If you work you have to pay for uniforms, if you don't work, you get vouchers.
If you work, you have to pay for school meals or provide lunch, if you don't work, its free.
If you work, you have to pay for school trips, if you don't work, your child has it paid for by a grant.
If you work you have to pay for compulsory swimming lessons, if you don't work, school pays.
So, its not hard to believe that a working mum is finding it hard to find the money to buy a uniform. Just because you are in employment doesn't mean you have lots of spare money.
So true.
My children have both attended schools that had one supplier only.No asda polo shirts allowed.
It was horrendously expensive each year to buy full uniform, including blazers & PE kit & shoes, football kit and so on
So true.
My children have both attended schools that had one supplier only.No asda polo shirts allowed.
It was horrendously expensive each year to buy full uniform, including blazers & PE kit & shoes, football kit and so on
And they say there's no class system in this country, it all sounds so so old-fashioned, like we haven't moved on at all in this country. Makes me feel a certain sense of despair! It's not wonder kids grow up thinking more about their appearance than more important issues.
My mum was telling me when she was in school her family couldn't afford the uniform and had to go to the school jumble sales or where they sold second hand uniforms and as it was quite a posh school there was only a few who went to these places as most of the other pupils was middle class.
When she bought the clothes the girls who owned the uniform previously would still have the name tags on or sometimes it would be recognised and it was humiliating for mum because they would point, snigger at the uniform etc. Not only the pupils but some of the teachers would know one was wearing a second hand uniform and would be treated differently.
There is lots of bullying as it is in schools with more peer pressure than ever and I think children's school uniforms should be a lot cheaper because I would hate to see children go to second hand places to get clothes and experience some type of ridicule.
I did contact the local council who told me to try admissions who then told me to ask the school direct (which I did like a fool and I spoken to like an idiot!). Basically I went around in circles, then realised no one was going to help me.
As I said, I work for a primary school and yes it is a 'voluntary contribution' but without the funds, the trip will be cancelled. By law they have to put voluntary but really it would be good if the wording wasn't there.
You find the parents with the money will pay, let's £5 for a £10 trip and the low income parents have pride and they will pay the full price without quibbling.
Yes unfortunately you do get the ones that take advantage, when I was broke I used to pay what I could towards trips, but now I'm working (and not hugely better off, but getting there) I always pay, it's only fair.
For decades a *special* uniform has been the way schools weeded out the "wrong" sort of pupil. These days it's become even worse with the need for schools to ensure a good OFSTED ranking & good exam results so they play safe and try to ensure that their pupils come from the middle classes.
Result is you get "good" schools but they are very bland and uninspiring
Most of my daughters uniform throughout primary school has been second hand. An enterprising group of mums set up an online system for sharing and exchanging clothes. Works a treat.
So true.
My children have both attended schools that had one supplier only.No asda polo shirts allowed.
It was horrendously expensive each year to buy full uniform, including blazers & PE kit & shoes, football kit and so on
Thats a false rule!
If you actually did go and buy a similar and cheaper uniform from ASDA because that was all you could afford, what exactly would the school do!?! They may threaten it but one thing they will not do is exclude a child because you can't afford to buy a uniform from the school!
I can hear the local authority appeal hearing now!
I know these rules are nothing more than talk because I challenged the rule at my childrens school! We had a letter home saying that it wasn't uniforn and we should purchase proper uniform from the school. I called their bluff, refused and suggested they exclude my children, as they had threatened in the letter! That was 3 years ago and they are still there AND still wearing Asda or Sainsburys uniform!
There used to be. On the day the vouchers came out, you would see 100 parents queueing outside the uniform shop.
Maybe but i have never heard of such a thing and none of the mums at my childs primary school have heard of it either, i havent heard about the school trip funding either
I went to a Grammer school in the 70's, every single bit of school kit had to be specific. There was a mens outfitter in town that was the only place that stocked the offical school togs.
Even the PE kit was house specific. I dread to think how much it cost the parents!
Although with more choice to purchase kit the costs still mounts up even today. I am just so happy that now all my kids are out of school. However I do think that kids should be uniformly attired at school, however cost should not be an issue to make sure that all children, are all the same and a total and utter level of conformity is maintained thoughtout a pupils education.
Thus child is only measured by their peers in either an academic or vocational aspect only and not by their attire.
Schools should not be able dictate the uniform but there should be a single nationally defined uniform.
E.G. 1xhard wearing Grey Boiler Suite with the school or Educational Pods emblem on them and sensible black hard wearing shoes.
1 x price one uniformity thoughtout the country, no exception on relgious,political or social class. This includes private education.
