Keep down the cost of school uniform, it's wrong on so many levels

As a mother of three adults and now a nanna to three grandchildren, I am fully aware of need for school uniform – it makes it easier for schools to keep a tab on pupils, and for parents to get children ready quickly in the morning, without arguments that their best friend has the latest fashion accessory or pair of trainers to wear... It is without doubt a good idea!

The cost though, seems to be unnecessarily high, mainly due to a lot of schools making parents use chosen outlets that ‘handstitch’ school badges to jumpers, cardigans, shirts and every other accessory you could possibly need, and I have found to my horror today that this now includes my grand daughters ‘sports’ socks, which are priced at £4.99.

I can buy a navy blue sports sock for £1.49 online!

I know logos are a good idea, but at what cost to parents. The school does not stock items itself, and nor does any outlet in our local town, and so it means a trip to a retail outlet on an industrial estate in another town. This may not be a problem to those with cars, but once you factor in the inflated price to begin with, the cost of fuel and time out, this builds quickly.

Why can schools not have a supply, why can’t you order and pay online and it be delivered free of charge to the school, instead of a £3.99 postal charge added, but most of all, why can’t the school have a simple sew on badge, purchased at a local shop or from the school and let parents sew them on themselves?

This really is totally unacceptable, children are going hungry because parents cannot afford food to feed them. Food banks are running out of food because so many are relying on them on a weekly basis, even though they are working full time, and agencies such as Dom’s Food Mission, Surviving The Streets and Warming Up The Homeless are going out every day feeding those in desperate need on the streets, and taking food to local schools and other agencies to make sure out children are fed.

And yet you are allowing parents to be held to ransom by schools threatening parents and frightening pupils who have not got the right logo on their jumper or cardigan, let alone the right colour blue sock for PE!

It is nothing to do with the cost, it is the fact that this rule of only using ‘certain outlets’, is wrong.

Uniforms can and should be purchased by parents wherever they like, as long as the child is wearing the correct colours, and is clean and tidy, hair cut according to rules, jewellery too.

Then really what does it matter if the logo is hand stitched by some highly-priced outlet on an industrial estate, or a simple badge that can be purchased with ease at the school and in local retailers, to ease the pressures put on parents and to make life just a little easier.

This is wrong on so many levels, and this really does need to be addressed, sooner rather than later!