giggle Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I thought I had misread the cost of school uniform required for primary age children on a school website but no, it really did say everything had to be bought from the school and was very expensive. I currently buy packs of polo shirts etc from Next, M and S. obviously if the rule is for a certain uniform then your child can't turn up in something else. dare I ask, what else do you need to buy? I've been told you have to buy books, pens, paper etc. Is this for every school year? what do you do if your kids start half way through? do the text books change each year or could you pass them down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggwise Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Hi, I'd be interested to know too! My boys will probably be starting in september and i was wondering what to do about the school books seeing at it will be nearly the end of the school year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 The school uniform where our eldest goes (primary) is set by the school and you have to get it from a certain supplier. She has to have both a summer and winter uniform, the summer one is a checked dress in a particular check (I.e. not a generic gingham that you could buy anywhere), the winter one is a tartan pinafore and a shirt. None of those things can be bought anywhere else. She then has to have a sports uniform which is a dark green skort and red t-shirt, i got both of those in Target i think. When she gets to year three she has to have a sports shirt with school logo. The books that she has had so far have been activity books, which they work through and write in during the year, so they couldn't be passed on. They are not text books in other words. We also get a list of items that she has to take at the beginning of the year which includes pencils and pens, glue, hand wash, kitchen roll, tissues, ruler etc. I would estimate that we probably spend about $500 on uniform and shoes/trainers, and this year we spent $100 for the books and voluntary school contribution. There is then other payments e.g for special sporting activities like gymnastics programs and Dancesport etc through the year. Although I don't think they are compulsory as such, I do think that it is expected that you will pay to allow your child to take part. We have been lucky with the uniform this year because eldest modelled it for the shop in an editorial in the paper, so we got a discount. Plus we have two girls so much of it can be passed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 It does vary school to school. At our school alot of the kids wear BIGW, Target navy shorts/skirts/skorts but you do have to have the school T shirt. From what ive seen although the 'formal' uniform is compulsary in schools, its hardly ever worn by the kids so if your new to a school i would recommend only buying one of each uniform until you work out whats what. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 A lot of schools also have their own 2nd hand shops/programs. If you have a good idea of what school your kids will be going to, get in touch with someone there and say you're concerned about the costs - what is the minimum you need etc etc They might be able to advise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 We have the school polo (and this year graduation shirts), but you don't have to buy school shorts - as long as they're the right colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernbird Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I thought I had misread the cost of school uniform required for primary age children on a school website but no, it really did say everything had to be bought from the school and was very expensive. I currently buy packs of polo shirts etc from Next, M and S. obviously if the rule is for a certain uniform then your child can't turn up in something else. dare I ask, what else do you need to buy? I've been told you have to buy books, pens, paper etc. Is this for every school year? what do you do if your kids start half way through? do the text books change each year or could you pass them down? Up until recently I ran our school uniform shop at the local state primary school. Most schools have t shirts with logos on so you have to get the from the school and we charged $19 per shirt. The zipped jacket also has a logo on and we charge $25 for that. All other items in maroon could be purchased from the school but Big W, Target and K Mart also stock skirts, shorts and trackies in most normal school colours such as maroon, navy, black and green. We charge $19 for a skirt of skort and 2 types of short at $25 and $17. In winter we sell 2 types of track pant at $35 and $17. Text books in primary school tend to be the kind you actually write the answers in so can't be handed down but high school books can be handed down as long as the school are still using them as sometimes the schools change the resources over time. Each year you will be given what is called a 'book list' this includes all stationary items your child will need for the year ahead, ours is usually around $100 in primary for the year. High school is higher and I am sure Ali will tell you that by the time you get to Year 12 you are paying a LOT of money on books. If you arrive mid year then the school will give you the book list and explain that you perhaps don't need to buy the 10 pencils it calls for but you will still need to buy the actual books on the list, usually a maths and an english text book in primary. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellybr Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Our school is branded polo's and sweatshirt. You can buy the shorts etc from the school or get them from BigW or Target. I got my fellas ones in BigW half price before school started. In our school they have fraction shirts that they wear for sports but they are just generic polos and once the oldest is in a fraction then all younger kids will be in it. I have a friend with her little boy in Private and the uniform costs are horrendous they have summer, winter uniforms even the socks cost $8 a pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 If you are sending your kids to a private school you really have no choice other than to get the uniform as stipulated. However, if your kids are going to a Government school as long as they are wearing the right type of clothes in the right colour it's fine. I sent my kids to Government schools and bought anything with a logo from the specified supplier (so the kids didn't get teased by other kids) but got everything else from other shops. For instance grey shorts are just grey shorts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 At my sons high school, they offer a 'shared resource scheme' this means you dont have to go and buy your child maths or science books etc he is loaned them for the year (these are books have written info in, not the ones you write in). I think the shared resource costs me around $125 a year but when one maths book alone can cost that it is worth it. As for normal book lists ,the schools here have recently changes suppliers and they are now CHEAP. Eraser are 10cents, glue stix a $1, so i buy the majority from them and just pick up tissues, reams of paper etc when theyre on offer in Big W or similar. