pomerz

Hi All
Just a quick survey type question for all on the prices of school uniforms down under?

We were looking at the price of School uniforms on one website for the school shop and were amazed at how expensive kit was

Is there a cartel and can you only get goods for the school in their shop or do prices become a little more 'sane' when you shop around

How have you found it wherever you are from?

Matt

Margaret3

It is expensive, but to be honest i think on the whole (over the years), it probaly works out cheaper as they wear the same thing year in , year out, no trendy fashion involved in any of it!, just buy clothes as big as you can and get them altered accordingly!, then adjust them as time goes buy. My youngest i get some bits and pieces in Target! so not so bad. The schools usually have pretty good second hand shops, i have handed in two practically new pairs of trousers as my youngest sprung up like nobody's business, now her trousers have hems like chip bags (strange saying but we used it all the time in scotland!)

Only thing we had to replace for our teen was her polo shirts (as they got a bit stinky!, she'd kill me if she knew i have written that).

comet555

They're not all like that. Some of the expensive private schools have very expensive uniforms as well.

My daughters state school seems pretty reasonable for uniforms. Here's the price list:
http://capalabasc.eq.edu.au/wcmss/im...List_Jan10.pdf

It's a big list but they basically only have two uniforms. The dress uniform which they were 4 days a week and the sport uniform which is once a week.

So for the dress uniform:
2-3 skirts (culottes) or dresses (or shorts for boys)
2-3 blouses

For the sports uniform:
1 pair shorts
1 polo shirt

Then there's a hat and black shoes and also a fleece for the winter. At her school the shorts/skirt just have to be navy blue so they could be bought at Big W in the uniform section. Also, you can pick up a lot of the stuff used if you look for it. We bought all her stuff that way as we found someone who was moving schools.

So for her we spent:
$10 each for skirts X 3 = $30
$10 each for blouses (used ) X 3 = $30
$10 for 1 polo shirt (used)
$10 for 1 hat
$35 for fleece

In total about $105 plus the shoes on top of that. So it doesn't have to be expensive, unless you send your kids to an expensive private school. Even then they're not all the same.

jothefw

I think it depends on the school.

Our kids just go to the local area school - like an old comprehensive I suppose. They have school fleece, polo shirt and then trackies in winter. School emblem on shirts & jumpers and think is was about $35 for the latest fleece I bought and about $25 for the polo shirts each.

We're quite relaxed so it's any type of navy blue shorts or trackies (mum still sends over M & S stuff for me as boys prefer the shorts!).

We don't have separate sports kit or anything either so that makes it much cheaper!

Margaret3

good thinking about the m&s stuff, and they deliver some stuff here for a tenner!

Bernieboy

Mags i would happily deliver for ya but dont want to imagine being on 'border thingy oz' with a suitcase full of kids school uniforms.and me a kids nurse

northernbird

I run our school uniform shop, just a regular primary school in Perth.

$19 for a polo shirt
$19 for a pleated skirt
$17 for a skort
$25 zip up fleecy jacket
$25 for taslon track pants
$15 for a faction tshirt
$25 for boys cargo shorts
$19 for fleecy track pants

I don't think that is all that expensive. When you hit private schools then it can be expensive. The only things the parents have to get from our school are the polo shirt and the zip jacket. The other items can be purchased in maroon from any of the high street department stores for a few dollars less than I sell it for.

asprilla

those prices seem pretty reasonable.... not dead cheap but not expensive either.

But there are some schools out there that charge extortionate amounts for uniform items.... of course it is just another way that the school can bring in more $$$.

itigo

Wowsers, I think ours must be really expensive down here......

My daughter's kilt cost $56 (she's a preppie!) so it's big and taken up some. The polos are at least $22 each and the trackies $35. Sweatshirt about $35 too.

What noone told me is that you should buy all the cheap Target/Big W etc stuff just before the year starts - because they do not refresh much through the year. So basically you have to guess your child's size needs in January for the whole year and buy a shed load of stuff.

donna

i just paid $ 50 for a bloody blouse for the state sch and $ 55 for culottes!

asprilla

which school?

moneypenny20

Depends if you're talking Primary or High to be honest. Most primaries have a reasonably priced uniform and many are happy for you to use KMart etc for shorts and skirts and sometimes the polo tops are plain so you can get them anywhere.

High Schools tend to only allow the students to wear the uniform sold in their own Uniform shop and there are no other suppliers. Prices vary hugely though. I run our High School Uniform Shop and over the years have noticed that some people seem to be paying far higher prices than I charge and they are still State High Schools. The Private sector's prices are outrageous in my opinion.

asprilla

I don't think this kind of thing would happen in the UK. People would be up in arms about it.

Whereas over here, people just accept it and don't try to change it...

DeadVim

Thank God we don't have daylight savings, that extra hour on the washing line would fade the buggery out of the uniform.

IndieG

MacRobertsons Girls High School - the complete uniform set cost me around $1,100:

1 Blazer
1 Jumper
2 Summer Uniforms (+white knee high socks)
2 Winter Uniforms (skirt+white shirt+black tights+tie+scarf)
Summer sports uniform
Winter sports uniform


The uniform is compulsory and is only available at Bob Stewart in Kew.

This is a Govt. high school