The stress - and expense - of school uniform

So, the kids are back at school, and my daughter's wearing a new skirt and polo shirt. The skirt is generic (well done our school on giving parents some leeway), but the shirt has the school logo on it. This means that instead of costing a few pounds from Woolies, it was rather more expensive. Like her new gym kit, it also had to be bought from the school shop. Is that fair?

Barnardo's and Citizens Advice have just released a new poll showing that 73 percent of parents with children of school age find the whole business of school uniform, bags, shoes and other items a source of utter stress. There is government guidance on the fair pricing on uniforms, but many schools ignore it - and leave some parents with real financial fears. After all, do children really need a PE kit which costs £15 because it has a logo on it and is bought from a specific supplier? 

Many supermarkets become very gung ho when it's "back to school" time. They offer school clothes at bargain prices (Asda offered an entire uniform for £4 this year), hoping to tempt parents into their stores to buy other things too. The cheaper deals please many parents. However, they don't help those whose schools demand specific items, often from named stores.

"My son's school makes parents buy a badged polo shirt, a badged sweatshirt and a badged PE top and they're expensive compared with what you can buy in the supermarkets," one mother, Tara Cain, told me. "I pay £4.50 for each school polo shirt and yet I can buy three (same colour, same quality, no badge) from Asda for £2.50! It's the same with the sweatshirts, which cost £10.50 each from the school shop."

Justine Roberts, founder of mumsnet, knows that this is a hot topic. She says that school uniform has its pros and cons, but agrees that many parents get worked up when they're forced to buy expensive items, if generic ones would do. She's still recovering from the shock of paying over £80 per blazer for her two eldest children. "Wouldn't a generic blazer with some kind of badge stuck on do instead?" she asks.

"It's not just a private school issue," adds Roberts." Many state schools, including Church ones have very strict uniform codes, and also use monopoly suppliers. I just wonder why it seems so idiosyncratic."

What do you think of school uniform? I'm glad our school has one - I know too many parents who despair that their school doesn't - but I can see that they are not always inherently fair. Second hand sales should be more actively encouraged, and generic items such as trousers, skirts and tunics should not be only accessible from monopoly suppliers...

Read our posts on back to school tips, what you need to know before your child starts reception, tips for a happy transition to secondary school, parents who bully teachers, and starting school in Germany. And find out about how best to apply for primary school...

(picture by gemsling on flickr.com)

Comments

[whimsey]

EFM, I agree that its through their accessories that children can display their differential wealth. But I also think that it's still good for them all to wear the same uniform, from the same suppliers, to at least play down the wealth differentials.

However, children soon savvy up to who has more/less money than them (just like adults do!)

What's important is that parents teach them that wealth is not the determining factor of your 'worth' as a human being. Also that playing the 'labels' game is pointless - however flash a label you sport, there's going to be someone flasher than you somewhere. So why bother to try and impress others, when all you want to do is have the things you like that you can afford, and that's that.

[Michael]

Many American high schools have a military-type program called JROTC. When I was in my school's JROTC program, our uniforms were issued to us--no payment involved unless we damaged the uniform. At the end of the school year, we turned our uniforms back in, and someone else would wear them the next year.

Seems the best way of handling school uniforms, to me anyway. And after the initial expense of purchasing the uniforms, it probably isn't all that expensive a program for the schools to maintain.

[EFM]

Mollie and Jean,

How very naive to think that a uniform is a leveller. Trust me, kids figure out ways to display their wealth--jewelry, watches, jackets, bags, shoes, makeup, laptops, iPods, cellphones, backpacks, cars, even their school supplies--I knew a girl who used a Burberry clutch as a pencil case!