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I think its quite good value at my sons school. Just the logo tshirt, so two of them, and a faction tshirt, one of and a fleece and hat one of. All the rest we get from and cheap source we can find. Also the book list is only $100 a year, and just trainers on their feet, no need for Clarks shoes at his school. However, he will be in Private School next year and its going to be astrinomical ah well such is life. Also if you earn under a certain amount you can claim it back in your tax return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I think it must be more difficult with girls uniforms because of the dresses. The boys at dd's school wear grey shorts/trousers which I suppose can be bought anywhere. Dd's school is a state primary, but all of the children are expected to wear the correct uniform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Our (state) schools cost an arm and a leg. To give an idea, al the uniform is branded- right down to trousers and white shirts with embroidered logos to make sure they come from the school shop. Books are about $750 per child per year. The "voluntary" contribution is added to "fees" and comes to about $1000 per pupil per year. Even in primary school, kids have to buy a set stationery list from a set supplier - including materials for the teacher and brand new calculators for communal use that are replaced every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 (edited) Our (state) schools cost an arm and a leg. To give an idea, al the uniform is branded- right down to trousers and white shirts with embroidered logos to make sure they come from the school shop. Books are about $750 per child per year. The "voluntary" contribution is added to "fees" and comes to about $1000 per pupil per year. Even in primary school, kids have to buy a set stationery list from a set supplier - including materials for the teacher and brand new calculators for communal use that are replaced every year. The High school my daughter went to in the UK (for 3 months) was the same - every item of clothing had the school badge - skirt, sports kit, jumper. Re stationary here: We can order from the school supplier and have them delivered to home or collect from school, or we can shop at K Mart. I ordered a fortune by ordering my daughters books for English Lit from book depository Edited April 22, 2012 by ali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 The schools send kids home if they don't wear the branded clothes. I would love to argue it with the school but my wife says this would be unfair on the kids - and I see her point. They don't want to be test case. As for books, I try to get as much as I can from the Internet but when it is special VCE branded stuff you can't get it cheaply. Even if you find second hand copies, they are little cheaper than the new texts. Ultimately it is tax deductible (up to a point) but I object on principle when I have to pay for something that the state should be providing from taxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shusselmann Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Hi, Similar to others, my son is at Catholic school and has a summer and winter uniform. We have an official uniform list - some items (logo'd) have to come from the school shop, others come from a preferred (expensive) uniform shop. As well as clothing there's a bag, hat and the correct colour sand shoes (running shoes \ trainers). They also have to have proper black school shoes. We spend about $300 per seasonal uniform and have managed to make most of the summer uniform last two schools years - guess that depends on age and growth spurts! We've needed new shoes each year - Clarks are expensive ($100 per pair). In my experience many families do their own thing - you can't avoid buying the logo'd items from school but for other items you could get much cheaper versions at K-Mart, Big W and Target, rather than using the recommended uniform supplier, the quality is about the same. However, I think you also need to be careful that your kids don't look too different (for their sake!). We made the mistake of getting blue sand shoes to match the uniform and found out that had to be white - an expensive mistake! I like the suggestion to buy one set of the official version and then wait and see what others tend to do. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADAWN Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 This is something that does concern me I think we are very lucky in the uk to have such cheap uniforms, I think my sons uniform probably costed about £40 plus £30 for school shoes and that is including logod sweatshirts and logod fleece also lucky we don't have to pay for any stationary at primary school, which surprised me as I grew up in NZ where you got given a list at the beginning of the school year. Even if we did have to purchase these things stationary is very cheap in this country although I think there would be an uproar from the parents. I read somewhere that a school shirt is $40 and school dress is $80-$90 this seems extremely expensive what regardless of exchange rate and increased earnings. Pleased to see from other posts this maybe an exaggeration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cdchaplin Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 my 2 girls started school last week. youngest into yr 6 for only 8mths and eldest into yr 9. in a day we parted with around $2000. basic kit for eldest was polo shirt=$43 summer skirt =$65. gingham dress=£ 65, pe kit=$60 coat=$80 and shoes from a budget style shop but only ones school like= $70. her books and stationary=$350 and school fee's $860 !!!! youngest fee's were only $90 cos i didn't pay the suggested $100 voluntary contribution!!!. her uniform was slightly cheaper $ 125 for 2x polo, 2x short and hoodey and trainers $50. stationary worked out $75 from office works but would have been cheaper to order from school as only $45!!! so yes was a little bit of shock to system, i thought £25 for senior blazer was bad enough last year!