Dressing uniformly is so old school

 Designer Kids Wear SCRAP stuffy blazers - Melbourne's first private school in the CBDwill let students pick outfits from designer school wear and setclass times to suit children and their busy parents. Opening for prep to grade 4 students next year, Melbourne CitySchool will be open between 7am and 7pm, 52 weeks a year. An initiative of Eltham College, the school allows parents to sitdown with supervisors to plan hours that suit their schedules. CEO of the school David Warner said classes would be flexible. "There will still be the core school hours, but there will bedevelopmental play and activities available in the hours aroundthat," he said. But progressive schooling doesn't come cheap -- parents of prep tograde 4 children can expect to pay $16,750 a year for tuition, and$11,000 a year for care. Summer, winter and sport wardrobes designed by fashion designer andformer Eltham College student Emily Heysen will be offered as auniform alternative. The school wear includes more than 30 pieces from denim overallsand skirts to cardigans, graphic-print T-shirts and cargo pants. "We have included a lot of bright red to make sure the kidswill be highly visible in the city," said Ms Heysen, 25. "Kids can have more fun and express their identities by mixingand matching and accessorising." Dr Warner said there was a low risk of parents consistently dumpingtheir children at the school for the full 12 hours each day. "Busy families sometimes need flexible options where theirchildren are at school for longer, but not very many families wouldwant to leave their children at school at 7am and pick them up at7pm," he said. Subjects will include Chinese, robotics, music, arts and creativedesign integrated with numeracy and literacy. But Victorian Parents' Council CEO Jo Silver was worried long hoursat school may mean teachers could take over parenting roles. "Parents would love this for the flexibility it offers, butthey should spend the most time with them for their educational,emotional and social wellbeing," she said. Campus locations will be announced next month. Share this article What is this?