The best solution in my mind is to have one or two items that must be purchased at the school store, and then allow generic garments for everything else. Khaki shorts, pants or skirts, white socks, trainers/sneakers or plain brown loafers are all widely available and cheap.
The problem with making parents sew or iron patches onto clothing is that some of them just won't do it, for whatever reason. But you could, sell the badges or logos for cheap to the parents who WILL do it, and then they can buy their own shirts to attach them to; then you offer marked-up shirts already emblazoned to the lazy and the indolent.
And yes, all school shops should offer hand-me-down uniforms at a discount. That's how I got all of my uniform skirts, and if they hadn't been 6 inches longer than everyone else's (my mother had very strong ideas about how much leg a girl should show) you'd never have known the difference!
Something is to be said, though, for the fact that kids wear a uniform 5 days out of 7, so I guarantee you'll get your money's worth out of it all. The convenience factor of not having to decide what to wear, and not being preoccupied with what to wear (this allowing for a few more minutes of sleep, and no distraction when studying), is huge. And think of what you're NOT spending on a huge wardrobe of other clothes! I didn't own lots and lots of clothes for YEARS because I only wore civvies on weekends, and I spent weekends relaxing or studying or attending play rehearsal in workout clothes...
I do believe that younger children should have a little more freedom of dress, not least because they will inevitably spill or tear or lose what might be an expensive garment.
And has anyone thought about the possibility that at least some of the profits from the school shop go into the school coffers, thus funding the education we're all so het up about in the first place?!

[whimsey]

So many many posts, and only two mentioned the answer - second hand uniforms available from school shops. It's the obvious solution. Maybe I just live in a sensible area, but I don't know of one school locally that doesn't run a second hand school uniform clothes shop.

I got very cross recently at being asked for money by a charity so that financially disadvantaged parents could buy brand new school uniforms for their children. What a stupid thing to spend money on.

If your school doesn't have a second hand shop, then start one. You won't lack customers.

However, one item of course you can't buy second hand - shoes. Now, that's something that the shops have you over a barrell for!

[AK]

Micsellaneous, you've contradicted yourself, if school suppliers do indeed stock "all sizes all year round" then it wouldn't be the parents fault for "waiting until the last minute" and finding out that the sizes needed werent in stock!
Also, a lot of the branded items are made in the same places as generic items and in the same way. The only real difference is the badge.
My uniform at school was changed 3 times in 5 years!

[Laurie Jones]

I loved uniforms for my kids when they we lived in the UK. Moving back to the US meant my kids had to figure out how to fit in. Turns out Boden clothes look a little like pajamas over here. Price is an important issue, however, uniforms, in and of themselves mean less money is spent on children's clothing overall.

[Gipsy]

The thing I remember from my first day at big school was that you were picked out as a newbie by your socks. Only those on their first day wore the knee length socks specified in the school uniform list. The rest of us either had ankle socks, or had rolled the socks down to ankle height until they could be worn out and mums convinced to buy ankle socks. It is all a matter of fashion! My year was the first year the school made the school cap optional instead of compulsory as they were so tired of trying (and failing miserably) to enforce the wearing of it. Except that year wearing headwear (caps and hats) was suddenly hugely fashionable, and the coolest kids in the new intake were all wearing them!

[wilma]

parents seem to love uniforms (neat, tidy, promoting sense of belonging etc etc.) Having been brought up in Holland, I never had a school uniform. My friends in England did - at the time I thought it was old-fashioned and rather dictatorial to be told what to wear. To me it just embodies corporate cultures and no respect for individuality or ability to express your own self. Lighten up - there is more to life than all trying to dress the same way.

[j]

Molly- £90 for a blazer??? appalling way to treat parents. Non-iron machine washable stain proof ones are for sale for about £20 everywhere. I do think this is immoral. Can you get second hand one?

Gipsy, LOL, also the thing gets trashed anyway in my experience so even if it fits them once they are 15 its a rag...

[Gipsy]

Mollie - my mum did the same. She bought me a school blazer a couple of sizes too big so that there was growing room. The only thing was, I didn't do any more growing. The thing hung off me like an oversized sack throughout my entire school life.

