School Uniform

A question about : School Uniform

Hello, as the title says I am buying uniform for the first time this year as DD is moving to a pre-school that requires it. I can purchase polo shirts and/or sweatshirts with the school logo, but these aren't compulsory. Otherwise its just school colours (navy and white).

Does anyone have any tips (not necessarily on particular stores/brands) but what items to buy that will see me through till next summer without looking scruffy. I want her to look smart each day but be practical for her to wear too. Skirts, skorts, pinafores, trousers? Polo shirts or blouses? Sweatshirts or jumpers or cardigans.

Also, any tips for keeping uniform looking good through to the end of the school year.

Best answers:

• First time for me too (DD is 3). I've bought 2 pleated skirts and 2 sets of shorts from M&S. Both have adjustable waists and storm wear (whatever that is).
  Went for an embroidered cardigan from the approved uniform supplier. Offered DD choice of jumper or cardigan, and she opted for cardigan as she thought it would be easier for her to put on and take off.
  Have ordered an embroidered polo shirt in 2 sizes from Tesco to see which is the best fit. Soon as she's tried those on I'll order another 4.
  6 pairs of cotton rich grey tights from next. 10 pairs of white socks from M&S.
  Pair of black shoes from startrite.
  2 tshirts and shorts for games, plus basic daps from Tesco.
  Even doing it with voucher codes and offers it's over Ј100, which seems very expensive when you consider it shouldn't even be compulsory!
• The way to view uniform is that it protects your child's clothes from paint/glue/glitter/mud/lunch etc.
  Presumably your DD is 3. I'd go with navy polo shirts, if you can (H&M sell them), and navy bottoms as there'll likely be a lot of paint/glue/glitter/mud/lunch etc .
  If your DD wears skirts get her skirts; if she wears trousers buy trousers. (I've made the mistake of thinking I "need" to buy summer dresses for a girl who only ever wears trousers...) Ditto jumpers/cardies.
  I used to soak white polos in the vain hope that they'd stay white. Now I assume that the children'll grow out of them before they look too dreadful, else I'll dye them navy! If you wash and dry the darker items inside out they fade less.
  I'm sure there are loads of tips I've not come across yet but there's my two penn'orth
• What are daps?
  As far as I know she doesn't need a games kit - but I will check that out.
  I have noticed some kids wear all navy, but does paint/glue/glitter/lunch come out of that any easier?
• I find school uniform quite good value for money and quite hard wearing even buying the logo items from school. They do wear it a lot and I have found the range of other clothes they need to possess reduces significantly when they are in uniform most of the time. My son has gone through the knees of one pair of trousers so far and that is in three years- otherwise he just has new each september. Currently he has two trousers, 3/4 polos and three sweatshirts plus one set of PE kit. The PE kit stays at school for half a term then comes home to be washed and goes back again. Small children don't have smelly sweat so I don't feel teh need to wash it more frequently at the moment- might do by year 6. He refuses to wear shorts so has long trousers all year round.
  I have the younger one going to school this year and he is wearing hand me down polos as we had 5 in Reception so they got much less wear, but new sweatshirts and trousers (he needs smaller trousers than his big brother did but would probably have got new anyway as they get a bit battered. I think as he mmoves trhough school I will get him new stuff and keep his brothers cast offs for emergency use
• If your little one is in nursery/reception I would go for more than one cardigan/jumper - mine generally comes home at the end of the day covered in paint and her lunch, you'll find yourself constantly washing and drying.
  Most in our school seem to buy the embroidered ones from local stockists and also have plain bought from elsewhere as a (cheaper) back up. Some shops around here offer an embroidery service which does work out slightly cheaper, don't know if you could check for any in your area. Check to see if there's a school facebook page or similar where you could check to see where other parents go for their uniforms.
  I would also ask what she would prefer - skirts, trousers and pinafores, pointless buying if they will not wear it.
  Unless you don't mind ironing - keep away from pleats in the skirts etc, nightmare to iron lol. Also any fleece jumpers or joggers wash inside out - tend not to bobble so much.. I use Dr Beckmann glowhite sachets for polos and blouses on a high temp wash, seems to avoid the grey discolouration.
  Don't go overboard - you'll probably find that she'll outgrow the lot by Christmas - Good Luck x
• DS basically has DD's hand me down polo shirts - they've got the school badge on and I find they're quite hard wearing. Although if DS had got them first I'd never be able to pass them on!! She hasn't got sweatshirts to pass on as she's had hoodies with her name on the back for the last few years.
  I'm not a fan of adjustable waists, particularly at this time of year as I find the buttons rub the skin. It's not so bad in the winter when they've got the polo shirt or a vest tucked in. Luckily DD loved summer dresses so we got some good wear out of those, teamed with a white or navy cardi (their summer dresses were pale blue check).
  I find H&M are very good for PE items - their jogging bottoms and shorts (in the same material) have proper pull in waists so they fit even the skinniest kids. I always found the non adjustable ones from the big stores were enormous and wouldn't go near my two. They are also reasonably priced in H&M so when DS gets holes in the knees I don't mind replacing them.
  I've also found over the years that the hems on M&S trousers always seem to come down after a short time and need wonder webbing! I don't know if that's just me but I never seem to find that problem with any other makes.
  Jx
