How much have you spent on school uniform?

[MurderOnTheChatExpress]

Here’s mine, ~£300 for 1 in lower secondary school. Probably missed a few things off and will need to top up during the year.

Coat £30 (Vinted)
Shoes £35
1 x PE kit (top, shorts, fleece) £45 (branded)
2 x trousers £34
3 x polos £36 (branded)
2 x sweatshirts £34 (branded)
5 x socks £7

Rucksack £25
Stationery £20
Calculator £15 (specific one needed)
Water bottle £10

Couldn’t have got much of this cheaper unless second hand and even then it costs. Made me think of people with 2-3+ children. Must really add up in 1 go over the summer!

Nothing. Although need shoes which I will get this week.

I took last years uniform to a swap/free uniform shop and got...
Brand new winter coat with logo
Brand new fleece with logo
2 great condition cardigans with logo
3 Brand new cardigans with no logo
3 tunics
2 skirts
5 polo tops, almost new

PE kit needed for new year but I will get that from the free uniform shop too.

All free, great on the wallet and environment!

Our school is really bad and most of the uniform is only available from a specialist shop. They have a god-awful kilt. Realised DD's is too tight since last year so went to look for a new one. The one in her current size is £41 which is bad enough but to get the next waist size up is £51!! I emailed the shop to get them to explain why it's so much more expensive but no reply.

Unfortunately in the pre-loved there is no availability on her size. School get around it by saying girls can wear trousers but in reality maybe two or three in the whole year group do. DD already suffers badly with social anxiety and it will be impossible to get her to go in if she looks different to all her peers.

One DD going into yr9, I have bought new shoes£65 but they are shoes (air forces) that she wears alll the time (out of school too ) £65 and a couple of shirts and trousers at a total of £30 all other stuff from last year still fits. Elder DD starting uni at a dance uni so uniform including dance shoes and pointe shoes etc is £750+ so she has been painfully expensive!!

Dd Year 5
£5 socks
£5 shoes (Vinted)
£6 skirt

Ds year 2
£5 socks

Ds yR
£6 shoes
£10 PE shorts & t-shirts

Most stuff we get from friends older children, including shoes. I buy white PE t-shirts new at least once a year, and school runs a second hand uniform shop. This stuff was all new from John Lewis (except Vinted clarks shoes.) Rucksacks have lasted a few years and hopefully will go on another few. Coats are okay, but if they need a new one, I sell the old and buy new in Vinted. Average income, but try to save the pennies for piano/swimming lessons etc.

I forgot the coats both from Vinted one was £15 and the other was £16

My friend has had to spend £109 on a blazer for her child going into Year 7. It's a girls' grammar school.

DS starting reception

Bookbag 6
Trousers 19.80 4 pairs
Polos slimfit 10.80 for 4
Socks £5
New pants £6
Vests £6
Jumpers 14 two
Cardigans 16 two
Pe top 5
Pe shorts 3.50
Pe jumper 5.50
Pe joggers 6
Trainers £27 PE
School shoes 58 bobux (big feet)
Coat £12 m&s outlet bargain

The only big expense was his school shoes, but he had had quite a few pairs of bobus shoes and sandals , they're comfortable don't rub, give his toes room etc. I could've done it cheaper and tried to initially but he's very tall and slim so ended up having to buy polos and trousers from m&s who do slim fit slim waist trousers with extra length, and normal polos long enough swamped him so paid more for slim ones

Nothing.
My daughter is at a SEN school where they do have a uniform but it isn't compulsory.
It's brilliant.

£97 logo stuff
£100 shirts, trousers, jumpers
£30 stationary, which includes planner
£15 calculator
£54 shoes
£20 base layer and gum shield
£20 watch as a treat.

I haven't needed to buy a bag, lunchbox, water bottle, pe bag, football boots or trainers.

£336.

DD1, Y9 - shoes and trainers as outgrown (£100), pencil case (£6). Happy that everything else still fits!

Well if you are choosing private you can't really complain about the cost I think!

Blazers are over £100 in one of the non private schools near me and kilt style skirts are £40! (And the blazer is heavy like tweed or wool so would be pita to wash)
I saw a boy from that school, at the end of term, the blazer barely went past his elbows but I couldn't blame parents for wanting to get every last wear out of it!

