Back to school costs, how much has it cost you?

[Youmadorwhat]

Urrgh...I added it all up today and by the time I get school jumpers (m&s) I will have spent 300!! 😭 breaking my heart here!! And that’s for 1 child!

Just having a moan! What’s your number?

I do get what you're saying Miljah but some state schools are crazily strict about coat & sock colour so I guess that's why they have a coat for school and a 'weekend' coat?

Thankfully our primary is completely sensible so DC wears his regular trainers and coat both in and out of school.

And books?

I understand this is still a primary thing. But my state school secondary DC had all but no books. Nothing like the number we had (Girls Grammar, 1973! 😊) which we lugged from lesson to lesson.

DS1, 20, software engineering at uni. One book. One. £35.

£202 spent today.
£74 still to pay on Friday in the school shop for the branded stuff which is compulsory.

Today's spend included new leather shoes for both.

Both need new bags and stationery bits and before they go back... haircuts!

Dd needs new indoor and outdoor shoes and ds a new bag as his broke

We hope to move soon so I am not buying any more uniform just in case!

So it will maybe be around £75? Think dd needs a couple pairs new black leggings

I'm in Ireland too and book rental , photocopying and aet materials are €200 for 2 children. Then there is insurance for €18 for 2 and 'voluntary contribution' of €320. I've spent €80 so far on uniforms still need jumpers, pinafore and tights for 1. Haven't bought shoes or filled pencil cases, bought folders yet. They'll be using last years lunch boxes and bags.
They are still on primary but my eldest is going to secondary next year where iPads are required so I'm bracing myself for that one.

@PandaPantaloon Jesus that’s an extortionate contribution!!! Ours is €40 per child! Our school doesn’t do a book rental 😫

Yes, schools may be 'crazy strict' about coat colour- but surely that's going to be black, grey or navy? Not purple and orange stripe?

Unless you really need for your DC to be in a different colour out of school?

And can they not wear those 'school' trainers out of school? If they have to kept there, unless my DC are genuine budding athletes, £9, SportsDirect will cut it.

Are we making problems for ourselves?

How? I used to buy 2 jumpers, 2 skirts, 5 shirts plus shoes, pe kit, cost etc but apart from the first year I never bought everything. £300 was the cost for secondary school because they had to have specific pe kit, for primary it's under £10

But no school this year - university and tomorrow we are hitting Asda!

To be fair, if your in Ireland, you could just as well be in Australia. Or Brazil.

School costs vary dramatically across the planet.

No state school British parents should be feeling the need to pay out hundreds of £ to equip a primary schooler.

@stucknoue I did a break down upthread

@Youmadorwhat I know and they still fundraise all the time which pretty much just involves us forking out more money every couple of weeks.
I just remembered swimming lessons that's €80 each as well. Back to school in Ireland is expensive, there is no way to get around it.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3662895-End-the-school-uniform-rip-off-after-price-of-kit-soars-to-300-a-year

Yes, schools may be 'crazy strict' about coat colour- but surely that's going to be black, grey or navy? Not purple and orange stripe?

You should see some of the uniforms in N Ireland. I didn't realise it was unusual until someone did a thread on Mumsnet after visiting Belfast, saying she couldn't believe the rainbow coloured uniforms. Brown, purple, green, tartan, airforce blue, turquoise, burgundy we've got the whole lot. There's no kitting the kids out from the supermarket, particularly once they reach secondary school age.

£0. Uniform still fits. Everything else provided by the school.

I have spent well over 400 and thats for one dd 5 starting primary one im scotland and dd3 nursery.had to get blazer then pay to get it tailored as they are standard sized, wellies for walking to school,2 pairs shoea,pe kit and shoes, skirts,pinofers, embrodered cardigans, hair acssessories,book bag,lunch box ,school bag, decent rain coat and winter jacket was 50 each. I want my daughters to look immaculate and have cut back elsewhere to be able to afford it all. Next year i will have two at school so probably double the cost but will be replacing all uniform only handing down blazer if it fits.

nothing so far.
will need to get new shoes and some stationery supplies. maybe 50£ each in total. (nonuniform school)

Also bought cardigans etc from asda for them and lidl polo shirts for youngest at 1.25 for 2 as she gets very grubby easily dont have to be the best labels to look nice.

4x trousers (multipack) - £14
Pumps - £3.50
6 polos (multi pack of 3) - £7
3x gym T-shirt’s (multi pack) - £3
2x gym shorts - £5

£32.50 all from Sainsburys. 1 DS aged 6, although there is newly enough for two there - but I hate washing mid week!

I need to still buy 4x school jumpers, at £13 each, school shoes at £9 (I buy the same out each time for amazon as they last until he’s grows out of them) and a new school bag £10.

The school logo jumpers are a nightmare. They was £8 two years ago... small village school so can’t even shop around!! I can’t think of any other scenario where I would spend £13 on a jumper for my 6 year old.

I seem to have spent a crazy amount this year.
M&S 6x trousers, 4x polo, 2x shirts = 60
Clarks shoes and trainers = 70
Smiggle = 50
Uniform shop = sweatshirt & 2x ties = 16
Total = 200

Ok I could have bought less in M&S but it all came in packs. And I know it will be worn out by the end of the year anyway.
It's the 1st time I've bought trainers for in school previously I've only bought plimsoles will shop better for next year. The smiggle stuff better last and be looked after as I won't be buying it again. He rarely wears sweatshirt hence I only bought 1, and gawd knows where his previous ties have vanished too hence I brought a spare!

Jacket last year's will last a bit longer.

I think we’ve spent about £120 on DS1(yr2), which is less than in previous years as we are reusing quite a bit.

3 school polos £27
2 pairs trousers £9
Pack grey socks £7
school PE kit £16 (new design)
Pencil case & listed stationary (compulsary) £7
Shoes £45 (wide fit and seems to wreck shoes, so always buy Geox to save money in the long run)
Plimsolls £5

We will also need to buy a new winter coat this year, but fortunately his sweatshirts and some trousers still fit, and all his bags etc are still in good condition.

Although the school can not legally force us to buy logo uniform, it is very much the done thing at my son’s school, and PE kit is a very unusual colour combination with a stripe, that can’t be bought elsewhere. Unfortunately, his polo are white, so get changed every year.

Btw I want to know where people get the idea of keeping children looking immaculate. I can send mine out the door that way - he's never came home immaculate - ever!

I spend £10 on 4 polo shirts
Got given 6 skirts (yay!)
2 dresses for £10
2 summer dresses £9
Socks £3
Tights £5
One logo jumper £10
One logo cardigan £11
One navy unbranded cardigan £4
PE kit £10 for 2 shorts 2 tops and a pair of daps and the bag
Name labels £3
School shoes £20 Clark's outlet
Trainers £18 Clark's outlet
School bag £6
Vests (given)
Trousers £3.50
Stationery £6
Water bottle £1.50

This was last year btw for my DC first year at school. Her shoes lasted all year and uniform was sufficient enough to see us through each week. Don't need to replace much this year except school shoes and trainers and tights and socks.

Oh her coat was an expensive one £50 from joules but that was a birthday present from relative and lasts 2 years.
Wellies bought from charity shop for £2

Wow I'm glad I dont live in Ireland! I probably spent about £120 on my two primary age children, most of that was shoes, but uniform in m and s seems to last ages and dc2 gets hand me downs, they always go to school looking smart.

Are there not second hand options? My dc school has a second hand stock of uniform very helpful.