School uniforms

Our local church decided to start a uniform shop. Basically it's all secondhand donated things. It's well organised with different schools and age groups. Parents can take things free or donate what they can afford. I think its a wonderful idea and more churches should do it.

maddyone

Parents have always bought school uniforms.

I don't know how far back you remember, but there used to be grants to help towards school uniforms. My friend at my grammar school said her mum got help.

School uniforms were originally meant to level up pupils, but what is happening to prices now achieves totally the opposite. It is definitely time to get rid of them altogether, as in most other civilised democracies.

I think most if not all of western Europe as well as most other parts of the world do not have school uniforms and those students I have seen are usually dressed casually in jeans and tee Shirts etc.
The countries which do have uniforms seem to be those which are mostly English speaking ex colonies, Caribbean, India, Australia, NZ.p etc. Maybe Canada though not sure about that.

Communist countries always had school uniform which has maybe changed now, but Cuba, still communist, retains them.

I admired the impeccably dressed students in Jamaica years ago, in their pale blue uniforms which must have needed frequent washing though facilities to do it were so limited. They went fir half days with a different group going on the other half.
I am not against uniforms but I am against the particular design and high cost of some which don’t allow parents choice.

It’s interesting the pro uniform argument. I’m a bit undecided but that’s because if the competitive fashion conscious attitudes around.
In Italy they dont have a uniform but nor do they have students/pupils dressing as if for a nightclub. Jeans and polo shirt or sweater is what they go for , end of story !

The little ones have no uniform except a mind if overall thing which keeps them clean and us very cute.

The more petty rules a school has, the more pupils will rebel, and it is such a waste of teachers’ time dealing with uniform problems.
I am horrified at the cost of special school clothing. It should all be generic stuff which can be bought cheaply, apart from one distinctive item.
My grandchildren have clothes they have hardly worn because of Covid closures, but grown out of. Fortunately there is a second hand school shop,

Just to clarify. Its an Academy school in high demand,so I wonder if that influenced the uniform policy as others said?
The shoes can be leather look but because of the very narrow range of acceptable designs limits us to Clarkes or similar, definitely not supermarket designs sadly! The only item which we can purchase from supermarkets are the shirts and plain socks! Everything else is branded items and as others have said there is no option to remove badge and sew on to another (cheaper blazer) firstly because its integrated in to the fabric and secondly because there is also fancy pipping on the lapels which cant be got on other blazers
My children went to private schools for part of their education and their uniform was proportionately cheaper! So this was a shock
As Miss A said the PE kits can be silly too ours includes rugby shirts with logo and house colour, football boots, and trainers! Logo polo shirts and shorts, and their own sport socks with tiny emblem!
There is NO second hand shop, and none of the charity shops or face book have been any help! we did see some on sale on fb but only year 11 and he is starting year 7!
The school has a gifted and talented programme and is a single sex school, so I do wonder if they are trying to be selective via the back door!

When my ordinary comprehensive was manipulated into becoming an academy (and many have been, I promise) the white polo shirt, grey sweatshirt and black trousers for girls and boys (very few girls wore skirts) became ties for all, blazer, specific brand trousers for all and specific skirts for girls.
'Parents want to see pupils in nice uniform' was the mantra.
Ties for girls - why? Equality!!
Most of the girls in skirts caused no end of aggravation for teachers. At one stage teachers had to check ties were done up properly and skirts weren't too short before every lesson. Great way to start a lesson. Teachers who were caught with untidy kids in their room were admonished.
It was the academy sponsors making these rules, not the school.

Schools often have a range of good quality second-hand uniform for sale. My 4 youngest GC are still in school and except for their school jumpers which has the school crest embroidered on it the remainder of their uniform can be bought in the High Street shops and supermarkets.

Personally, I believe a basic uniform is a good thing - otherwise there could be too much rivalry over who’s designer stuff is best and bullying (whether passive or aggressive) of those who can’t compete?
My own uniform at Grammar School was exclusive and expensive - even down to the felt hat and hatban, but DDs attended Independent Schools where the only pieces of ‘special’ uniform were Winter duffle coats and striped blazers. It sounds as if things are reverting to my school days in the ‘60s and getting out of hand.

