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Child Item

Committee recommends optional crested school uniforms

Radiosonde

From RTE

A new report from an Oireachtas committee has recommended that pupils should not be obliged to wear crested uniforms and that schools should end the use of workbooks.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection has been examining the cost of education in Ireland and is recommending that students should not be forced to wear expensive crested uniforms.
It also recommends that schools end the use of workbooks which cannot be reused, and suggests that voluntary contributions should be greatly discouraged, if not completely prohibited.
The committee is also calling for the introduction of a universal schoolbook rental scheme.
The recommendations, which will be published on Tuesday have been welcomed by the National Parents Council.

A very welcome move IMO. Quite aside from the cost issue, I hated school uniforms, they were one of the most knob-endy things about school.

The colours for starters "hmm, let's go with grey, that's a lovely colour that stresses our emphasis on boredom and repression of self-expression. And how about wool jumpers with crew necks, the kind popular with men in their 60s, that will go down well with today's young people. Oh! Oh! Slacks, grey slacks, we must have grey slacks!"

And having unique crests? Come on. You are a little school in Ireland, not a football team or the Knights Templar. You do not need a fecking crest.

Anyone against this move?

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PinkLemonade

eviltwin wrote: »

Quite a bit depending on where you shop. I was up North recently and saw jumpers for less than 15 euros. The quality was much the same too.

I think people sometimes assume that the crested clothes are somehow better quality than their generic counterparts and perhaps some are but in our school the quality is rubbish.

I don't mind paying for something if I'm getting value for money.

Could you really get a decent jumper for a secondary school student for that, natural fibers and all that? I do think the crested stuff is over priced but I dont think people compare the price of the uniform to what you'd be paying if there was no uniform. If you think how much this stuff is worn?

eviltwin

PinkLemonade wrote: »

Could you really get a decent jumper for a secondary school student for that, natural fibers and all that? I do think the crested stuff is over priced but I dont think people compare the price of the uniform to what you'd be paying if there was no uniform. If you think how much this stuff is worn?

The one they are wearing now isn't natural fibers. I think most parents are happy with the idea of a uniform, its just being unable to shop around and get one that suits your budget and that gives you value for money that is the problem. I can only buy the uniform in one shop in the entire country and have to pay well over the odds for it and all because of a tiny little emblem.

Feathers

PinkLemonade wrote: »

I do think the crested stuff is over priced but I dont think people compare the price of the uniform to what you'd be paying if there was no uniform. If you think how much this stuff is worn?

6 t-shirts, two pairs of jeans & a hoodie or two? That could be worn after school and at the weekends too?

Notorious97

I hated my uniform, but i can see why for a parent they are better than having kids driving them mad wanting the latest labels etc in school

The crest issue i dont get, my school used to give us the crest to stitch onto our uniforms, looked fine. Cost nothing really.

SpaceTime

I actually got sent home for wearing grey trousers that were slightly off the uniform colour.

The official ones were made out of some kind of acrylic yet they were some ridiculous price.

We were a bit broke that month so basically I had to put up with bring ridiculed by the principal and various teachers about it for the whole time.

they sent notes home, I got sent home, singled out, shouted at etc etc

What it had to do with education I will never know. it just seemed like extreme bullying to me.

We also had white shirts and if your wore anything visible through them like a t shirt you got shouted at and detention!

This was in the 90s and 00s!

Hated school! Really didn't enjoy one minute of it but loved university.

wmpdd3

My secondary school uniform cost £170 in 1992. I was reminded of this many times when I was caught ducking off.

The jumper was lambswool and the skirt was a wool mix. the shirt was the oddest colour possible and the tie was about £10.

I had one uniform for 5 years.

Noreen1

blindsider wrote: »

Do schools include footwear in the uniform? Our school doesn't, nor any other I can think of.

I broached the subject a few yrs ago, and was told "You can't tell them what shoes to wear, that'd be too strict."

