Headteachers have 'moral responsibility' to keep school uniform costs down

why does something with a school name logo or a badge on it has to cost the earth .

school uniform is very expensive wish i could but from my local supermarket for school uniform for my two daughters, they are both at high school and the only place to get they new uniform from is the school uniform outlet birds in dereham . unfortnaly the headteacher as just decide before the end of term he was going to change the complete uniform including the pe kit as well so . so far i have spent £300 on half of the uniform and that is not including shoes bags and stationary

Unifrm is expensive but I suppose we're quite lucky that school do have logo'd polo shirts, cardigans, PE shirts, jumpers, bags, hats and winter coats and summer fleeces but you do not have to buy them. They are incredibly expensive especially the polo shirts and are poor quality, the polos are at least £5 each and go grey instead of white in a matter of weeks, last year our daughter went through 12 polo shirts in 2 terms and when asked if suppliers had changed because the quality was considerably poorer no one wanted to anser the question. This year she has the correct colours but nothing with a logo on and her unifrm is dramatically cheaper than previous years. It's a shame because they look lovely and smart in the school items but they are just a waste of money.

However I do agree with wearing uniform it is far better than a daily fashion show.

...they still seem to be able to afford the cost of buying replica football club shirts etc, which change annually...

School uniforms may cost a lot but I believe we'd be paying a great deal more if we sent our kids to school in casual clothing. Uniforms are a leveller. Wherever you don't have uniforms there will always be competition amongst children to wear this or that brand. Once one kid started wearing a pair of 'Vans' shoes at £45 a pair, that would just be the start of it. Kids are very self conscious and can be cruel to others who aren't conforming by wearing Superdry T-shirts at £24 a pop or the right kind of trainers or hoodie. This experience could quite literally spoil a child's education and affect their whole lives. So I'm a great believer in school uniform - even if it does cost £200. It is still the cheapest and fairest option.

The School Uniform Grant they give out will just about buy a single pair of school unifom trousers and nothiong else unl;ess they happen to have some school socks or something as they do not give you any change so if for exampe you get a school uniform grant of £20 the Trousers Cost at least £15 and unless you need a tie or some socks that cost the remaining £5 you get no change so you lose £5 as it is I have two sons who are now in there teens and so big that they require adult sizes and they need at least five shirts especially if you are to stand any chance of keeping them clean so the full uniform is a list of 5 pairs of socks, 5 shirts, a School Tie, 2 pairs of trousers, a blazer, a jumper, two polo shirts for games and PE, two pairs of shorts, a pair of indoor shoes or plimsoles (non Marking), a pair of outdoor shoes (must be black), a coat for Bad Weather, a pair of non surface marking trainers or plimsoles for games & PE, a bag for there PE and Games Kit and a Book Bag all of which must have the School badge or Logo on them (except the Shoes and Socks and Plimsoles or trainers) the uniform grant will only just about get them a pair of trousers so where is the rest supposed to come from and also if they do not have a pair of black shoes or appropriate footwear for any of there subjects there not allowed in school with anything else on there feet so what are you supposed to do and they do not make exceptions I know as I have already been there when one of my lads had worn out a pair of shoes and we had no others he could wear for the day and he was sent home and we were told not to send him back until he had a pair despite the fact that he had other shoes and trainers which were all black that he could of worn and no one would of really noticed except maybe the teachers and what diffrence it would of made for a single day I do not know but they would still not let him in school as a result he missed a days schooling personally I do not see what diffrence this would of made what he had on his feet as it would of not stopped him from learning just the same and the same for any part of the uniform anmd it is the same for many similar storys you see in the press where they do not allow a kid in school because of a particular hair cut or style or because it is a diffrent colour to the norm it does not stop them or anyone from learning because of any of this and I do not know why they can not all stick to the same sort of school wear that you can buy at most supermarkets and other places as long as it is the right colour and just have a single badge or logo of the schools upon there coat and another upon there blazer or jumper and leave it at that as it is where my sons go even the trousers have a logo stitched into the back pocket of the trousers and embroidered upon the shirt pockets and the bags etc what are they going to want next the school badge or logo tattoed on there forehead to me its all about making money and is going too far

That's a joke coming from a government agent. After all the fuc(*&g morons in government gives a grant to the poor to help buy school uniforms but the grant wouldn't pay for a skirt let alone the whole uniform.

Schools believing there is pride wearing in wearing their overpriced garbage. I never felt anything bur embarrassed being seen out in that garb. Luckily I lived no more than 10 minutes from my school.

just cost me £24 for 3 polo shirts just because they have the school logo on and its compulsory to wear the logo. i havent even finished, got to get jumper etc. the bloody shirts arent even good quality the asda ones are better.

i think uniforms do give a sense of pride to the school but they are costly particulary you have to replace them frequently over the year when their clothes go missing!.my children have lost constant school sweatshirts,shirts,pe kits (t-shirts,shorts etc) when changing for pe etc.i have sewn in name tags,wrote their full name on label for them to probably be cut out.my children have come home from school by mistake with some one elses cheaper,tattier item of clothing on.i reconize this happens by mistake,i wash & iron them return them to school but my childrens are never returned,this in my eyes is theft.i have brought this up with head,i do not have alot of money to keep replacing them.so if my child has to go a week without proper sweatshirt etc they are punished by detentions.maybe non school uniforms will solve this problem!.