My primary school back in the 50s didn’t have a uniform. When I went to grammar school all items of clothing, down to knickers and socks, were specified and could only be obtained from three specific shops. The shops in question were quite expensive ones. I can’t imagine what my uniform must have cost and I suspect my grandparents helped as my parents weren’t well off. The only exceptions were the dancing dress and the summer shirtwaister dress which could be made to a specified pattern in a specified fabric, again available only at said three shops. So Mum made those items. They were also available ready-made and of course that’s what all the girls from better off families had. We also had to buy a particular tennis racquet and hockey stick from the school (they did have some which could be borrowed but if you had to do that it was a real giveaway so I suspect my grandparents stepped in again).
When my son went to secondary school they were much more relaxed about where uniforms came from so long as they were the specified black blazer with school badge sewn on, black trousers, white shirt, school tie and there were also an inexpensive jumper and polo shirt each with school logo. I was very grateful for that because children get through clothes so quickly and at the time I didn’t have a lot of money. Possibly the school considered the fact that its catchment included some quite poor areas.

Actually I worked in a Primary school where the pressure for a “special “ school uniform came from the parents.

We just had white shirt, grey jumper, skirt, trousers. You could get them from Asda.

The parents campaigned for something more exclusive and identifiable. (And inevitably more expensive)

It was even given as the reason for choosing other schools rather than ours. The money schools get to run is dependent on pupil numbers and we were losing out. So we had to give in and have the distinctive colour and logo.

The next year we were over-subscribed.

My GC are currently still at infant/junior school and so are not obliged to wear anything with the school logo on. I buy their uniforms from Aldi where they're incredibly inexpensive: pack of 2 polo shirts, trousers or a pleated skirt & a sweatshirt is £4.99 and they wash and wear very well indeed. I've just checked the cost of the full school uniform for when they move up to the local comp and it's £230 each. I pity parents on a low income.

The state schools here will help children who cannot afford uniforms but I don’t think the private schools do. I suppose they think if you can afford private schools you don’t need help but in these difficult times that is not always the case. Some private schools are giving longer to pay and some are reducing fees just whilst people are having problems.

Logos can’t be snipped off unfortunately they are integral to the item.

Heard that the House of Lords are trying to stop this scandal and part of the item stated schools decide the cost and take a cut.
My GC starts new state school in September and each of the main items cost £50, horrible polyester blouses with logo sewn in on collar £25.
We are in the south and dd is not wealthy. It is a scandal.

What has happened to parents associations where they sell stuff to raise money? They always had a second hand uniform stall at events and could be contacted if parents needed something.

Lucca, believe me we used to do that. Now they come woven into the garment rather than stitched on. I’ve tried it with whole pockets but often there is just sufficient shade of difference between the official one and one from M&S, Sainsbury’s, Asda etc. to make it noticeable.
Good point about the shoes.

I’d think that a person who was good at sewing could snip off logos and reattach when new items are required.?

Also surely a school can not specify the leather shoes thing? What about vegan families ?

My GD recently left high school and my daughter offered all her uniform, all in excellent condition free to anyone on several local online sites with no takers. Disappointed she donated it to a charity shop in the end.

Well obviously not the same area as you growstuff ???
I live in what’s deemed a deprived area but the uniforms we get given are plentiful and in beautiful condition I m going in today I ll show you later

I worked in a charity shop a couple of years ago and we hardly ever had any school uniform, so I don't know where you are, but it doesn't happen here.

Growstuff that just isn’t true in our charity shop I have bags and bags of generi, band new expensive school shirts and yes boys trousers never worn I presume people often buy double and they don’t wear the second pair or they ve grown in the school holidays and they don’t fit but honestly I can’t even give away
I tried even on fb to give a bagful away to share with their friends but all I got was ‘have you got a logod jumper for this school’ just asking for specifics, when I clearly said a bagful of white blouses various sizes or a bagful of boys black trousers etc etc to share with others !!!

My GDs are at an independent school and all uniform is bought from the school shop. The sports gear is in house colours and everything has the school logo on.
Uniform bought for the start of the last academic year was never worn because of covid and the girls having to wear washable casual clothes. Youngest GD has grown more than 10cm this year thus making the skirt way shorter than rules allow.

All the local schools have strict school uniform. Even the trousers have a stitched logo on the waistband, so that they can't be bought from a chain store.

Ashcombe

^Not sure how having a uniform excludes poorer pupils, help can be had if needed^

Such help is not universally available in England, according to this:-

www.gov.uk/help-school-clothing-costs

Essex County Council doesn't provide help with the purchase of school uniforms, apart from a handful of very specific circumstances.