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Purple braiding sends cost of school uniform soaring
• MY older daughter attends Highbury Grove and my younger one will start in September. I have been somewhat annoyed about changes to the uniform which they have made for the new school year.
The new uniform is considerably more expensive and the school seems oblivious to the recession. It has changed the blazer so that it now has purple braiding and a purple lining, meaning that it is specially made by only one shop and increasing the cost even in that shop by 50 per cent over the previous blazer.
It also means you cannot buy an off-the-peg blazer from Asda or Marks and Spencer, which would only cost about a third of the new price.
Prices vary with ages but my daughter’s new blazer cost £36 at Rough Cuts, in Chapel Market, which is the only seller of many Islington school uniforms. It would cost about £12 at Asda.
Not only that, but I also got a letter at the end of term stating a tracksuit with the school logo is now compulsory at about £25, over twice the previous cost.
I have raised the issue with the head of Highbury Grove in writing, insisting she consults parents before making changes. She responded by suggesting the school will sew on the braiding, which seems an inadequate response.
Schools claim you get grants for uniform but these are only for those on very low incomes. I’m only being offered a pay award this year of one per cent yet, with the changes, the cost of the uniform is going up about 50 per cent.
The Competitions Commission in 2006 ruled that school uniforms often breached competition rules because you could only buy from certain shops. Schools are supposed to be ensuring that the uniform can be obtained from a wide range of retail outlets. Highbury Grove seems to be completely ignoring this advice from government.
ANDREW BERRY
Poets Road, N5
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