How much is your grand kids school uniform ?

One of my grandchildren goes to a fee paying pre-prep school. The uniform is grey with coloured stripes on the tie and a stripe around the v neck of the jumper. No outmoded and expensive blazer.All other items can be bought from any shop. Any dark anorak or similar is acceptable as outerwear. Simple and sensible.

There is also a second hand uniform stall at school fairs. All schools should arrange second hand uniform sales IMHO.

In the 1930s my aunt, passed for a grammar school. Her mother, a dressmaker, made her blazer. The head mistress announced that only blazers from the school supplier could be worn. My aunt aged 13 organised other girls wearing cheaper or homemade blazers to petition the headmistress. They were allowed to wear their non regulation blazers. My aunt later became an effective and respective local councillor.

Has nobody else got GCs who are at secondary schools that are Academies? My GD (uniform as I said sbove about £150-200) has blazer and jumper with striped edges and everything except blouses from the uniform shop, including the regulation school bag and coat. It is a very, very strict uniform policy and as it is the local state secondary school, you obviously have no choice. I think this is pretty common for Academies though I imagine the school has access to funds to help poorer families.

Wow Mamie- I wonder what the sponsor connection is with the Uniform shop and manufacturer there?!?

Just looked up the school where a relative is sending their youngest this year, and the cost of the uniform - absolutely incredible (never mind the fees , boarding+ all activities, and of course full board for the horse).

Don't think there is a connection GJ. The shop is the traditional uniform shop which has always served the independent and grammar schools in the town. The Academy was converted from a school that had a real image problem and the uniform policy has been a major strategy for improving that. There has been a very significant rise in standards and the school has improved enormously all round; it is now hugely over-subscribed.
I am no fan of uniforms but I understand the rationale.

MY GS starts 'big school' in September and the parts of the uniform which have to be purchased from the school- blazer, tie, sweater, games kit and a few other things were about £180 (I bought his blazer £30 which I thought was reasonable). DD2 bought his shirts and trousers from Next not sure how much but not expensive. Its the shoes, football boots which are pricey and always have been.

I love to see children in school uniform and I adored mine. I was so pleased that GS has a blazer and tie he needs a little discipline in his life!!

Schools our girls attended and where I taught (apart from last one which had none) all had uniform, but it was designed in a non-rigid way- so that it could be bought from large stores- apart from the tie that was sold (with many second hand avaialble from the pta) - no fancy blazers, etc. There is just no need for an expensive blazer, surely. The pta did have sweatshirts with the school badge for sale, but it was not compulsory, any non branded navy sweatshirt and plae blue shirt, grey trousers and plain socks and black (proper shoes, NO trainers) were very acceptable.

Mamie - yes GD now going into Year 11 at school which changed its status to Academy in her second year, Y8. Main change at first appeared to be free new blazer badge to be sewn over embroidered badge on pocket and new tie from specified (and only) stockist. Then I came to buy the horrendously expensive, good quality but rarely worn track suit, sports shirt, shorts etc etc from the same not very efficient stockist.

I had thought about the high cost of New School Uniform as my GC was coming up to school age and so managed to pick up a few bits from Charity shops ready to help with the cost. Mum was pleased and put them away. But as the time has come closer and Mum has got involved with other parents she has gone out and bought new M&S uniform X3, 'Parent Pressure' is very powerful!

Considering school uniforms are washed endlessly and worn 5 days a week I think they represent good value per wear. I used to but a cotton mix rather than the rather hot to wear polyester type blouses and shirts
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I'm not sure about my granddaughter's uniform as my son and his family live far away, but as well as having grandchildren I still have my youngest at home. She's 11 and starting secondary school. So far we have;
Blazer £33
Tie £6
PE top £12
PE shorts £12
PE socks £7 !
2 x shirts ASDA £6
2 x trousers ASDA £12
trainers, non branded £10
shoes from shoezone £15
Total=£113
plus pens.pencils etc and a coat-thankfully we already had these, and a bag -which the school suppliers gave us 'free' after taking our last penny. I didn't get jumpers yet as they wear blazers in class and it isn't cold, and I didn't bother with the optional long sleeved zip up tracksuit top for PE= £22!!
Thankfully my parents helped out (I'm a single parent and currently looking for work)-bet they didn't think they'd still be doing that when I was 50

However, all these children would still need clothes to wear for school even if it wasn't a school uniform. And children can be very unkind if other children don't have the 'right' clothes.

It's when parents have to pay a particular supplier and can't buy uniform in the numerous shops that now stock it that it becomes too expensive.

DGD's school polo shirts cost three times as much as a similar plain one, just because they have the name of the school embroidered on them.

Am I the only one who doesn't actually know anything about the cost of a school uniform? It is boring to say the least. If I am going to buy clothes for my GCs I want them to be fun things they wear on holidays and weekends. Parents can do the uniform bit. I've been there and done that. So it's trackies and T-shirts with logos for eldest GS, dresses and (Much to mum's horror) "Frozen" leggings for GD. Grandparenting should be fun!

No, you,re not, trisher. I still have to buy school clothes but I have better things to do than to remember how much cheap schoolwear (and there's plenty about that suits most schools) costs.

Far too much for DGSs'! Preparatory School! I pay school fees and buy (very expensive) uniforms and shoes. All regulation and with school logos! School bags also . This because older DGS couldn't get a place in first 6 choices of primary school. Only school places offered were at 1 failing school and one based in a socially disadvantaged area controlled by terrorist factions. No chance of that being suitable. All because DD lived in a huge new development of 1st time buyer houses full of young families with NO primary school within 5 miles

Other DGCs at school in England cost very little.They get to stay at school until 3:30 from almost first day and have free lunches until they are 7! Here the children finish school at 2:00pm in their first year, 2nd and 3rd years at 2:30 and final 4 years at 3:00. Lunches must be paid for except for those on low incomes.

For my first GD, I did help out with uniform because her single parent mum was not always working. However, for the next two, DS1 and DiL were expert at sourcing school gear from Ebay and parents whose children had outgrown still wearable clothing. Secondary school uniform has been bought new since the parents are more affluent now.

Primary school clothing is usually cheaper than secondary school uniform.

5 year old twins, 1 girl, 1 boy. 8 year girl. Total: £600.00. This doesn't include shoes for the older girl.
This is not for a private school - it is for an average state primary school near Birmingham.

What, no hand-me-downs from older girl to the girl twin?