To wonder if M&S uniform is worth it?

[BabyofMine]

Just priced up for what my child needs, worked out as £130ish from M&S, and £66 from Asda George.
However if the Asda falls apart after a few months and we buy twice it will end up the same cost. But maybe it’s hard wearing?
I really don’t have any family with kids or any friends with school aged kids to ask!

YABU - Asda (or other supermarkets) are just as good
YANBU - M&S Uniform is worth the cost

It depends how fast your child grows. My two never had a pair of trousers longer than a few months so cheap ones were fine as they hardly got a chance to wear out. I bought ours at Tesco.

I buy M&S but noticed the quality last summer was dramatically worse in the trousers I usually buy. They never gave navy polos so they come from George (impressive actually)
My daughters uniform is usually Next. And quality is good.

For M&S plan to buy at the start of the summer hols or just before. They have 20% off and full stock!

M&S school trousers are amazing they last for ages due to the hem being able to undo to make the length longer as your child grows. I really rate Next for polo shirts they stay white and seem stain resistant compared to M&S. I buy the school jumper, Adidas School shoes and Sainsbury’s socks.

M&S Shirts have been excellent for us and passed down to a younger sibling. Perfect for young primary school as they velcro instead of the top button which is easy for Reception and Y1 children to get dressed themsleves.

I tend to get pinafores and gingham dresses from supermarkets, either Asda or Tesco, again these have generally lasted well enough to pass down.

Personally, I have found Lidl polo shirts fantastic (100% cotton and only £1.75 for two), whilst the M&S ones were significantly more expensive and significantly worse (subject to shrink in the wash and the material is so hard and scratchy, even after washing, that my child had to wear a singlet underneath so their skin wasn't rubbed raw). Sainsbury's trousers and shorts are better than Lidl, M&S and the horribly over priced "official" school trousers sold by the co the school recommends (they're comfier, made of thicker fabric and last longer).

I find the M&S polo shirts aren’t great compared to the ones from the school shop. My kids uniform has coloured polo shirts which seem to wash out really quickly where the school ones have lasted a couple of years and look like new. I buy skirts and trousers from M&S, they seem a bit more sturdy compared to supermarket offerings and wash and iron well. Cardigans all end up a bit scruffy so I just get those wherever is cheapest.

Love M&S trousers due to the let don hems and the super slim fit which is great for my skinny boys.

I find M&S and Sainsburys are best for lasting well.

You don’t need 6 cardis OP! Or 6 pinafores, half of that will be hardly worn before they’ve outgrown it. You might want some trousers though, DD prefers her trousers for running about in the playground.

For DD I tend to buy
1 Jumper
1 cardigan
5 shirts
2 trousers
1 skirt
1 pinafore
1 pack socks
1 pack tights

The pinafore/trousers/skirt tend to go 2 wears between washes, and DD is reception. Have they said whether they will be going in on PE days wearing uniform? Some schools started this due to Covid and are carrying it on. You need 1 day less of uniform then.

I’m just going with Sainsburys shoes now as well. I usually buy DD Clark’s but they get scuffed so quickly it doesn’t seem worth it for £30 a pair!

I usually have to order online as they dont seem to have them in store

Just noticed someone mention shoes...M&S school shoes were brilliant, we had so much trouble with Clarks. I was gutted when DD grew out of kids sizes.

Recommend sainsburys uniform. Cheaper than m&s but good quality.

George pols are great but tge supermarket trousers fade quickly and aren't the best. M & S and bext trousers still look new when they're grown out of.

M & S usually do a 20% off offer around May time so maybe wait until then. They also sell multi packs that work out cheaper.

I buy from quite a few places for different things. / been a few years now. M&S doesn't seem any better for jumpers or tops but the trousers and dresses are slightly thicker. Asda are handy for items I sometimes can't find such as long sleeved polo shirts or the v neck tank tops so we can buy suitable layers for uniform items

I find ASDA uniform great, especially their easy on polo's, which have velcro under fake buttons. However M&S do better school shoes, especially the ones with the rubber toes.

All the supermarket uniforms are absolutely fine for quality.

My gs used to get M and S but each time they have split and come apart around the crotch area. I have taken them back before. This time just got him some slim fit Asda ones and they are fine. I don't honestly think there is much in it any more as Asda have got better. The only better stuff is from the hugely overpriced specialist shop in town. £22 for one pair of trousers for example and rude staff as well.

I have to buy DS's trousers in M&S because at nearly 13yo he's very slim but over 5'10". I haven't found longer length trousers in the supermarkets sadly. I wish I could buy polos and jumpers in the supermarkets but DS's school insists on logoed ones

It lasts well, but so does TU which is cheaper.

Agree with PP that you are buying too much, two sets of bottoms, 2 jumpers and 4/5 tops is well enough. Mine go to school in PE kit once a week now which seems to be pretty standard.

Non iron shirts 👍

My girls preferred M+S or NEXT shirts as they’re thicker so not as see through. Next girls shirts also had darts in the back to make them more fitted for my skinny DS2 but DS1 preferred a looser shirt.

In primary school, I just bought cheap and cheerful but in bigger quantities, usually supermarket brands or Matalan.

I would say no they aren't worth it. I have found Sainsbury to be the best quality.

Oh and definitely check if she is going to be in P.E kit some of the week. At my DD's school the reception DC are in P.E kit 3 days a week (P.E/Swimming x2 and Outdoor learning x1) so obviously need much less normal uniform as only in it twice a week. But they need more P.E kit as wearing it all day.

I think you need to look at fit as well. My DS is tall and skinny and some brands don't fit him well at all. My DD is tall and stocky and finding stuff that fits her has been a nightmare.

Definitely buying too much. We got by with two skirts and two cardigans. Clean top every day. Honestly that’s enough. Especially when you find they need bigger stuff by Christmas too!