Talk to me about school uniform

[Worried007]

What do we need and how much of it?

I am at a complete loss but now we know the school place we want to start buying in bits n pieces

Do reception children need bags and pencil cases?

Thank you

[Sparklingbrook]

Hello, well done on getting the school place.

Has the school got a website? They often list the uniform and requirements on there. Sometimes you have to buy certain bits with logos on from school.

Usually there will be a book bag from school but no pencil case/equipment required.

[VerucaInTheNutRoom]

Hi, we bought 3 x school jumper, a lot of white polo shirts (we only tend to do one white wash a week) and 4 x trousers. Polo shirts and trousers were bought from M & S over the summer when they had a 20% off promotion and have lasted well. We also need school shoes, gym shoes, PE shorts and wellies. Pencil case not required and our school has a standard issue book bag for sending home reading, notes, etc.

[Sparklingbrook]

Some school also require a cagoule and wellies to be kept in school, and a painting apron.
Lunch box (easy to open one) and a water bottle.
PE Kit sometimes needs a track suit/warm joggers type stuff for outdoors.
You should be issued with a list at some point hopefully.

[Worried007]

Thanks sparkling I actually hugged the postman and I have been welling up all day!

Couldn't see a uniform requirements list but I will go back and check

3x school jumpers sounds reasonable yeah, they are quite expensive aren't they? I like M+S too, good quality stuff from there. Mum will help with the school uniform cost so might get her to focus on trousers and shoes/trainers while I get a load of cheap white polo shirts.

Great that they don't need a bag yet.

[AnythingNotEverything]

How many of each clothes item you buy will depend mostly on how often you are prepared to do a wash and how often they'll need a fresh item.

DS has two school jumpers but could wear each for a couple of days before it was covered in dinner.

I'm the last couple of years he's only had one pair of trousers, but I'm happy to wash and dry them overnight.

If you're a "wash at the weekend" kind of family, then you'll need multiples of each.

[SunnyRandall]

Get three jumpers/trousers/polo shirts then there is enough for full clean set every day if you wash on Wed.

Although our logo sweatshirts are £10 each so I have managed with two.

[Worried007]

£10 each... that is a lot of money!

[Sparklingbrook]

I am like you Anything, I managed with two of everything, and washed overnight if need be. They grow out of the stuff so quickly or lose it anyway.

Naming everything v important Worried. I had those sew on name tapes for DS1 but got lazy with DS2 and got the Laundry Marker out.

[SunnyRandall]

Dd (5) can wear her cardi all week and keep it clean.

Ds (7) needs a clean jumper and trousers every day -football on field and lunchtime yog related usually.

[SunnyRandall]

Yes £10 plus postage at £3.95!

[Worried007]

I am happy to wash every night, we have a quick washing machine so no issue there.

[Worried007]

Postage? Surely you can pick them up from the school!

[SunnyRandall]

School don't stock them! They have one of each to try on but they have to be purchased online from the supplier. Obviously this may differ at your school.

[SunnyRandall]

*one of each size

[Sparklingbrook]

That's such a swizz Sunny.

[addictedtosugar]

Remember they are likely to grow before September!

We have: 3 school jumpers, 2 ties (!), 6 shirts (they came in packs of 2, and I only white wash once a week), prob 5-6 trousers, but some are from nursery, and a little short, but OK in emergency, and a book bag.
We also needed PE shoes, shorts, joggers, teeshirt and jumper.

A couple of weeks after the offer we got a letter from school with loads of details in, and an invite to an evening session to have a look round school, fill in paperwork etc.

Can I suggest rather than buying something every week, you put a couple of £ aside as a school fund, and come the summer start buying?

[lechers]

I wouldn't buy anything until you've spoken to the school. When my DDs started school, we were advised at the parents' information session.

For example, the school list stated the PE kit to include daps and outdoor wear, but when DD2 started school we were explicitly told not to buy this, as children in reception only did indoors pe and went barefoot so wouldn't need daps until the following spring at the very least, and wouldn't do outdoors pe until the spring so wouldn't need jogging bottoms etc until year 1. Therefore, if you bought them at the start of reception you'd just be wasting your money.

However, I have found three jumpers to be sufficient, with enough polo shirts to change every day and 3/4 pinafore dresses / skirts etc. I only wash clothes at the weekend, so the DDs can have a clean top every day, but as they don't tend to get their cardis that dirty, they tend to get through 2 a week. Sometimes 3. However, I think it depends on how clean your child is, because I have friends whose DC need a clean uniform every day because they get filthy!

[SunnyRandall]

It is a rip off. We used to use Tesco school uniform embroidery service which was cheaper and free delivery but have recently switched. These are much better quality but I was ok with cheap and cheerful!

[Sparklingbrook]

It is quite handy to have a chat with any parents of DC already there if you know some. They can tell you what's necessary and not to bother with.

[breakfastnotattiffanys]

If your school has a specific uniform it will be mentioned in the school brochure with details of how to purchase etc. You will probably be invited to an open evening after Easter where all aspects of school life will be discussed and usually uniform will be on display (to be ordered etc). I agree 2/3 jumpers and three polos together with 2 "bottom" items ie trousers skirts pinafores etc Elasticated waists make things easier and label EVERYTHING twice! as lost items without names in a 'uniformed' school are a nightmare for staff to reunite with the right child!

[BikeRunSki]

DS has 5 white polo shirts (actually he has 6 because they come in packs of 2) because I am blowed if I am going to of a midweek white wash and ironing after work.

He also has 3 jumpers
2 good pair of trousers and 2 pairs hand me downs
2 pairs shorts
School fleece
School book bag
School PE kit

Apart from the school logo'ed stuff and hand me downs, I got everything from Next. It was more expensive than supermarket stuff, but looks like new 2 terms later.

I'd advise getting shorts/summer dresses this term as it will still be warm for a few weeks in Sept but summer uniform will be tricky to find.

[Clutterbugsmum]

I tend to have 3 sets.

One clean,
ONe in the wash
One being worn.

Trousers I tend to get from Next as they do slim fit and in year sizes, for example they 4yrs, 5yrs etc as I find the ones that are 5/6 yrs or 6/7 yrs to long and have to take in so much material as mine dc are string beans with long legs and very skinny. Jumper/P.E. kit from school as they are logo'd. T shirts from Asda as they are cheap and if they get paint on them I don't stress that I can not get them clean.

[Worried007]

Yes there is a lot of benefits to having cheap and cheerful isn't there. Especially if they are mucky ones or likely to lose things.

[RuthlessBaggage]

In Reception we didn't need to send any stationery he'd have lost it within minutes anyway, no doubt but did need a water bottle, book bag (which goes in a drawer, so a backpack is useless), PE bag and wet weather gear.

DS had three each of trousers/shorts and jumpers, and five or six polo shirts. I found that jumpers were lunch magnets, so needed washing daily. Ditto trousers, although shorts can last all week (no knees to stain with grass). Even though I wash every other day I struggled to keep up.

I found the best polo shirts were Morrisons of all places.

Trousers M&S.

Jumpers Sainsbury's, Morrisons again, or school logo ones.

[Edenviolet]

I had kept all dd1s old uniform for dd2 except the school have changed it!! Used to be brown skirt/pinafore and white blouse/shirt/polo shirt or a yellow polo shirt. Now it has to be a grey skirt or dress and no blouses allowed.
At least the summer uniform (gingham dress gingham skirt/top) is the same!