Starting school in September, how much uniform do kids need?

[Wonderwalk]

Hi, it’s admission day for primary school today. It got me wondering when looking at the uniform, how much will I need to buy? I’m happy to buy supermarket trousers nad shorts but would like to buy the branded jumper and t shirts. I only tend to do washing at the weekend but could do one midweek wash, how many of everything do you think I would need? Thanks

Following!

5 polo shirts
2 jumpers (1 branded & 1 cheap supermarket one as backup if that's an option)
2-3 trousers / shorts
5 pairs of socks
1 PE kit

How mucky is your child?
How often do you wash?
Do you have a tumble drier?

We went with 6 trousers (they came in pairs), 6 polos (they came in 3s), 3 jumpers, one PE kit.

With covid, less daily uniform would be needed, but we have bought a second PE kit, as they wear it for the full day twice a week.

Ours go in wearing PE kit two days a week at the moment.

I massively over bought (but have another younger child of the same sex so it won’t go to waste).

I would buy:
1x book bag
2x water bottle
2x 3 in 1 out door coat (trespass / mountain warehouse type)
1x school shoes
1x indoor pumps

3x tie
3x pinafore or skirts
3x badged cardigans
2x2 packs of short sleeve shirts
Pack of 10 tights (didn’t come in a smaller pack!)
2x2 packs of ankle socks
2x2 packs of knee socks

1x trainers
2x hoody
2x track suit bottoms
2x shorts
2x polo T-shirts

For reception I had a full set per day per child. Working ft last thing I wanted to be doing was faffing about trying to get uniform dry for the next day.

We had logo cardigans but everything else was from supermarkets / m and s.

And don’t bother with iron in labels. They all fell out. The sew in name tapes lasted and the writing in sharpie on the clothes labels!

And yes to sharpie!

3 jumpers
5 polo shirts
3 trousers
3 shorts
5 socks
Shoes
Trainers
P. E shorts
P. E top.
Coat

That's all I needed to buy. Plus dresses for the girls.

We've got three branded polos, three branded jumpers (currently two because one got left at school) and four pairs of trousers (would have got three but they came in packs of 2)

And two sets of pe kit just white top black shorts and one pair of pumps. Most of which has never been worn

I do a clean set every day in key stage 1, they generally are filthy by the end of the day. Key stage 2 they have 3 sets for the week. Goes back up to clean shirt every day in high school, but only 2 skirts/trousers for the week

Be aware that at this age they are likely to go up sizes mid year and I can be difficult to buy uniform then.

Buy stamptastic, no sewing or ironing for labelling needed.

I was obviously mean.

2 cardigans, 2 pinafores, 4 polo shirts, 2 gingham dresses,1 games kit for the girls

3 jumpers, 4 polo shirts, 2 shorts, 1 games kit for ds.

I don't think I ever wished I had more.

Thanks that’s so helpful, when do people buy the uniform, just before they start in September? I feel the sizing is awkward for his school age 3-4 then 5-6! He wears a 4-5 normally but I guess I could get a mix of both as he'll grow in to the bigger stuff eventually.

5 jumpers, 5 tshirts, 5 trousers

Order in late July for branded stuff to be guaranteed delivery by September

5 x polos, 2 x trousers, 2 x skirts and 1 pinafore. Branded wear- 2 x cardigans and PE top. Has been enough for my reception aged child.

2 jumpers (logo, from school)
5 shirts/polos (supermarket)
2 skirts/shorts/trousers (supermarket)
2 PE kit. (logo, from school)

BUT I also make sure that I always have some of the next size up bought too - supermarkets only seem to stock the full range in August/September.

Buy the 5-6.

4 polos, 4 jumpers etc. If youre doing a midweek wash, you dont need five, but I wouldnt risk 3.

Mine always had
2x trousers /shorts
2xjumpers
5-6x shirts depending on how many were in a pack
1 x tie.
About a million pairs of socks because they seem to disappear.

And I would have liked 1 set of pe kit, but shorts came in packs of 2 and polos in packs of 3.

But my children have never been overly dirty, and if trousers were a bit grubby from playing outside then they still wore them the next day.

4/5 of everything.
Even then they'll probably ruin some polos before oct half term.

Pre covid I had six polos (3 pack times two), four trousers (two pack times two) and four jumpers. Even had to have two coats. They came home filthy and nothing could be reworn. I washed on a Wednesday and a weekend. I had to replace the lot by February as too stained/worn/outgrown/absolutely destroyed. They were a very outdoors based class and I had a particularly clumsy child who put holes in the knees of trousers, whiteboard pen on shirts etc.

Post covid they wear PE kit all day twice a week so I could probably have gotten away with less normal uniform (plus I’ve had to buy a second PE kit as they’re on consecutive days). Fortunately PE kit is just joggers and white t shirt so very cheap and available.

Personally I quickly ditched the expensive logo polos and jumpers at literally three times the price of Tesco, but at our school it’s unusual to buy logo stuff anyway- if you’re in approximately the right colour you’re doing well!

I also have a stash of everything in the next size up, bought in summer - our uniform is an unusual colour and hard to find in supermarkets outside of key times. If your uniform is white polo and navy jumper it might be easier!

Buy shorts/gingham dresses now if you want them for September, they’re tough to find in shops in August/September.

Do you mean the branded stuff is only every second size? If he is already in a 4-5 then I'd get the 5-6. A bit big is fine for t shirts and jumpers.

In Reception my DC's uniform needing washing everyday. The only exception was they didn't always get the shirt dirty if they had been wearing a cardigan. I couldn't afford 5 cardigans because they had to be expensive branded ones, so got 3 and washed them on rotation. 4 shirts as they came in packs of 2 and 3 or 4 dresses/ skirts/ trousers as I could wash them with the cardigans.

For shirts/jumpers, buy the 5-6. It’s ok if they’re a bit big. They will shrink and child will grow. Order early, our uniform supplier currently advertises on website minimum six weeks and this isn’t a busy time of year yet.

I have two who started school in the past two years. They have 2 pairs of trousers each plus I keep anothed whole uniform in the next size up just incase of a growth spurt (their uniform is easy to purchase locally but I have found after a two week break they need the next size as they shoot up)

Two polo's each and two smart shirts. 3 jumpers. But that's tonnes. I wash the uniform each day on a quick cycle and the main reason to have more than less is due to wearing them out.