A MOTHER is seeking reassurance after her child’s school shockingly interrogated her over a pair of shoes.
Hannah, a 36-year-old mum of three from Kent, took to TikTok to ask others for their opinions on whether she was being “a sensitive Sally.”
School uniform strain
The cost of school uniform puts thousands of families under financial pressure every year.
The clothing can be expensive and worn out quickly by children running around the playground.
This year, the east end council of Tower Hamlets, London, put aside £1 million to fund new school uniform grants.
Trainer drama
Posting to her account, @theonlygirlinthishouse, Hannah explained that she’s “never had a problem with uniform.”
On this occasion, her son was unable to wear his usual school shoes and she didn’t have the cash to purchase a new pair, so she’d sent him in for the day with “all black trainers” on instead.
She candidly told viewers: “I cannot afford school shoes at the moment. I just can’t. And before anyone says, ‘what, you can’t afford 20, 30 quid?’ No, I can’t.”
Her son was quickly pulled into the school office where they rang Hannah, wanting to know why he wasn’t in the correct uniform.
Hannah apologised to the staff member and explained she couldn’t afford to replace the shoes, but planned to buy new ones when she “got paid.”
To her shock, the staff member on the end of the phone replied: “Well, when can you afford it?”
Taken aback by the intrusive question and curt tone in which it was delivered, she explained again that she didn’t have the money so needed to wait for her next pay cheque.
The lady on the other end of the phone then shot back: “Well, when do you get paid?”
Hannah explained that she would be paid at the end of the month, which happened to fall at the end of the current week.
The woman on the phone said: “Well, you’ve said you get paid at the end of the month, so can I assume that he’ll be in correct uniform by Friday?”
She then went on to tell Hannah the school operates a “strict uniform policy.”
After some back and forth, with Hannah apologising again and the staff member pushing for a confirmation on when the replacement shoes would be bought, Hannah brought the phone call to a close.
Thanking the lady for “being so understanding,” the mum promised to get it sorted and hung up the phone.
She said she was “seething” at the conversation and asked viewers if she was being sensitive, telling them she’d written up an email of complaint and wasn’t sure whether to send it or not.
Viewers react
Other TikTok users were shocked by the exchange and urged the mum to send her email.
One person wrote: “Send that email and make it HARSH.”
Another person said: “Asking when you get paid is wrong.”
While somebody else said: “Send it, send it!! Their clothes do not define their learning and she should have been at least slightly more understanding! At least he’s in school.”
The school replies
In a later video, Hannah confirmed she’d sent her complaint to the school office and the assistant head teacher.
The assistant head reached out to her to apologise and asked in future that she write them a letter – which Hannah agreed she should have done.
The lady Hannah spoke to also emailed her to apologise for the words she’d used and the way she’d spoken, with the mum happy that the situation had now been “dealt with.”
EXTRA HELP WITH SCHOOL UNIFORM COSTS
IF you can’t get targeted help from your council, you might have some other options available to you.
In some areas, you can talk directly to your school, which might be able to offer you clothing.
Or, you might be able to get cheap garments from low-budget shops or charity stores.
Some charities offer help to families in need too.
But bear in mind charities often have a limited amount of money to give and usually have specific criteria which must be met in order to get a grant.
Charity Turn2Us has a free grants search tool on its website which you can use to find out what help is available to you.
Meanwhile, you can always try approaching your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch.
If you don’t know where your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch is, you can find out by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/nearby/.
If you’re not eligible for a school uniform grant you might be able to get help through the Household Support Fund.
