely no need for them to only come from one specific place and at a huge cost.
 
Think having uniforms can also help police/public etc spot children who should be in school who are playing truant or have runaway easier than if they were just walking about in regular clothes.

It's disgusting though, think for junior school you just needed to buy a school scarf. And for my secondary school it was the tie and badge (branded jumpers were available but not mandatory) and a reversible sports top.

Uniform rules have always been awful though, used to have a morning assembly and the last classrooms in would have to stand at the back. There'd be people fainting almost every week.
 
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