School places day has come and gone - and for many folk, the time is near for thinking about purchasing your child’s first school uniform. If this is your first child in school, it can all feel a little bewildering - so we’ve put together this handy guide and checklist to help make things a little easier.
Where to shop, prices, and financial support
First thing’s first - let’s talk finances. School uniforms can be quite an expense, depending on the uniform policies of your child’s school. If buying new, we would anticipate a spend of around £100-£200 to cover Winter and Summer items including shoes, although this will vary a lot depending on where you shop. Most supermarkets will begin stocking school uniforms in the early Summer months, and these are typically the most budget friendly places to shop. Slightly higher price figures will be found at the likes of Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis (and these are stocked all year-round). Some families may feel that the higher investment and year - round availability is worth it for convenience, higher quality and longevity. When it comes to shoes, we would always argue for buying the best you can afford. StartRite and Clarks are common favourites in the school shoe department - and with busy feet wearing these items every day, it’s worth ensuring you try to get shoes that last well!
Many schools offer second hand fairs during the school year, and some even plan these in for new starters before the term begins - so take a look and see what is available at your school. You may also be eligible for help with the costs of school uniform depending on the offer from your local council. More information here.
State schools across the UK are typically required to allow non-branded uniforms for most occasions in the correct school colour, usually requiring, as a minimum, a logo bearing jumper or cardigan for school trips. This will vary if your child is due to attend an independent school. If you feel your child’s state school has an unreasonable policy, you can contact the Department for Education to report it here.
Clothes types, what sizes to buy, and when
If you spend any amount of time browsing the various offers by retailers selling school uniforms, you will see lots of interesting phrases bandied about. ‘Easy Iron’ or ‘No Iron’ items are always a great boon if you’re looking to save time - though beware, ‘No Iron’ doesn’t always mean no creases whatsoever! If you have a child who could do with a little help getting dressed, we also recommend searching for ‘Easy on’ or ‘Easy wear’ versions of clothing. This may mean false buttons, velcro and minimal zips allowing for speedier and more independent dressing (though these additions will not be visible to any other children, of course). For school shoes, we recommend going for leather (authentic leather or vegan) to get the most longevity possible from your child’s shoes. Go for ‘breathable’ if possible, and if you have the option, go for shoes with a rubber front to allow for the frequent toe scuffing that children seem to be fond of! Once purchased, make sure you put a hardy shoe protectant spray on your items, too.
Next, sizing! Depending on how early you plan to buy school uniform, we always recommend going a size up from what your child is currently wearing in clothing. Equally, try going half a size up in school shoes to allow for that extra bit of wiggle room. When you buy the clothes will factor in significantly to this. We recommend beginning the search in early Summer if you can to avoid missing out on the sizes you’ll need - as you may find that come August, popular sizes have all sold out!
The checklist
Finally, we’re on to the checklist! Here’s our breakdown of everything you’ll likely need. It’s important to check your school uniform policy as well as any lists offered to you by the school, but this should encompass most of what you will need and give you plenty to go around for changes and washing!
All children will need:
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1 waterproof Winter coat (with hood and lining)
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1 waterproof Summer coat (with hood and a thinner lining)
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3-5 school jumpers or cardigans (at least 1 with a school logo, for trips)
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10 pairs of short school socks
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1 pair of school shoes (some families might buy a heavier duty boot for Winter and something smaller for Summer, but most classic school shoes should be fine all year round)
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1 pair of PE plimsolls
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2 PE tops
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2 PE shorts
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2 x PE long tracksuit bottoms
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2 x PE socks
For clothing, we would recommend one of the following combinations. You might like to mix and match, or get a selection of each to see what your child prefers! Each bullet point factors in variations for colder and warm weather. Schools may or may not have gendered policies around what children are allowed to wear. The above gives you an insight into options for your child. From our experience, slower dressers benefit from easy on trousers or school dresses - less to take on and off!
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5 x school polos, 5 x trousers, 5 x shorts
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5 x school polos , 5 x tights, 5 x long socks, 5 x skirts or pinafores
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5 x school dresses, 5 x tights, 5 x long socks
You may get away with 1 of each PE item, but we find it very useful to have 2 of each to allow for a quick changeover of PE kits when it’s ‘wash day’ if one set is always clean and ready to go!
Label up!
We’d be remiss not to mention the importance of labelling. Ask any parent of a school-age child and they will soon share that around 50% of class parent Whatsapp chatter is taken up with reclaiming lost items swapped around in PE! Make sure to label each item as soon as they are purchased using one of Stamptastic's personalised name stamps!