[j]

"The specified school uniform shops supply garments which are a fairly priced & are much safer to the childrens health (i.e. tested for certain chemicals) in comparison to the supermarkets & cheaper alternatives. "

I dont think that buying plain grey trousers from M&S is going to poison anyone, nor that M&S will not stock the right size all year round. It's still cheaper than the exorbitant prices charged by some retailers for very poor quality clothes.

Also, M&S is non-iron and stain free. Why would I buy poorly cut clothes in old fashioned materials instead?

[Mollie]

My 4 yr old started school today complete with uniform. I hadn't got him the school blazer as the uniform list said it was optional. Was therefore gobsmacked and embarrased to discover that only 2 boys in his class didn't have blazers. Guess what I will be going to buy this afternoon at an outrageous price of £89.95! Maybe I could do the same as my mum when I went to grammar school and get a blazer that is so large it lasts his entire school career!

I think uniforms are a great leveller. If everyone is in uniform you have no idea if they come from a poor or privileged background. Children can be cruel and I would hate to imagine the bullying that must go on for those children whose parents can't afford the latest designerwear.

[MISCELLANEOUS]

I think some of these comments are outrageous.
The specified school uniform shops supply garments which are a fairly priced & are much safer to the childrens health (i.e. tested for certain chemicals) in comparison to the supermarkets & cheaper alternatives.
Has any of these parents commenting ever bought a garment which they wear almost every day of the year & find it performs constantly.
These school retailers need our support because they do offer the best service & open all year round for 6 weeks worth of sales.
A lot of the retailers do not give the schools a 'cut of the profits'. The schools have 'official stockists' of the uniform so they know that their children are wearing garments which are the same (to stop bullying for poorer children), fairly priced, durable & above all safe to the childrens health.
My question is 'Why would any parent buy from the supermarkets?' These items need to be consistant & of a good durable quality, which they do not offer.
A retailer stocks all sizes all year around, whereas supermarkets only supply them at certain times of the year. The comment from the lady advising that she could only purchase uniform from her local retailer/school in a either a very small size OR an XXL size was terrible - I bet this was due to her leaving her buying of the uniform until the last minute.... as most parents do!

[j]

ps would anyone like a small tip that took me a surprisingly long time to grasp- get your name tapes in surname only (unless you are called Smith or Patel in which case put all your kids' initials on it at once). That way you only label clothes once and people can still work it out.

[j]

I think its shocking. My eldest has a £7.99 school tie which is compulsory, everything else is generic (black and white, grey or blue shirts allowed if you want) and you can buy a cheap badge to sew onto your blazer if you want to.

The parents run a second hand shop where I have usually sent him with a tenner to get the entire sports kit, shoes and all, every so often.

This is a fee paying school that came top in both A level and GCSE for boys this year. So its not even about standards, or snobbery.

I guess we have a good relationship as parents with the school and they have better things to do with our goodwill (and our money) than waste it on rip-off uniforms.

[SP Lee]

It's not that a badged polo shirt at £4.50 is dear, but three-for-£2.50 polo shirts is equal to "someone being exploited somewhere else on this earth". £2.50 is less than half minimum wage in this country. Can any of the readers make three polo shirts in half an hour? We are so used to cheap throwaway clothes these days we have forgotten how much they actually do cost to make if we are paying a fair wage.

My son's blazer (at £60+) is two-thirds what it would cost at John Lewis, because a group of mums volunteer at the school shop to keep prices affordable. The sleeves are cut long so that it should last at least three years. (We hem up the sleeves and let a little out every year.) There are also good second-hand blazers. The children are proud of their uniform and they are proud of their school.

Can't think why some parents complain about the cost of uniforms when they would not bat an eyelid at buying expensive shoes, bags, alcohol, etc.

