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School Uniforms

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Hymie | 06:17 Mon 30th Aug 2021 | Jobs & Education
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Not having any children, I had no idea this was still going on.

When I went to secondary school, the school (as did all the schools in the town) had an arrangement with a local clothes shop who had the sole rights to sell the school’s uniform (blazers, ties, gym kit etc). Even at the age of 11, I knew that this arrangement involved an illegal kick-back to the school for giving them the exclusive rights (otherwise why not allow any shop to sell the stuff).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58359541
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Two of my grandchildren start new schools this term and their parents have had to fork out over £100 per child just for PE Kit!
Just to emphasise the exclusivity of our designated uniform shop, we were told that our uniforms were of a special shade of royal blue that was unavailable elsewhere. (Yeah, right)
Some local parents were complaining at the price of school uniforms. Maybe rightly. But then you see the local school kids and they ALL seem to have state of the art mobile phones and Nike trainers etc.

And whilst on the subject, I seriously object to the almost sexualisation of school girls. They barely wear any material on their skirts and I often see the white van brigade etc ogling them, sometimes even tooting.

Sorry, but it is wrong.
The only thing that should not be generally available is maybe a school badge to be sewn on a blazer pocket (and the school could sell those itself). Everything else should be plain & unfussy.
^
Their skirts will be of a decent length but i know that, once out of their parents view, some girls roll them up at the waist to raise the hemline, thereby exposing more flesh. Course, i'm not saying they do this to attract attention from the white van brigade. That's just a creepy side effect.
All my grandkids have decent mobile phones but, save for one or two that were 'main' Christmas presents, they were 'hand-me-downs' when their parents upgraded theirs.
Next navy school skirts £10. Uniform shop £25 with logo on waist band. Cardigan Next £10 uniform £25 with badge. Schools should just sell the badges.
Selling from specific shops means all the uniforms will be identical in style. Uniform, so to speak. But I agree prices are too high which makes it difficult for parents especially if they have two or three children to kit out..
Schoolgirls were like that in the 60s and 70s, probably always have been. My sister wasn't allowed to wear makeup when she was a young teen but as soon as our parents left for work she'd slap it on before going to school - where she'd have to take it off again.

Our school didn't have a playing field so we had to walk a mile up the road to the tennis court, in PE kit. The girls were leered at not only by the van drivers but the old blokes stood outside the pub and the dole office were just as bad. Don't blame the girls, Leon. Grown men should know how to behave around young teenage girls.
How come the big supermarkets are full to the brim with uniforms for kids then? Who is buying them if they all need to buy them from a certain shop? Load of nonsense. As for £100 for a PE kit frankly I don't believe it. Even my kids PE kits to a private school did not cost that much!
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Perhaps Plod should investigate the kick-back arrangements between these shops and the schools – a few prosecutions might make them think twice.

It is beyond me as to how (ignoring the kick-backs) such an exclusive arrangement can be legal; I presume that other shops are not complaining as they each get a share of the scam in this cosy arrangement, each acting as sole supplier to another school.
APG, supermarket ranges are mainly for younger children. Infant/Junior schools very often require clothing to be just of a standard colour rather than style. Senior schools are different. And as for the £100 for PE kit, you can believe it. Some have to be specially ordered with the child's own name on garments.
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You could still buy the PE kit second-hand, and then change your kids name by deed poll.
APG; So you are calling two of my daughters liars, or you are calling me a liar! I can assure you, none of us are. The PE kit in question consists of 2 t-shirts - one red, one blue - complete with school badge, a pair of blue shorts, 2 pair of socks, again one red, t'other blue. That does not take into account the black gym-shoes they have to wear. Doesn't matter what make they are but they cannot be trainers and must be black. You try getting that lot for less than a oner:-/
PE uniform for my kids’ high school is (from) £20 for shorts, £20 for indoor shirt, £35 for rugby top - for 2/3 hours a week!
Naomi, thanks for the heads up on kids school uniform requirements -remind me how many kids you've had? -I've had 4 lol! I am quite aware what is required from the age of 4 -18. My grand-daughter is now starting 'real' school age 4 next week. She is required to have a top with the logo on, bought from the school for around the same price as a good quality non uniform top would be. A certain coloured skirt or pinafore and a white polo, which have been bought, I think, form sda (skirts around £6.66) this, along with black
'sand shoes' for PE, blue shorts and a white polo have come nowhere near the £300 quoted in the press. My youngest son when he went into private 6th form had to have a business suit, bought from a specific supplier, the suit was £120 including 2 pairs of trousers and a waistcoat supplement £25. His PE kit had to be logoed with the school and house, and was well under £100. This was three years ago. Kids still need to wear clothes what do their mothers expect? if there were no uniforms the kids would be competing on who could wear the best designer clothes and then their parents would have something to worry about.
APG, please don't reserve your thanks for me alone. Others have also put you right. As for my personal life, mind your own business.
Hymie, rather than getting a 'kick back' this uniform supplier donates to the school https://myclothing.com/
Ken calm down dear! Your daughter would have had to buy all those things even if they had not be uniform - and most schools sell the logo badges to sew onto appropriate clothing. I would suggest she goes to a cheaper shop -George sell sports shorts for £3!
https://direct.asda.com/george/school/girls-sports-swimwear/D10M2G1C11,default,sc.html
No one puts me right Niomi, especially someone like you who has never bought a school uniform in her life lol! Take a look at my link on prices at George. If you choose to ignorantly believe any reactionary thing you read in the Press then that's your problem, I prefer to refer to my real life experiences.
apg, //No one puts me right Niomi, especially someone like you who has never bought a school uniform in her life //

What on earth are you on? You know nothing whatsoever about me.

And have a count up. Several people here have put you right.

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