Why do schools still expect parents to pay way over the odds for school uniforms? Maybe there is another way
IF THERE’S one thing guaranteed to get parents hot under the collar at this time of year, it’s the cost of school uniforms. The price of school books is bad enough, but there’s something particularly frustrating about being forced to shell out for the exorbitantly priced clothing that many schools demand, especially in these tough economic times.
No surprises then, that a recent survey showed three-quarters of parents considered school uniforms to be far too expensive, with 90 per cent keen on the idea of a school crest badge that could be stitched or ironed on to a cheaper supermarket-bought uniform.
“I’m supposed to buy a pair of €45 school-approved trousers for my daughter in the only shop in our town that sells her school uniform,” says lone parent and part-time secretary Maggie Flynn. “But I can get a virtually identical pair in Dunnes for €10. What is the school thinking of, asking us to pay so much in the middle of a recession? Do they really think that having a cheaper pair of trousers stop my daughter learning properly? It’s an absolute disgrace – so much for a free education.”
According to Dermot Jewell of the Consumers Association of Ireland, “The price of school uniform is more of a problem this year than ever. It represents a huge burden on the home. While many parents’ associations have got together to impress the need to cut costs on schools, in many cases this has fallen on deaf ears.”
Catherine Joyce of children’s charity Barnardos says that for many families, the cost of kitting out their schools is “as problematic as Christmas, if not worse”. And while some parents are eligible for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA), recent research by Barnardos shows that it’s nowhere near enough: there is a substantial gap between the amount that parents have to fork out and the support payments provided.
Barnardo’s found that the average basic cost for a child going into first year was €815, with the BSCFA payment running to just €305 – and that’s before extra costs such as school bags, sports clothing or equipment, stationery, or extracurricular activities such as swimming and class trips.
Some parents are especially irate at the cost of branded sportswear that many schools require. Elaine (not her real name) was incensed at the amount she was forced to spend equipping her son for sports lessons at his new secondary school. But she was also dismayed at what she saw as a form of back door selection.
“I believe that the prices are extortionate, and that there are hidden extras that seem to go unnoticed simply because the school has an excellent academic reputation. It isn’t mentioned at any stage that this branded sportswear, which can only be purchased directly from the school, is, in fact, compulsory. It does feel impossible for a parent not to purchase the inordinate amount of kit, which easily reaches €500.”
Elaine says that “schools like this aren’t private but everything about them oozes a private culture. As things stand at the moment, I cannot see how any parent without a well-paid job could afford to send their child there. Yet you have no choice: refusal to join this unnecessary spending mania will result in penalties for the kids – even if they are in a hidden form.”
So what can be done to ease the burden? Dermot Jewell says that online uniform shops such as bobbins.ie and uniformware house.ie are worth a try. And St Vincent de Paul charity shops in some parts of the country have put out a special appeal this year for good-quality second-hand uniforms. But more and more parents are turning to online local noticeboards such as Gumtree.ie, which has seen a tenfold increase in searches for back-to-school items in the run-up to September this year, compared with the same time last year.
“The very nature of Gumtree.ie is to match a buyer and seller locally and it lends itself perfectly to the sale and purchase of school uniforms for the local school,” says Sam Taylor of Gumtree. “Parents may not like to barter the sale of a school uniform with other parents at the school gate, but they can very easily and discreetly do so on Gumtree.”
These are short-term solutions, but most parents and consumer rights campaigners agree that it’s the schools themselves that need to get their acts together and establish uniform policies that are fair, affordable and equitable.
The UK branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau is currently running a campaign called Adding Up, which challenges schools to help out families with a few recession-busting tips. Schools are urged to make sure the uniform is available from a range of outlets rather than one sole supplier; to offer sew-on badges that can be put on plain clothing; and to encourage re- cycling or swap schemes.
Implementing such straightforward measures would make an enormous difference to cash-strapped families. It’s not rocket science, just simple common sense.