[village mummy]

It seems only Mark has actually read the article and got the point here!
Most people are more than happy to have their children wear uniform and recognise the value of it, but when you're forking out more money for something that you can buy elsewhere for less than half the price and that is the same quality is gets people mad.
One comment said his work tie cost £40! Really? And does that tie get paint/food/marker pen over it on a daily basis, left in a locker, taken home by someone else or just lost? These are kids. They wreck their clothes - whether it's uniform or non-uniform - and that initial £4.50 cost rockets when you're having to replace them all the time.
Lynda comments that uniform is expensive because of the initial outlay. No! I have to buy uniform throughout the year - do you think they don't wear out these clothes like they would their every day clothes? How on earth am I saving money?
I tell you what, a pair of jeans would last a lot longer than trousers on my lad!
If the uniform the school was selling was of superior quality I wouldn't mind so much, but they wash and wear no better than their cheaper counterparts.
The point is schools should not be allowed to dictate where clothes are bought from. Badges sewn on are perfectly adequate.

[tracey]

perhaps we should all remember what the school experience is all about LEARNING!my son was sent home from school for forgetting his tie.and the journey involved four buses there and back.totally ridiculous.

[Helen]

The DFES as was issued guidance about school uniforms and it is definitely not ok to insist on items with logos. My son's uniform has a bespoke jumper (and polo shirt, but a plain white polo shirt is also ok). I don't have too much of a problem with the bespoke jumper as I can still get cheap polo shirts at M&S etc (though to be honest I'd rather not have throw-away school clothes I'd rather pay £5 and have it last than pay £2.50 for 3 and have to throw them away after 2 weeks because they don't wash or wear well. On the whole I think primary schools are fairly sensible, it's secondary schools that need their policies looking at. After all, do you really need a house polo shirt for games - why can't you wear a coloured bib over a generic white one?

If you are unhappy about your school's uniform policy, complain. The policy is set by the governors and if it's unlawful, they need to look at it again.

[David]

Well done on fixing the typo!! Maybe spelling is a bigger issue than school uniforms in Pomland

[Mark]

I think many of the comments here have missed the point of the article, and of many of the comments made. We are not complaining about the requirement to wear uniform, which most of us believe is a good thing. We are complaining about being forced to buy relatively poor quality badged uniforms from a single approved school shop with a monopoly, at prices which are significantly higher than unbadged items in places like Tesco or M&S. This is anti-competitive and consequently can only be a bad thing for the consumer who is unable to go elsewhere.

[Dave Madley]

The answer is simple do as the uniformed services do and use stick on or sew on patches, which are transferable.( we might then need to set up sewing classes for mums) Don't believe all this nonsense of levelling and anti competition between pupils , it is Established snobbery. Do the teachers wear it???

After living in the US for 2 years my children and I are delighted to be returning to school uniform.

The kids loathed uniform until we moved and then spent their time longing for its simplicity and lack of competitiveness.

Although the initial outlay can be frightening, the benefits are many, not least the removal of the daily anguish of what to wear.

Our local school's uniform code is strict and so a great leveller. The clothing quality is good (a mix of school shop, supermarket and second-hand) and will last for years.

It should, however, be mandatory for schools to provide lists of alternative supermarket suppliers and sew-on/iron-on badges for those who cannot or do not want to pay uniform shop prices.

After living in the US for 2 years my children and I are delighted to be returning to school uniform.

The kids loathed uniform until we moved and then spent their time longing for its simplicity and lack of competitiveness.

Although the initial outlay can be frightening, the benefits are many, not least the removal of the daily anguish of what to wear.

Our local school's uniform code is strict and so a great leveller. The clothing quality is good (a mix of school shop, supermarket and second-hand) and will last for years.

It should, however, be mandatory for schools to provide lists of alternative supermarket suppliers and sew-on/iron-on badges for those who cannot or do not want to pay uniform shop prices.

[Bernard Lawson]

What is the problem? The value of a school uniform is obvious. We dress our children in something so the uniform is part of his or her wardrobe, but here is the good bit. They wear it every day except the weekend. All you mums who work in a bank or other company’s who supply uniforms, do you complain? No. Why not? Because you don’t have to pay for it. Now think of the toys you buy your children. Cheap? No. DO they play with them every day? No. Are they good value? No. Stop whinging. Just get on with it. Children these days are like out police, they are scruffy. Take some pride in your child’s appearance and encourage your child to take some pride in his/ her school.

