Experienced experts please- School uniforms- buy expensive as it's better?

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Posting for traffic!

DC starting school September- my first one and know no one with school age children!

Was talking to a friend the other day who said she's getting all her dc's clothes from next or M&S as it's all so much better than asda/ Sainsbury's etc and will last longer.

Surely if paint stains white shirt from any shop it's for the bin?!

AIBU to think it doesn't matter and they're virtually the same?
Please feel free to correct me if I'm totally wrong!

Personally I have found the quality from M and S a lot better

M&S or Sainsbury's here but then my DC never really got dirty.

tbh quality wise supermarkets and m&s, next and jl are very similar.
they all have slightly different fits.

I have 7DC between 15 - 2 and I firmly believe it makes no difference whatsoever!! I've bought the expensive stuff and the cheap stuff and they neither look nor last any different. Apart from Aldi polo shirts and blouses they are very thin and cheap looking.

I just discovered that my DSs trousers from M&S come with a ready sewn second hem so I've just let them down (which I knew you could do) expecting to have to hem them myself and they're done! I'm disproportionately pleased and happy I spent the extra!

I bought DS school trousers from M&S. He's got a few pairs and they're in the wash every night. Still perfect condition and they tumble well and don't need ironing. Same with his M&S socks, they wash well and haven't shrunk or lost colour.

The quality of the rest of the uniform from the school supplier is poor! And expensive.

They grow out of it quickly though at that age. My two don't grow very quickly and Sainsburys stuff has lasted through both of them, so 2 years wear (I have at least 5 of everything though, and closer to 10 polo shirts so nothing is washed more than weekly)

If you have girls then cotton summer dresses look like rags, get Sainsburys zip ones, they stand up to washing much better!

Cheap and cheerful for me. Asda George, Tesco and Sainsbury all sell decent quality uniform in my experience. Bought some M&S polos at the beginning of this summer term and they already have holes in them! Their shorts, skirts and pinafores are good though. For shoes I go with Clarks (Outlet) leather shoes because against their claims supermarket shoes are never "scruff-resistant".

Think trousers from M&S or next are better quality, shirts/polos doesn’t really matter.

However at that age they are very likely to
Come home with paint/ink on shirts or knees missing from trousers after sliding in the grass

M and s or sainsbury- morrisons was OK but avoid aldi and asda in my opinion (translucent polo shirts).

Asda school uniforms are very good, with the possible exception of some of the knitted stuff (which I think looks quite flimsy and obviously synthetic)

I have mostly Sainsburys and ASDA polo tops and they've been fine. If you have girls then the Sainsburys summer dresses and pinafores last very well.

YANBU

But it can depend on the child, some are obviously messier than others. My DS1 is now in Y1 and has had polo shirts from M&S, next, tesco… they get stained not only with food and pens etc but also in the summer term, the suncream turns the collars etc a bit yellow. Haven’t found any difference depending on brand. He also wears through the trousers by getting holes in the knees etc, he’s had M&S and tesco ones and neither have lasted longer than the other.

I’ve bought some more uniform just now all from Asda and it all seems decent quality.

That being said I do buy fairly good quality shoes for him, because imo the supermarket ones do wear out quicker. He’s had the same pair of Clark’s school shoes since September and they are only starting to show signs of wear now.

It might be as they get older then they don’t get stained as much…?!

For God sake don't waste money on expensive uniform for reception. Whiteboard markers do not come out...at all...paint doesn't either. It will be ruined by the end if week 1

Wait for Aldi to do theirs, 50p a jumper last year, £2 ish for a pack of 2 t shirts and about £3/pair of trousers.

It depends, but I have never had a pair of supermarket shoes fit my DC properly (probably because I am not confident in fitting them) and they don't seem to last as long as Clarks or Hush Puppies.

For younger children I’d say it makes no difference. Sainsbury’s uniform is very good. My older dc’s in secondary have Trutex shirts/shorts which are very hard wearing (I buy big!)

We did Asda and sainsburys in 25% off week plus bits of m&s and Tesco. Was all fine except the cheap shoes I got for Dd2 to last her half a term and broke in 3 weeks but that was my own fault (they were £6 in the sale and she plays a lot of playground football).

My kids are tall and skinny though so suited a skimpy cut iyswim. Tesco as often too big for skirts/trousers as were m&s.

I buy Asda or Tesco, seems reasonable quality and inexpensive. Lasts about half the year, but that’s because it’s outgrown, very stained or the knees have ripped through playing football on tarmac, none of which is a quality issue. I don’t find M&S or John Lewis worth paying two or three times as much for.

Surely if paint stains white shirt from any shop it's for the bin?!
No, soak in cold water as soon as they get home until ready to wash. If it doesn't come out then it's just paint, nothing wrong with small children having paint on their clothes! Worn until outgrown.

I preferred to buy good quality to fit for two years, except for trousers which you can't buy too big. We had logoed polo shirts and jackets and I got them second hand.

For reception, relatively cheap or cheerful, especially the polo shirts. As long as they can stand up to washing.

As they get older I've always gone for m&s. They tend to do 20/25% off at various points in the year too.

I buy from all different places depending on the style I want for my DD aged 7 so feel I have good experience of this!

Asda - pinafores and cardigans & box pleat skirts. Wash well, keep their colour & don't tend to shrink. Sizing can be off so always read reviews.

Nutmeg (Morrisons) - shirts/blouses - good sizing & styles.

Matalan - lovely style polo shirts, stay white & look brand new almost 6months on but small sizing!

Sainsburys - pinafores & skirts, wash well, good variety but sizing can be off! Also get cycle shorts from here & always last.

Aldi - polo shirts & pinafores - again I find they wash well, sizing is accurate and they are nice and soft material.

So I have a mixture & I think if you shop around you will find all you need! I also do not rate Lelli Kelly shoes - I paid over £50 and they lasted 12 days before the strap snapped! Good, stylish and sturdy school shoes are hard to find!

I like Sainsbury's for the summer dresses - were limited because mine wear purple and there's few shops which stock that colour. The smooth dresses (not the sport fit) wash better. White shirts are JL or Tesco. Skirts lidl and pinafore vary. School shoes - I used to work in Clark's and from my experience it's buy cheap buy twice! Socks also Sainsbury's because I like the purple gingham trim ☺️ but none of them stay white for long!

Every supermarket or M&S skirt I've bought has been passed on in perfect condition.

Jumpers/cardigans... Red keeps it colour, as do blue. Navy fades badly. From all sorts of shops (DDs are on their fourth school!)

Polo shirts... Blue last better than white.

Grey socks last longer than white.

Gingham dresses last well. Playsuits... Good in theory, pain for toilet trips.

DC at a school with school logo polo shirt due to covid these are hard to get (crap supplier) anyway, first day in reception he managed to get black market on himself and it hasn’t come off!

So, re quality and dirty shirts going straight in the bin; sometimes quality has nothing to do with it and it’s just what type of child y9u have.

DS started school in Asda trousers, a d had gone through the knees by Christmas . Not from falling over and tearing them, just from thin material. I replaced them with Next trousers and he has had Next ever since (now Y7). I buy them a size too big with a elasticated waist and turn them up. They can last 18 months-2 years.

I buy cheaper shorts, as they get less wear. I’ve had polo shirts from many places, but again like Next, because you can bleach them over and over again and they don’t rot/yellow/suffer. This obviously only works if you have plain white polos. But they do also hold their shape well, and usually do DS for a year, go into storage and then do DD for a year.