It’s shoes that are the killer. DS1 (going into Y6) has size 6 feet (so adult prices) that are also a D width…so supermarket shoes literally fall off the back of his foot. Even Clark’s don’t go that narrow. So £120 for shoes and trainers. About £70 on non branded kits for DS2 (as it turns out DS1 wasn’t in school because of COVID when he was that age) and £70 on branded kit because DS1 has destroyed his so can’t be passed down (to be fair, he’s worn his PE hoodie two days a week for three years so…). Could be worse.

@ginandtonicwithlimes the most expensive uniforms tend to come from state schools…
our local catholic (state) school uses uniform (among other things) to discourage pupils from less well off families (blazer around £100, summer dresses £70, jumpers £40 , branded trousers/skirts/blouses/shirts, …)

My year 8 and year 9 went back yesterday and year 8 child has just had a new water bottle which was a treat from a visit to the zoo (£15) and year 9 had same plus new shoes for £50.

Now down to two in uniform. I’ve bought two new jumpers, two pairs of trousers, and a pack of new shirts. About £100. Most of the rest of their kit from last year is still ok. One still needs new trainers.

The one who is no longer in uniform has had to buy a whole new set of clothes for sixth form but that is because he’s grown a lot recently, so we’d have had to buy them anyway.

DS is going into Y10.

I'm so glad I spent £60+ last year on some DM shoes I found in a sale which still fit and look like new once polished. The blazer still fits and PE kit and shirts still look OK.

Biggest expense is 34L trousers I've got some coming today that I ordered online - £44 for two pairs including delivery. I've already spent £10+ on delivery and return fees for two pairs that didn't fit. Plus another £24 on one pair that I have panic-ordered in case the other two don't arrive in time.

So that's £78+ so far just on trousers.

Still need to buy trainers and school/PE bags.

About £30 - new trousers and shirts, jumpers and PE kit still fit, and new shoes got bought in summer term.
Just need to buy new PE trainers and a new water bottle.

For dd going into year 9 £375 for uniform and £60 on shoes

Ds going into 6th form £155, as he still has black school trousers. £80 for his shoes

August is always an expensive month!

1 PE top and trainers for DS2 and shoes for both that are still at school. Plus lunchbox for DS3 as he's going into year 3. So under £100.

Daughter going into YR 9 = £377.99

Blazer (school branded) £29.99
Tie £5
Kilted skirts (school branded) £26 x3
Shirts £25 (pack of 5)
Tights £7
Knee high socks £3.50 ×3
P.E leggings (school branded) £15
P.E top (school branded) £15
P.E hoodie (school branded) £20
Jumpers x2 £19 (school branded)
Polishable trainers £75
School bag £6.50
Water bottle £3

Son going into YR 4 = £139

School jumpers £9.50 x3
School polo tops £11 pk of 5
Trousers £11 x 4
P.E joggers £6 x 2
P.E tops £2.50 pk of 2
School shoes £9
Trainers £27
Water bottle £3
Socks £2

Both have coats from previous school year in good condition. Son has his bag from previous year, hardly used.

I had to buy this much for YR9 as daughter had worn out everything for two years. I didn't spend this much last year.

£117 from M&S on:
4 x trousers
6 x polo shirts
3 x tracksuit bottoms
1 x T-shirt for sports
school shoes

also:
£15 school bag
£15 hoodie for sports
£15 socks

DS is going into Yr1. He’s had a huge growth spurt over summer but all his school jumpers still fit as I bought a size up last year.

I spent a good £100 on two kids uniforms this week. Mainly at M&S as the supermarkets didn’t have a big enough size so ended i in there for the first time.

Shoes from Next and Clark’s outlet. Didn’t need jumpers or coats. Pencil case from Vinted and Amazon.

Too much £753. Dc started year 7

Shoes-£80 (big feet!)
Wool blazer -£90
Jumper x2- £70
Skirt-£35
5shirts- £50
Tie x2- £18
Socks and tights-£20

Pe kit (all branded)
airtex top X2- £60
Skort- £30
Hoody- £40
Leggings -£30
Socks x2- £18
Gum shield £22 (special ones for braces)
Hockey stick £30
Specific coloured swimsuit -£30

Stationary- £40
School bag-£40
Pe bag £30