[starling]

I went to school in Holland. No uniforms. No whining about labels. Because parents just say "no".

[AK]

I think theres some confusion on the article, its not complaining about uniforms but in having to buy branded (by the school) items from specified suppliers at a higher cost than the non-branded items which can be purchased from a wide range of high street stores.
My school was the same- £15 for a polo shirt (3 each per week) £25 per jumper...
This is effectively schools/suppliers working together to create a monopoly and isnt fair!
It wouldn't hurt to sell the logo's seperately so a parent could choose to buy cheaper plain shirts etc and sew on the logo themselves rather than being forced to purchase from a specified supplier or the school itself.

[Mary]

3 polo shirts from Asda for £2.50...! I wonder how much the farmers & factory workers get paid to make those polo shirts? A couple of pennies I guess. Not exactly a fair deal.

[Neil]

The reason why uniform for some schools can be so expensive is that it is a form of selection. By insisting on specific uniform items, rather than generics, you select in wealthier families and select out poorer ones. It's similar to the faith school system, which selects in middle class families. Even in areas without grammar schools, selection is a reality.

[Alan]

My son started back at school today. We had a choice of a school blazer that was either to small or stupidly to big. Why? Because we could only use the official supplier whose sizes apear to only relate to an "average" child.

In the real world we would have tried different shops till we found the make with the best fit; as you would for any other purchase.

And don't get me started on the pathetic excuse for a consultation on changes to the uniform.

[Chris]

Like other writers I live in France, but for all my working life I was a teacher in the UK. Uniforms are great for identity of the school, there is no talk of designer labels all the children are the same. Uniforms are hard wearing and sensible for the rough and tumble of school and last and last. My daughter left school 17yrs ago and I'm still wearing her navy sch cardigan from M&S.Here I overhear the arguements between parent and child about what he/she has to have because a friend up the road has the same. School is for education not for competition in a fashion show. Parents in the Uk should also be thankful they don't have to splash out for every piece of paper, pencil, scissors etc. as they do here on the Continent, even this is a who's got what in their pencil case.Uniforms give kids a sense of belonging, just make sure as a parent you put a name in every aricle of clothing. Un-named clothes bain of a teacher's life!

[jean]

You should all stop whining and find something more important to complain about. Uniforms are a great thing...a good social leveler, and cheaper than having to buy other clothing. It solves problems in the morning about what to wear. My daughter just gets up and puts it on, and that is it.

[susanna]

I totally agree with Linda - the cost of the uniform is far less than buying non-uniform clothing for school. Additionally, I have found that items from the school outfitters tend to be better quality. They can be put on a gentle washing cycle and then straigtened out on a hanger - no need to iron!

[JANE]

I live in France now and long for school uniform for my daughters. Clothes cost a fortune here and although there are no official uniforms the kids soon create their own: baseball boots for shoes etc (cheap pairs wear out after 1 month) good pairs last maybe 3 months, at 45 quid a pop , that's not to mention endless jeans, skirts, shorts according to the weather. With the average salary around the 12,000 pounds a year (and that's for qualified people) it's a horrendous burden on most families. I agree that uniforms can be expensive but parent power, at least in the UK, can still work.

[Derek]

White polo shirt from Asda-£2-50 for 3. White polo shirt with school logo-£4-50 each. A week's supply-£5-00 at Asda with 1 spare. A week's supply with logo-£22-50 with no spare. No contest. Snobbery is alive and well in the UK.

[starling]

Good Lord, Alice, what do you think I am, a teacher-beating chav or something? I like the discipline at the school, but the fact that they treated the poor child like a leper even though he felt bad enough about not having his uniform was just uncalled for. Don't you get murderous thoughts when someone treats your child badly? It's a maternal thing, you know.

They're only clothes, and it's not as if the government requires kids at primary school to wear uniforms.

[Thor Halland]

Parents are to blame because they aren't organising themselves. You have at least tow options.