As others have said, why should a jumper with a crest cost 200% more than a better quality 'un-crested' jumper? Qui bono? Not the parents anyway!

Yes, ours does.

Plain black closed shoes - no other colour, even on the soles.
There was an attempt to bring in black leather shoes, available only from the school, a few years ago.
Thankfully, they eventually decided to allow parents to decide what footwear their children should wear, just as long as it's plain black.
Oh, and the socks have to be plain black, too!

This year, they're changing the school jackets.
I've got two daughters, one asthmatic, one prone to tonsillitis.
I managed to find a company who would produce rain and windproof jackets, and embroider school crests on them last year, because the quality of the school jackets wasn't suitable.They look identical to the school jackets, the only difference being, they keep my kids warm and dry.
Needless to say, I will not be "upgrading" to the new jackets!

The move to discourage the use of workbooks is to be welcomed.
I've wasted a fortune over the years, having to either buy the workbook and book as a set, when I already had a perfectly serviceable textbook from an older child - or buying workbooks that were never used! :mad:

Now, if we could just get the publishers to stop issuing "revised" editions of the same books, (the revision mainly being moving a few chapters around!). every 2-3 years, hard-pressed parents might end up being "fleeced" a bit less!

Unfortunately, I can't see these recommendations being taken up by the schools, unless they're made mandatory.
The truth is, P.E uniforms, school jackets, etc. are sometimes used as a source of extra income for schools - and that's not going to change with the reduction in funding currently being experienced by the schools.

Gatling

This can't come quick enough my eldest is starting big school in September we've a choice pinafore and jumper and purchase an iron on /sew on crest or school tracksuit at 70e a go ,

jill_valentine

I remember having to trace everything from our workbooks into our copies, so they could be reused. But then the bookshop where everybody bought and resold their books wouldn't take them anyway, so it was just a pain in the arse for no reason.

Gatling

jill_valentine wrote: »

I remember having to trace everything from our workbooks into our copies, so they could be reused. But then the bookshop where everybody bought and resold their books wouldn't take them anyway, so it was just a pain in the arse for no reason.

E-readers is the perfect solution to the book problem ,

And not poxy iPads with Facebook access

shruikan2553

My school had these shirts which were a unique shade of grey and only sold by 1 shop in town for about 16 euro each I think. We all needed the uniforms to look "smart". Honestly if you want to have us looking smart have everyone wearing suits. Would look better and be cheaper.

blindsider

One of the advantages of being a DEIS school is that the Principal is in no position to impose costly school uniforms.

Thankfully, ours is quite reasonable - even if (s)he does need the odd reminder now and then....:)

Musefan

Our school uniform was completely over-priced.

You had to have a crested jumper (65), specific coloured shirts (pink-25 each) that you couldn't buy anywhere else but the uniform supplier, wine socks (10 a pack), wine skirt which you couldn't get anywhere else (55), wine fleece for cold days as you couldn't bring your own (45), wine jacket as you couldn't bring your own rain jacket (55), o'neill's brand tracksuit too, which they changed twice during my time there, can't remember the price but it was extortionate. You couldn't choose your own shoes, there were two options from local shops, both 50 euro each. I suppose the pupils looked well, but coming from a primary school where you could buy a plain navy jumper and get the crest off the school to sew on, it was a bit of a shock.

whiteandlight

My schools getting the 'poxy' iPads for first years next year. I've taken advantage and am writing my own textbook/workbook for them. It is all phrased so the work can be done in copies and best of all allows me to edit chapters/change things that don't work week on week and yearly. Sick of books/workbooks that are expensive and never done exactly the way you want. No more photocopying too, all worksheets can be accessed on the iPads. Can't wait.
Worked out if a student in leaving cert music was to buy all the books/scores they needed it would cost in excess of €110. Still researching but so far I'm down to €2u7 for two scores that are copyrighted. Book I'll write and two scores are available out of copyright.

anncoates

Not against school uniforms generally but school uniform crested jumpers are one of the biggest scams going.

Sickened me having to shell out for it