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Yuills Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Costing of uniforms is a major issue.. polo shirts at the primary school my kids are at cost $30 and $32 for faction shirts and Fleece winter jackets cost $45 and $46. We do ask that school shorts/trousers/skirts are purchased from shop, but no stipulation to purchase them from there..just if you get them from elsewhere no branded items are worn. We do have to wear the school hats and if you have no hat you cannot not play and have to stay in the shade. Bags are available to buy also but again there is no stipulation to buy the school logo'd ones. I have to say that since becoming the Shop Manager I was stunned to discover that these prices are very near to what it costs us to get them made!!! So far from ripping people off our aim is to keep costs down...hence why we do not at present have a school dress as that would cost upwards of $65 to just get made in the school colours!! A good place to look is face book.....try typing in the area you are moving to and ending it with Buy and Sell or secondhand uniforms.....lots of these pages now exist on facebook and help to keep the costs down. We have a basket of secondhand items all $5 an item at our school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADAWN Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 ahh, these figures are making my head spin. hope our son does not have a growth spurt over the long xmas hols Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernbird Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 (edited) Costing of uniforms is a major issue.. polo shirts at the primary school my kids are at cost $30 and $32 for faction shirts and Fleece winter jackets cost $45 and $46. We do ask that school shorts/trousers/skirts are purchased from shop, but no stipulation to purchase them from there..just if you get them from elsewhere no branded items are worn. We do have to wear the school hats and if you have no hat you cannot not play and have to stay in the shade. Bags are available to buy also but again there is no stipulation to buy the school logo'd ones. I have to say that since becoming the Shop Manager I was stunned to discover that these prices are very near to what it costs us to get them made!!! So far from ripping people off our aim is to keep costs down...hence why we do not at present have a school dress as that would cost upwards of $65 to just get made in the school colours!! A good place to look is face book.....try typing in the area you are moving to and ending it with Buy and Sell or secondhand uniforms.....lots of these pages now exist on facebook and help to keep the costs down. We have a basket of secondhand items all $5 an item at our school. that has to be private, our state school the dresses are $45 and the shirts are $19. If you are paying those prices in state school then you are being robbed. I have been manager for 4 years and there is no way you should be paying those prices at a state school. Edited April 24, 2012 by northernbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airry87 Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 I have just bought DD's first school uniform as she has her first day on the 27th of January. I only bought the summer uniform, so 1 school dress, 1 pair of school shorts, 1 school sports t-shirt, 2 pairs of white socks, 1 school hat and 1 pair of brown roman sandals. The total cost was $227. I then had to pay another $40 to have the dress and t-shirt and shorts made smaller as DD is quite small for her age and the sizes I got were the smallest they made! Still have to fork out for the winter uniform yet this year too. I got the invoice for her school fees the other day too, to be paid by 22nd January. $2400 per year!! However, I wouldn't change my decision to send her there at all! No matter the cost. I think she may be attending a public high school though! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix16 Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 When my daughter want to the local primary they were pretty relaxed, the polo shirts had the school emblem on them and were quite a distinctive bright green so not the standard kmart, target staple! But the prices were pretty reasonable and overall buying a years worth worked out far cheaper than the money I would have spent on clothes if the school didn't have a uniform. The rest of the kit was navy blue so skorts, skirts and shorts were all available at kmart, Big W and Target, a pair of sturdy shoes and some runners from betts and all in all I found I saved overall because I wasn't buying so much non school clothes. The school also had a great 'pre loved' stall and when my daughter left I gave all her stuff back, some still with tags in. We did get a 'stationary list' every year too but again they gave you the option to buy direct through them or source yourself, with the P and C contribution I think it came to around $120 for the year, the P and C was always voluntary. I remember many parents putting their own slant on the uniform and the school were pretty chilled about it, In fact I do remember one of my first assembly's where there was a special congratulations for all the kids who were actually wearing the uniform!! It was a great school to be honest but very relaxed about stuff, maybe the Freo factor!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 something you may find interesting. New school went with the cheapest option they could get for the uniform. 2 years on, uniforms are faded, falling apart and look pretty bad. Parents are now asking for the uniform to be changed to a better quality and are willing to pay more for something that last more than one term. Also remember if you buy from a school shop, you can often sell them once the child out grows them (if in good condition) thus getting a little of your money back, also buying from a school shop much of the profit goes to the school to buy extra equipment and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 OK, I know I have had my rant a couple of years ago, but I don't accept that the school uniform value proposition is acceptable. At our boy's school, the costs for compulsory uniform are: short sleeved shirts 5@$26 - $130 long sleeved shirts 5@$27 - $135 short trousers - $45 long trousers - $70 white socks 5@8 - $40 black socks 5@6 - $30 bag - $40 jumper - $85 jacket $90 That's a cool $675. For a state school. All branded, all compulsory, all punishable if you wear generic versions. http://www.sthelena.vic.edu.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=zPLke33DL_U%3D&tabid=119 Some of this may be going to benefit the school, but they have no right to force parents to pay at these rates. They should set uniforms where you can buy generic equivalents without branding at K Mart or Big W if you wish - or pay full whack if you want to buy through the school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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