1) use your Teacher -parent committee to get onto the school board.

2) Use the services of an embroidery service or better get the school to buy a machine and 'badge up' the goods yourselves.

Stop whining and act.

[Lynda]

Every year this same old, tired story gets aired! The only reason school uniforms seem expensive is because it's a one-off outlay. When you weigh up the expenditure against a wardrobe for a full year, it becomes affordable. And £35 for a properly made coat is not a lot of money. Uniforms also mean that no child can be made to feel uncomfortable because their clothes are from a discount store whilst a class-mate wears designer gear (and believe me, children do notice these things!).
My daughter has just started at an International School in Rome, and yes, the logo-ed items that we're expected to buy from the preferred supplier are costly (€14.50 for a polo shirt!). But when I think of the cost of having to provide a year's clothing that can withstand the rigours of a young child's school day, then the initial cost makes sense.
Everyone recognises the school uniform and comments on how smart it looks, and that they wish their child's (Italian/other) school did the same as it actually saves money in the long run.
A sense of perspective is needed, especially when money is becoming tighter for all: a few good quality items of clothing, and shoes for that mattter, are far better than lots of cheaper items that don't wash and wear well.

[Robin]

I'm from the U.S. where school uniforms are rare. However, I see the benefit and wish that schools here would adopt them. The total cost of school uniforms pales in comparison of what the total cost of a regular wardrobe to wear to school would be. I can't believe that some of you are complaining about paying 35.00 for a coat. I mean, what would you pay for a decent non-uniform coat? I'll bet you'd pay a lot more than 35 quid. I shop in England often (or did before the dollar took a nosedive)and I understand what things cost. Over time, uniforms are still a good deal. Just try outfitting your kid with the latest styles to wear to school. You'll be grateful for the uniforms.

[laura]

I meant EBAY!!! Not Yahoo! Sorry, all! :D

[laura]

Yahoo.uk might be a good alternative. Parents get reimbursed for old uniforms, new parents get a good deal.

[Sarag]

Stressfull!? Give me a break. How much MORE does it cost to send your kids to school every day in non-uniform? In the long run a uniform saves money and helps promote a sense of team work and shared identity, something that generation Y seems sadly lacking in.

Both my kids have had school uniforms that lasted all through from year 7 to when they finished, the shirts were handed down as were the trousers and blazers. So net I reckon I've done pretty well. On an item per day basis its a piffling amount. In my day there was the second hand shop too - the blazers were made of tougher stuff, very ecological.

Frankly I only really resented the football boots - they hated the stupid game. (Oh, sorry how much does an "official" football shirt cost?

Priorities people, priorities. Are you really telling me that your children's education is not worth a teeny, weeny investment?

[andrea]

School uniform. Why not put kids in sacks and plough the money into more sport, books and kids actually coming out after 10 years with a brain cell or two. Pay teachers more, make all schools brilliant and cull dim parents on a regular basis, that should get rid of a few million dim wits breeding their dopey spawn. And ban health and safety forever. Be competiitive, let brightness be encouraged and ship the dim ones to other shores.

[Jabed]

My brother has just gone to my secondary school, they have made so many changes to the uniforms. A badge on practicly everything. He has to buy an expensive coat, a new tie that looks horrible, two aprons (one for cooking the other for woodwork) when I only had to have one. Schools are jsut trying to monopolise everything sooner or later they'll make people buy certain school bags that have a badge ont hem, then socks, then probably ask people to wear a fragrance that is called 'xxx secondary school'

[Frankie]

I am so glad my youngest son does not have to wear a uniform at his school. He went back to school in Scotland two weeks ago and I had none of the associated stress of kitting him out. My eldest son went to a Grammar school in England which had a ridiculously expensive and hard to obtain uniform and when I couldn't find a tie for his first day he was treated like a criminal. Totally nuts.