• Ahhh trainers - daps is a new one on me - but then I couldn't be much more east of Wales!
  I hadn't thought of H&M for school stuff but their other clothes tend to fit my DD well, so seems like a good place to start. She's not the biggest kid and grows slowly so wear and tear will probably be more relevant.
• Aldi were advertising uniform something like Ј4 for a full set.
• Daps are one of the regional names for plimsolls (think it tends to be a south west type term - I certainly heard it when I worked in Somerset), in the north east they get called sandshoes which I have no idea why!
  Apparently things got very heated at the Aldi uniform sale - elbows and tempers everywhere!
  My 2 1/2 year old is starting a pre-school which has a "uniform" of sorts (specific coloured top). I've bought cheapo supermarket polo shirts and a couple of cheapo cardigans and then I'll probably buy one or two of the logoed sweat shirts to go over the top when required and try to keep them looking nicer (keep one back for school photo day and smart occasions). Have also bought a pinafore as they'll protect the polo shirts from muck a bit more by more being covered, and then some of the jersey type trousers that are easy up and down for managing the toilet and I'll probably do skirts with socks rather than tights for the same reason initially. I found the Asda stuff perfectly fine - just happened to be there I went as I found I had to go to the next town to get the coloured polo shirts as they have loads of schools with that colour as part of their uniform (red shirts) but our local schools don't tend to be so stock much less of it.
  I've probably over-bought but I'll have her sister starting at the same pre-school hopefully in just under a year after (my plan is to start her as soon as her sister qualifies for free sessions and move the amount we're paying across int he budget basically) so I'll have two of 'em in the same uniform in very similar clothes sizes.
  I've tended to buy grey bottoms just as I know that's what the local primaries around here tend to have as their uniform, my mother's bought some stuff that's tended to be navy but either works really.
  Goes without saying to name everything - I've just used a sharpie to write names inside things because I'm too lazy to faff on with name tapes - with having siblings I would have just written surnames but our surname unfortunately is a name that can also be a boy or girl's first name! I also draw arrows inside the soles of shoes so I can teach them to put the shoes on the floor with the arrow points touching (like -->
• Not much to add but this is my 6th year buying uniform and I buy for 3. They all have 3 full sets of uniform and I'm very glad that non of them have white shirts now so all uniform is black grey or red. I've always bought the stuff that's not badged from tesco and never had any worries about the quality tbh. School shoes I always buy from Clarke and also the plimsoles for indoors. They now take trainers for pe bag and as pe kits come in 2 packs they have 2 each.
• I always get 2 jumpers, wash one and wear one.
  3 pairs of trousers. 2 pairs of shorts.
  4 short sleeved shirts, 4 long.
  2 ties, wear one and lose one
  3 PE shirts and 3 pairs of shorts, but DS does three active after school clubs per week, plus PE twice. The shirts usually need replacing halfway through the year as they are beyond grubby, despite being washed frequently.
  This lasts all year, I will buy the shorts and short sleeved shorts around March, this year's will do if it's warm in September still as they are in good condition.
• Mine have 3 sweatshirts each, which I try to make last for two years - by the end of the second year they're usually a bit short but they're good enough. The girls are allowed to wear cardigans but the buttons come off and they seem to get more bedraggled so in the future I'll be sticking with the sweatshirts.
  The white polo shirts look awful after about a term but they're only Ј1 each or less from Tesco and so I'm not too fussed.
  Make sure any trousers are the right length because if they're too long then they'll drag on the ground and get frayed.
  The most expensive item is the shoes - I buy them a decent pair of Clarkes, which I hope to last a year, and some cheap supermarket trainers for PE.
  Mine only need one PE kit - it's washed half-termly during the holidays.
• I prefer to buy cheap and replace as it gets outgrown/ destroyed. The idea of quality lasting doesn't really work for primary-aged children.
  If there are optional items (e.g. fleeces) wait until your child starts at school. If they get to schools and realise that no-one else wears them, they'll just sit on the peg and generate arguments. Whatever your own thoughts on following fashion, it is important to your child. This also applies to bages - book bags seemed to be the thing in KS1, but are not "cool" in KS2, it is now big rucksacks!
  Also, our school has second hand sales of uniform - usually about once a month - useful if you need items with logo.
  GQ
• My boys started reception with 3 polos each(sainsbos), 3 jumpers each (they're yellow so couldn't be stretched more than 1 or 2 days) and 3 trousers for September start. They had 1 shorts, 1 pe t-shirt, 1 joggers and 1 sweat shirt plus plimsoles each. They also had collared shirts (dont get long sleeved - the cuffs go grotty) and a tie each. You need more then one cardi as that's the most often thing thats lost.
  If you girl can/will wear trousers that is easier than wrestling tights on after pe. The teachers and TA's have 30ish kids to deal with and they will generally keep socks on for pe so no wrestling there. Having said that, my 2 do indoor pe in bare feet.
• At nursery age I wouldn't bother with embroidered/logo'd stuff. Cheap and replaceable is the way to go. I've got 5 polos for DS starting (he always gets dirty - even sat still) and I'm starting uni so I do all the washing at the weekend. Just one jumper as the school/nursery building is always roasting.
  The biggest tip is label, label, label! If your child isn't great yet at recognising their name then something like stars will help them know which of the 5 same bags/jumpers is theirs.