I'm on low income, my husband was made redundant 3 yrs ago so money has been tight for a while. When I called the council about a grant/vouchers for school uniform, I was told it was scrapped years ago. So my mum helped me.
I tried for free school meals, because I get tax credit, he wasn't liable to get any.
As for school trips, he either goes if I can afford it or he doesn't if I can't. No help from the school.
Exactly the same here-I looked into the vouchers that they used to do a few years ago when my son changed from Junior to secondary school but they didnt exist any longer in Wolverhampton.
School meal entitlements were changed by our council last year,for a year they extended and the council paid for meals for any family on tax credits,but this stopped about a year ago. The council do still try and help, If you are on tax credits up to a certain amount the child is entitled to a reduced price meal-they pay £1 instead of £2 for the set meal of the day. Unfortunately, to get this discount,the dinner ladies have a list of all the children entitled at the till,and they have to speak up and say they should be on the list. My son has aspergers and if its due to this,or if it due to him not wanting to be stigmatised by getting the discount,he wont claim it-He has been taking sandwiches ever since the change last year.
School trips we pay for in full,always have-even when we were on JSA it was never mentioned that there was a choice in paying if he wanted to go.
Our DCs school used to stipulate a particular shop in town where you [I]had to[/I] buy the logo jumpers and polo shirts.
Last year they introduced an iron-on version of the school logo so you can now get navy jumpers from Asda/Tesco and put the badge on yourself.
The 100% cotton supermarket jumpers are actually much better quality than the horrible acrylic and polyester ones the uniform shop sells and (even with the cost of the badge) they work out about a third the price.
Im lucky the only real thing I have to get for my daughter with the schools logo on is the jumper the rest of the uniform is just black skirt/pe kit/shoes and white shirt. So i can shop around for them. As for the school tie the school give them out for free.
For decades a *special* uniform has been the way schools weeded out the "wrong" sort of pupil. These days it's become even worse with the need for schools to ensure a good OFSTED ranking & good exam results so they play safe and try to ensure that their pupils come from the middle classes.
Result is you get "good" schools but they are very bland and uninspiring
Most of my daughters uniform throughout primary school has been second hand. An enterprising group of mums set up an online system for sharing and exchanging clothes. Works a treat.
Think I'll need to start this at our school!
£8.50 per logo polo shirt is out of the question at the moment. My eldest has the biggest size jumper going for primary, has been wearing those since p5, I'll have to buy her the supermarket one no alternative, she's starting to look silly, doubt the logo polo shirt would fit now either, if the school hasn't said anything yet, but if they did id point out, well she is 5ft 4 lol.
Think I will start my youngest out on 6-7 size seeing as she is quite tall, she starts in August, credit card at the ready..
That's a great scheme benjamini, Ill need to put it to the pta, who knows the more well off parents could donate older good condition clothes and a small charge made for struggling parents, all proceeds go to the school fund, the school would be all for it anyway or just do a swap shop, I'll need to work it out properly.
Not if the school forces you to buy from the school shop or if the uniforms have the school logo anywhere on it and can only be bought at a very few select, pricy places.
When I went to Grammar school I most of my uniform was second hand. Children tend to grow out of clothes before they are worn out so my school used to run a sort of bring and buy for outgrown uniforms. It worked very well.
£8.50 per logo polo shirt is out of the question at the moment. My eldest has the biggest size jumper going for primary, has been wearing those since p5, I'll have to buy her the supermarket one no alternative, she's starting to look silly, doubt the logo polo shirt would fit now either, if the school hasn't said anything yet, but if they did id point out, well she is 5ft 4 lol.
Think I will start my youngest out on 6-7 size seeing as she is quite tall, she starts in August, credit card at the ready..
That's a great scheme benjamini, Ill need to put it to the pta, who knows the more well off parents could donate older good
condition clothes and a small charge made for struggling parents, all proceeds go to the school fund, the school would be all for it anyway or just do a swap shop, I'll need to work it out properly.
Hi, it's much easier now than when it started. Most schools now have a web site. The mums group give out info re what is available but also what they are looking for, ie jumpers gym kit etc. it prompts us all to rummage through the drawers looking for outgrown stuff and drop it off at school. Before, it mostly went in the bin. Good luck. I promise it does work.
It's that usual the kids neither mind nor care.
Comments
So true.
My children have both attended schools that had one supplier only.No asda polo shirts allowed.