[Alice]

'Starling' gives one example of why schools are having so many problems with discipline. A parent sends their child to school without uniform and she wants to assault them and has fantasies about MURDERING them. How can anyone expect their child to behave and have basic respect for authority when they don't help them keep basic, easy to follow rules. Poor kid. God help him when he does something his parents don't like.

Low-income parents get extra funding to cover child costs, and most schools will provide free/subsidised uniforms to particulalry hard-up parents.

[Snuffy]

YES they need a uniform. It gives them something small to rebel with. Give them a tie to shorten and they won't carry knives...

[starling]

Primary school kids shouldn't have to wear uniforms.

My son went to school without a uniform on the last day of term and was treated as if he'd committed the biggest crime ever. I felt horribly sorry for him and I could have kicked the teachers for making him feel so awful.

In the end I had to call his dad to ask him to bring in a uniform (since all the school stuff had ended up over there). I still get homicidal thoughts when I think about the awful way he was treated for not wearing the stupid, sh*tty uniform.

[Frank]

A polo shirt for £4.50??? What are they complaining about? Wish my work clothes were that cheap...I pay £40 just for a tie!!!

[Caroline G]

Our school lets reception and year 1 wear jogging bottoms which is great for ease of getting on and off by both parent and child. I only got wise after a year though that rather spend £9.99 per pair in the uniform shop I could buy them for £4 at Asda with perfectly acceptable quality and durablility. The difference in cost with my 2 children is £120 which is quite shocking.

[Jo]

Give me school uniform now!!! My two boys go to a school with no school uniform. The trousers are in tatters and tops last a few months at a time. My plan to hand down clothes from child to child have been shattered!
All I really would like is a simple uniform like Jeans and a school sweat shirt.

[Carmine]

My school had a very strict uniform code, with shirts, knitwear, skirts and blazers that could only be bought from a couple of suppliers. However, they also organised regular second-hand uniform sales, and gave out quite generous uniform grants for the really badly-off. The first time I got a new skirt or blazer was when my father lost his job, and I received a uniform grant of about £100 per year.

The affiliated boys' school was less restrictive, though their blazers still had to have the school crest on the breast pocket. But because the blazers were otherwise non-descript (unlike the girls', which were a very unusual colour and fabric so you couldn't buy knock-offs from ASDA), many boys had supermarket blazers with the crests from older blazers sewn onto the pockets. So parents only had to buy one "official" blazer in the first year and after that could just get away with cheap ones.

[Allie]

My daughter started a new school for year 12 this week and although she isnt even taking A level sports she was told on the first day that she needs a full school P.E kit at the cost of £25 for the one mandatory P.E lesson a week !!!!!! Surely a simple pair of plain shorts and a white polo shirt would have done the job>

[Camilla]

I'm going back to school tomorrow morning, and I have to say that my parents find it really stressful dishing out money for my uniform. My school has just changed the uniform so that the girls do not have to wear ties. That means more expense?!
Why can't the government set out regulations for this kind of thing- as I feel exploited for the local school suppliers benefit!

[Mary]

Our only non-generic items are jumper and tie, the rest can be from anywhere and they're not even too fussy about the exact shade of colour. I'm so grateful.

[Arthur Van Der Lae]

At my kids school (the local state school) they are very aware that not everybody can afford the official school uniform and the unbadged items are allowed (without stigma)

However the school do explain how buying directly from the PTA brings extra fundraising to the school

(and regular 2nd hand sales of uniform are also held).

[diana]

"our school makes" If the school badged shirts are not good enough quality/ value or fair trade, send your child wearing one that is in accordance with your principles/ pocket, with a note explaining the situation. See if other parents join in or if the school is prepared to do battle with the local paper! Or are you actually enjoying the selectivity aspect?

[Simon]

It's many years since I had to wear school uniform, but it still bothers me to this day. And no, it wasn't the clothes themselves, but the principle of it.

I have no objection to dress codes, but the imposition of a symbol of the school upon my own body was, quite frankly, offensive to me. My body was not a piece of school property. The school, and the state, should have respected that. They did not.

