[ad_1]
With the hefty cost of school uniforms increasingly unaffordable for many families, Wellington mum Claire Fraser was determined to buy second-hand. It turned in to a year-long mission.
The majority of intermediate and high schools require a uniform, generally available from one specialist retailer.
A new Wellington Girls’ College uniform for Fraser’s daughter Isla, 13, would have set the family back around $800.
Instead, Fraser managed to set Isla up with her entire Year 9-11 wardrobe for $1000 – less than a half what she expects the items would cost new.
READ MORE:
* Fear and loathing of ‘free-riding’ families who don’t pay school donations
* ‘I was considering homeschooling’, says mum who used credit card to buy new school uniform
* ‘It’s dreadful’: The average price of a school uniform in Auckland is now $460
“It took about a year, but I’m quite an op shopper,” the canny mum said. “And I like a challenge, so whenever I was in a shop I would keep an eye out.”
The Wellington Girls’ Parents Association also holds second-hand or pre-loved uniform sales afternoons twice a year. Fraser volunteered to help label and sort clothing during a working bee before one held last November, putting aside $440 worth of clothes, including a blouse for $15 ($45-$50 new) and three pairs of trousers for $165 ($95 each new).
STUFF
Christchurch’s Burnside High School has earned praise for its new gender-neutral uniform, but it comes at a cost.
Op shop buys included PE gear, which is compulsory for Year 9 and 10 students, six short-sleeved shirts, two skirts, a regulation jersey and a cardigan.
“We bought things in various sizes, so she can grow into them,” Fraser said, adding that they did buy new shoes after being unable to find suitable second-hand ones.
“I bought a size bigger, and put insoles inside to fit her feet. So that was $335 for the shoes and insoles but [they]should last 3-4 years.”
Peer pressure wasn’t a problem, with many of Isla’s friends also plumping for a mix of new and second- hand, or “hand-me-downs” from older sisters.
“Isla has the same op-shop bug I have, so buying second-hand clothes doesn’t bother her at all.”
And while many schools still have second-hand uniform “shops” – often run by parent volunteers – rapidly shrinking budgets in the face of sky-high prices are forcing more and more families to reach out for financial support to help pay for their children’s clothing needs.
In just this month MSD has so far received 15,000 applications for school-related costs. The hardship support payments are available to parents on low incomes to help with stationery and uniforms.
MONIQUE FORD/Stuff
Set for the next few years thanks to Fraser’s op-shop haul.
Variety – the children’s charity, which works with benefactors to help cover the cost of back to school gear, saw a 50% increase in the number of claims for school uniforms from 2020 to 2021.
Wellington College has a limited number of blazers and trousers available for hire. Blazers are $30 per week and trousers are $15 per week, with a $50 refundable deposit.
Another Wellington mum, who asked not to be named, had tried buying second-hand online but had been thwarted by not being able to find the right sizes.
She has a daughter in Year 12 at St Mary’s College and a son (in Year 7) at Johnsonville’s St Brigid’s primary school.
“Both kids have had uniforms since they started school at 5 and will throughout their schooling lifetime. At a guess I would say that’s cost at least $7000 since 2011, and we still have 7 years until our son finishes his schooling. For top-up items this year, we are looking at approx $600 for both kids.”
In Christchurch, one woman had to put her children’s Burnside High School uniforms – including the compulsory year 9 uniform – on her credit card at 21% interest and considered homeschooling to avoid the cost, while another parent said he took out a temporary overdraft to pay for it.
Burnside’s new uniform is compulsory for year 9 students this year, so there is no second-hand option.The compulsory items – including PE kit – costs $545 to $590. A full uniform adding two shirts and socks adds up to more than $700.
The father said the Burnside uniform was “bordering private school standards”.
“As a state school, the Government needs to get involved and stop these school boards’ ridiculous expectations,” he said.The mother said the Ministry of Education needed to run a simple uniform shop with items costing no more than $10 to $15 per item.”
Acting Minister of Education Jan Tinetti said the Government was “focused on providing barrier free education and reducing costs for parents” – citing the school donations policy, school lunch programme and free period products – but uniform decisions were made by boards of trustees.
“I would encourage parents to raise their concerns with their board either through the principal or one of the elected parent representatives,” she said.
New vs second-hand
A second hand uniform shop at St Patrick’s College Wellington is operated by Friends of St Pat’s. Comparative prices for new and pre-loved clothing are as follows
Blazer: new from NZ Uniforms $260, second-hand $110-$180
Jacket: $125, $50-$100
Jumper: $110, $20-$40
Trousers: $65, $15-$30
Shirt: $50, $10-$25
Shorts: $50, $10-$25
PE top: $50, $10-$20
Additional reporting by Lee Kenny
[ad_2]