It was horrendously expensive each year to buy full uniform, including blazers & PE kit & shoes, football kit and so on
When she bought the clothes the girls who owned the uniform previously would still have the name tags on or sometimes it would be recognised and it was humiliating for mum because they would point, snigger at the uniform etc. Not only the pupils but some of the teachers would know one was wearing a second hand uniform and would be treated differently.
There is lots of bullying as it is in schools with more peer pressure than ever and I think children's school uniforms should be a lot cheaper because I would hate to see children go to second hand places to get clothes and experience some type of ridicule.
Yes unfortunately you do get the ones that take advantage, when I was broke I used to pay what I could towards trips, but now I'm working (and not hugely better off, but getting there) I always pay, it's only fair.
Result is you get "good" schools but they are very bland and uninspiring
There used to be. On the day the vouchers came out, you would see 100 parents queueing outside the uniform shop.
In year 10 the uniform changes colour so I shall have to buy it all again. Plan to keep eye on local facebook groups for seconds!.
Thats a false rule!
If you actually did go and buy a similar and cheaper uniform from ASDA because that was all you could afford, what exactly would the school do!?! They may threaten it but one thing they will not do is exclude a child because you can't afford to buy a uniform from the school!
I can hear the local authority appeal hearing now!
I know these rules are nothing more than talk because I challenged the rule at my childrens school! We had a letter home saying that it wasn't uniforn and we should purchase proper uniform from the school. I called their bluff, refused and suggested they exclude my children, as they had threatened in the letter! That was 3 years ago and they are still there AND still wearing Asda or Sainsburys uniform!
Maybe but i have never heard of such a thing and none of the mums at my childs primary school have heard of it either, i havent heard about the school trip funding either
there still is in many areas i believe.
Even the PE kit was house specific. I dread to think how much it cost the parents!
Although with more choice to purchase kit the costs still mounts up even today. I am just so happy that now all my kids are out of school. However I do think that kids should be uniformly attired at school, however cost should not be an issue to make sure that all children, are all the same and a total and utter level of conformity is maintained thoughtout a pupils education.
Thus child is only measured by their peers in either an academic or vocational aspect only and not by their attire.
Schools should not be able dictate the uniform but there should be a single nationally defined uniform.
E.G. 1xhard wearing Grey Boiler Suite with the school or Educational Pods emblem on them and sensible black hard wearing shoes.
1 x price one uniformity thoughtout the country, no exception on relgious,political or social class. This includes private education.
Was it a good one?
Sorry, couldn't resist!
Exactly the same here-I looked into the vouchers that they used to do a few years ago when my son changed from Junior to secondary school but they didnt exist any longer in Wolverhampton.
School meal entitlements were changed by our council last year,for a year they extended and the council paid for meals for any family on tax credits,but this stopped about a year ago. The council do still try and help, If you are on tax credits up to a certain amount the child is entitled to a reduced price meal-they pay £1 instead of £2 for the set meal of the day. Unfortunately, to get this discount,the dinner ladies have a list of all the children entitled at the till,and they have to speak up and say they should be on the list. My son has aspergers and if its due to this,or if it due to him not wanting to be stigmatised by getting the discount,he wont claim it-He has been taking sandwiches ever since the change last year.
School trips we pay for in full,always have-even when we were on JSA it was never mentioned that there was a choice in paying if he wanted to go.
Last year they introduced an iron-on version of the school logo so you can now get navy jumpers from Asda/Tesco and put the badge on yourself.
The 100% cotton supermarket jumpers are actually much better quality than the horrible acrylic and polyester ones the uniform shop sells and (even with the cost of the badge) they work out about a third the price.
That's awful if true.
Think I'll need to start this at our school!
£8.50 per logo polo shirt is out of the question at the moment. My eldest has the biggest size jumper going for primary, has been wearing those since p5, I'll have to buy her the supermarket one no alternative, she's starting to look silly, doubt the logo polo shirt would fit now either, if the school hasn't said anything yet, but if they did id point out, well she is 5ft 4 lol.
Think I will start my youngest out on 6-7 size seeing as she is quite tall, she starts in August, credit card at the ready..
That's a great scheme benjamini, Ill need to put it to the pta, who knows the more well off parents could donate older good condition clothes and a small charge made for struggling parents, all proceeds go to the school fund, the school would be all for it anyway
Ah right thanks for that, I didn't know that.
Hi, it's much easier now than when it started. Most schools now have a web site. The mums group give out info re what is available but also what they are looking for, ie jumpers gym kit etc. it prompts us all to rummage through the drawers looking for outgrown stuff and drop it off at school. Before, it mostly went in the bin. Good luck. I promise it does work.
It's that usual the kids neither mind nor care.