When states impose uniforms upon their own citizens, we lambast them as totalitarian oppressors of their own people. But when it's done through state schools to their own pupils, it seems we've been conditioned to find it acceptable - like dogs conditioned to accept collars.

Sadly, a lot of people seem more concerned about money than about principles these days. Thatcher's legacy, perhaps.

[Mark]

I think school uniform is important, but the monopoly which is enjoyed by many of these school uniform shops is anti-competitive and only disadvantages us, the consumers. The prices are high, the quality is often poor, the design and fit of the clothes is old-fashioned and the clothes are usually made with horrible man-made fibres. The school ties which are available from my child's school shop don't even have a loop at the back to hold the narrow tail of the tie in place behind the wider front part. Every normal tie in the world has one of these, and it would only cost a couple of pence to add on, but they don't bother - it would also make it much easier for young children to tie a neat-looking tie. It's scandalous and the OFT should have a close look at the whole thing.

[Nona]

As wearing hand me downs is no longer acceptable I guess the parents will have to pay up.

But wouldn't it make sense for there to be a shop where parents could take in the out grown school uniforms and other parents come and buy at reduced prices?

I know it was done when I was growing up and no one sneered. Probably as everyone did it!

[Baffling]

The very same story happens even in countries like India where money is not a luxury for dresses. Yet the schools insist we soak up all the extra costs for that logo and buy the uniforms from the designated shop.
From what I hear, the school of my yester years has made it mandatory to wear a adidas uniform on sports days (which is twice a week), complete with adidas shoes. I do not know about your place but it is a very big deal in India.

[Tim]

School uniform may seem expensive but it's much cheaper than the alternative of a different outfit each day and peer-pressure-led designer trainers etc. And it will probably last longer than the £2 tops from Primark etc.

As suggested by others, a school badge (iron-on to cope with those of us who can't sew) would solve the other problems as well.

[M]

My youngest's new school uniform (he is 3 1/2), cost £140 at least. I had to buy all the bags with the school's logo - swim bag, book bag, small rucksack. The coat cost £40. I did buy quite huge sizes and I think they will last him a couple of years and then he can wear his brother's. Even though he goes to a pre-prep I do buy Asda's grey shorts for £3 and they are pretty good. The school also does a second hand sale, which I have previously bought things from.

[Jenny]

Although generic equivalents are cheaper, it must also be said that each item of school uniform tends to get a lot of wear for the price....how many hours hard use will that £4.50 polo shirt see?

[WA]

Why don't schools reintroduce the school badge - okay, you would have to sew it on an item of uniform, but it could save a quid or two? The other thing is to start up a second-hand uniform shop - kids grow out of stuff before they wear it out, so its usually in good condition.

[James]

While my secondary school did have a school uniform all the items were generic. However you paid a couple of pounds for the school badge and house colour and sewed it onto your uniform. Also you could sew 'colours' for achievements onto your jumper. An idea that should be taken up more.

[Daniela - Vienna]

Oh how I wish my boys wore school uniforms! I grew up wearing one and now have two boys going to school in Austria, where we not only have to plan an outfit every day, we also have to make sure it is fashionably fitting - then we must discuss in the classroom whether girls may arrive "bauchfrei" (belly free to translate literally)or would this be too distracting for our poor early puberty boys .... oh the envy I have for the parents of school uniform wearing children.

[Lisa]

I happily bought the logo'ed polo shirts and jumpers for my son as I think that they do look smart ... but then found that the jumpers won't fit over his head!! A plain v-neck from Tesco at 1/2 the price does fit but it means that he'll be different from his classmates. I hope he won't get teased.

[Jenny]

Schools must be making a killing on the "required" uniforms. Otherwise they would allow students and parents to shop wherever they want and can afford to. A supplier could supply the clothing at a much more competitive price given the chance, but the schools obviously want the proceeds. The only way the parents are going to get fair prices is to protest loudly.

[NIcki]

All horribly true. Our school makes us buy everything from one shop - including coats, which are £35! It's ridiculous