Uniform compulsory at pre-school?

[Marabou]

That's that really.. Can they demand that parents buy it for DC? It costs roughly 100 pounds all together, which I don't basically have..

[WaffleWiffle]

My son's nursery (part of the primary school) has a compulsory uniform.

[Marabou]

This nursery is a private one. I guess they can then.

[Toohotforfishandchips]

Blimey !! What on earth do you get for that amount of money??? Our school nursery has uniform but a weeks worth from supermarket is less than fifty pounds

[ElephantsNeverForgive]

Private certainly do have uniforms. DF muttered about nurseries, admittedly very nice, sweatshirts costing more than the local primaries.

Lot of people there do private, state, private/state - for nursery, primary and senior school. There was much muttering when they introduced the expensive tops. I suspect there are some third and fourth hand ones bouncing round the village.

[Sirzy]

at £100 I wouldn't buy it tbh.

DS did have a uniform at pre-school (linked to school) - but that was sweater from school at £8 (could use plain from supermarket if we wanted) then polo shirts and trousers so all very cheap, and all bar the jumper will be used again this year when he is in reception.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Money spent on cheap joggers and t shirts is a far better idea.

Is there a second hand sale you could get it all from.

[Marabou]

These are the prices for boys (I've got a DS)

Winter Uniform:

School duffle coat + badge £68
Shirts (pack of two) £14
Winter trousers £6
Jumper £7
Grey cap £16

Summer Uniform:

Polo shirt £6
Shorts £10
Blazer + badge £23
Jumper £7

I would be happy to buy the other items for the winter uniform, but not the coat. DS will only be going 15/week and the nursery has just a tiny outside space, I don't see why he couldn't just wear his own coat..

I wonder if they can "force" us to buy everything..?

[Gileswithachainsaw]

A coat? A sodding coat? Are they bonkers??

[Marabou]

I know, it must be some magic coat too for £68

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I'd expect it to cone with a years free dry cleaning and patch repair.

But then dd1 and dd2 both wore/wear hand me down/tesco/next sale coats to pre school.

What with them getting filthy, or nicked or lost etc.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I don't even by coats for me that cost £68 :o

[ilovepowerhoop]

I wouldnt pay that for a coat for myself (I am a skinflint!)

[mipmop]

Lovely, a woollen coat and woollen blazer. Probably the most impractical choices possible. Something like gore-tex or the gear that forest school nursery children wear would have been an investment, but it'd be functional.

Do they have a parent group? Others will feel the same.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

With regard to the shirts what's so special about them?

Just asda or tesco or sainsbury do a pack of two for half that if not less.

Grey cap? I got a pack of 2 hats in tesco for £1.50 I think. They will get lost on the first day wtf.

[ilovepowerhoop]

I agree they would be better with waterproof clothing than impractical blazers/duffle coats

[Toohotforfishandchips]

Surely you will need several tops etc?!

[annoyedofnorwich]

Surely if you don't like it and it isnt optional you just choose a nursery that doesn't do it that way?

[Seriouslyffs]

This would be a deal breaker for me. It's too fur coat no knickers! And I sent my dcs to a prep school with a famously showy uniform. The difference was it was practical and they were there for 9 years, plenty of scope for sharing, passing down and buying to grow into.
Is he only going for the funded hours? If so I suspect they're greedily taking the government funding but don't actually want all comers- shocking.

[CandODad]

Can I point out legally they cannot force a school uniform only request. Only secondary can be compulsory. (unless they are a private school of course)

[Toohotforfishandchips]

I have to say that if the uniform is that extreme I dread to think what the fees are

[Marabou]

Hm, that's what I was thinking as well Seriouslyffs, DS will only be there for the funded hours and until he turns 5 (after which we are doing HE), so no use for the uniform after that..

The funny thing is, it's a fairly new nursery, only been open for two years I think, and we're certainly not in an area, where most people could afford to spend over 100 pounds on a nursery uniform . The fees are also fairly low for London and they don't charge any top-up fees. That's a good thing to know, CandODad, that they can't have compulsory uniform.

This is the other one of the two nurseries that are a walking distance from where we live, but now I'm beginning to wonder, if I should go with the other one instead..

The other thing with this nursery that gave me a pause, was that they are going to have a qualified teacher for the 3-4-year-olds in this September. While they are of course trying to spin it as a brilliant thing for the children etc. I can't help but think that they can then just increase the group size..?

[morethanpotatoprints]

I would start the H.ed early tbh unless you need the childcare, that's bloody ridiculous.
I think the other one sounds better unless you want your child taught by a teacher at this age.
Also, if formal teaching has taken place it may be at odds with how you will want to teach him when he leaves.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Is it worth asking on your local FB,MN Local page or Gumtree to see if anyone has second hand uniform they are prepared to sell? At that age, it is likely to be outgrown before it is worn out.

[Toohotforfishandchips]

If you are going to HE I would be surprised if a pre school that is or is acting like a posh traditional formal prep school would be compatible with that ?! Our city state school nursery is an oasis of freedom and creativity and mess with a bit of group time. Paint and glue and outdoor classroom (water mud and allotments, pond, ducks ...) feature highly. We have a basic school uniform which most people use only as it is cheaper than ruining good clothes .. Polo shirts a pound, sweatshirts a fiver etc .... I am still reeling from the duffle coat idea

[Marabou]

morethanpotatoprints those are good points I had thought about too, concerning the formal learning aspect. We are only planning to HE for a few years though, but the reason we choose to do it is exactly the aversion to formal learning too early on.. However, I work from home and I do look forward to having a few hours during the day to concentrate on work and as such we are happy for DS to go to nursery.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius unfortunately the uniform has only been introduced this summer, so no one has one yet. There are many of our neighbours' DC attending that nursery and no one has been really happy about the uniform, although everyone is happy about the nursery itself.