Definitely look into the secondhand sale....email the school to find out when the hey have a sale or how you access their supply. Secondhand is often as good as new and perhaps 20% of new price. Believe me, the people you will find at those sales are often those who are most affluent, who love a bargain. And when you enquire, why not also ask if any of the items can be bought from other, cheaper places.....schools are under pressure to not make uniform too expensive, so if you ask, they will need to indicate alternatives.
Save your cash for things like shoes which you need to buy new.
And yes, most years you won't need everything new again, but just a couple of items.
So yes, starting school or moving school is an expense....but that's hardly a surprise is it? You will also be able to significantly reduce the amount of out of school clothes needed.
And I'd say, it's important to recognise having a school age child is going to involve some other costs too - the more you know in advance, the more you can think ahead and plan a little - there will be some school trips and some charity events, and if course there will be parties to go to with a small gift. Some people seem determined to see the school as trying to fleece them for every penny they have or to resent X spending any money at all on their child in relation to school - so they don't want to pay anything for school clothes or for trips or for something like swimming lessons - sometimes this isn't because they don't want toss end any money on their child, because they do spend on other things for the child - so perhaps some designer trainers, or a big day out, or an electronic. Some people seem happy to spend on these things, but almost to feel obliged to complain every time there is any expense involved related to school - is it an objection to authority or a determination to see school as the enemy - some people do seem to do that. AND before anyone wants to quote me out of context, of course I know that for some families, paying for school uniform or for anything at all is a total struggle, because their income is very low and insufficient to meet all their needs. No one minds when those people complain about the costs, and absolutely, schools have a duty to make sure they don't make those families' situations worse than they already are. I am just saying, that many people who aren't really in this position like to moan about uniform or other costs related to school - so every time a 'voluntary' contribution is requested for a school theatre company coming in, or for the swimming instructor to teach their kids, they feel outraged about school asking for money and that everything should be free - perhaps they haven't heard that the government has massively cut school funding and that these days, schools can genuinely only afford a very minimalist education - if they don't ask parents to contribute for the extras and if parents don't give the voluntary contributions, those extras which Gide an enriched education just won't happen. Schools aren't lining their pockets with money spent on uniform or sent in for trips or school lunches.....but the way people carry on, you'd think they were. So fine, if you really are on the bread line, then yes of course, having a school age child is goi g to be hard and you're entitled to feel aggrieved, but if you've actually got some cash, it's important to accept that having a child at school isn't free and that there are associated expenses and accepting that is important.
Sorry, moan over. I do understand it's really hard for some people, but I think there are lots more who would just rather not spend any money on things related to school and aren't quite in the real world about the realities of funding and the costs of having a child today.