School uniform

[Proudmummy67]

Hi. My little boy is starting reception in September and I was wondering the best place to buy uniform from - mainly white school shirts and grey trousers. Is it best going to M&S or are the supermarkets just as good? Are Clarks shoes any good for his first pair of school shoes? And lastly, what have you found the best way to label everything with is? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! :)

I’ve found Sainsbury’s has always been great for the basics - order online.

Shoes - I don’t skimp - I’ve tried M&S and Sainsburys in the past but it’s false economy. Always go to Clarks or Startrite and they last well. You can book an appointment in advance at John Lewis which is great as they stock both, service is good and makes it so easy to get what you need in one trip.

For labels I’ve found Petite Fernand stickers are the best - so easy to apply, you get them in a book. I tend to get a book around £13ish and it lasts one child a couple of years. They wash really well - occasionally find one curled up in the wash but easy to stick a new one on. The clothes stick on ones but they’re fine for clothes, inside of shoes, water bottles, lunch boxes etc too.

I tend to buy branded school jumpers a size up so they last 2 years!

We’ve always used M&S or NEXT for uniform - but I’m sure supermarket just as good. I’d recommend buying him just shorts until after half term and then worrying about trousers after.
worth seeing if your school have a second hand uniform sale before the start of September.
Clarks for shoes - a big yes from us. Expensive, but a good fitting service and generally we only buy two pairs per child per year due to growth.
labelling - you ARE going to loose things. However, most people use this label brand for clothes and water bottles and the labels rarely come off. For items little water bottles and clothes with labels, buy the stickers, for socks, Weve always bought the iron on labels and iron onto the top of inside of each sock - will be helpful when they start PE.
https://www.mynametags.com/colour-sticker-name-tags

I always found M&S better quality than the supermarkets - however that is mainly an issue if you need to use uniform for more than one child. Sainsburys etc was fine for just one year.
We usually buy Clarks or Start rite shoes but often on Vinted (always brand new but cheaper).
If your uniform is a common colour you might find deals on Vinted (I only buy BNWT), sometimes people buy too many of one size or they move schools.

I use sew-in labels for clothes, and Stikins for things like lunch boxes. I remove the sew-in labels every year and reuse them. For socks and pants (you'll need to send in spare pants for reception kids) I use a name stamp.

We had a mix of Sainsbury's and m and s and both have last the year in a similar state and are still good enough to use next year too as she still fits in them. The trousers for both have drop down hems to give them more life. We bought some m and s gingham dress and pinafores on eBay in immaculate condition. 2 of each for £7.50! It's also worth reaching out to the pta our school held second hand uniform sales on throughout the summer and we got an as new skirt for £1!

I rate Clarks or start rite shoes but begrudge the price
I managed to get two pairs in her current size and the next size up for £16 each when they had a 40% sale. It's also worth checking out their clearance sections.

Definitely Clarks, have lasted the full year. Supermarkets are great for shirts and jumpers (asda is great) but not trousers. The fit isn't great.

I wouldn't recommend Next for jumpers (they fade too quick) but their trousers are the best fitting.

ion water bottles are very long lasting.
As above, Petit Fernand for labels.

Clarks are notoriously shit for quality these days. Go for startrite instead or for a standard width foot that’s growing quickly then honestly cheaper ones will be fine. If your school allows them the Adidas Tensaur all black trainers are industrable and comfy. The expensive shoes are more worth it for more like Y2 onwards when their growth slows down and if you’re lucky and have bought decent quality you can get a year out of the same shoes.

We have lots of branded stuff that must some from the specialist supplier. What I can get elsewhere though I get from John Lewis and am happy with the fit and quality. I particularly rate their slim fit shirts for DS. Label everything but a sharpie pen does the job just as well as fancy sewed on labels! I also draw half a heart on the inside of each shoe so they can line them up to tell left from right.

Adidas Tensaur in black are great school shoes, they are robust , my son had them in reception and they lasted the full year. I thought the next size up for Y1 and again they have lasted the full year and still in decent condition..

In terms of uniform, I have had a mix from M&S, Sainsbury's and Asda. Can't say I have found much difference between any of them really, they have all done the job. Jumpers I buy from the school shop with logo so can't comment on them.

I used Asda for everything. They do a good skinny leg/ slim fit and cheap! Next seem to come up quite large. I used skikins on clothes and other stuff. Only really bothered labelling stuff like P. E T shirts, trainers, coats, jumpers. Wouldn't bother with shirts and trousers. Not sure any ever came off as my kids have finished school and I still have loads!

We've always got on well with Clarks and found when fit in the shop they never rub or hurt. We have tried Startrite and sometimes had issues with the fit but as I hate Clarks' styles this year we will try Startrite again.

I've always got my daughter trousers and shorts from Sainsbury's and they've been great, we buy the basic style in two packs from the boys section. Not sure about polos as we get school branded ones. Skirts from John Lewis as I like their plain styles and they are good quality but your son probably doesn't want skirts.

I buy all school uniform from Next. It’s always been good quality and it arrives next day and I get free shipping as have a delivery plan anyway. I cba with driving to the shop every time we need something new as we live rurally.

I found Clarks were poor quality personally, fell apart and scratched up very easily. I also buy school shoes from Next, but when they were little, would take them to a proper children’s shoe store to be fitted (but not Clarks). I think we most often bought Start Rite, which were better quality.

I use regular old sharpies to label everything. Much more flexible as doesn’t matter the size or material and they don’t fall off or cost like £15.

Tu or Asda for us. However I have had some success with shoes from M&S and I've literally just replaced them as they got too small but nothing wrong with them. Also look for shoes that have a bumper on them. They are ugly AF but stops the scuffing on the main shoe.

I also recommend my name tags. The stickers are indestructible!

I used next for my ds (he’s 20 now!) but because he needed slim fit and there school infirm fitted him best.

I also brought new polos/ t shirts in summer term for the year (from reception onwards so they were at their best when they weren’t hidden under a jumper!

Depends on how active he is. Mine crawls on his knees all the time and all trousers last about ¾ months then get holes in the knees even those with extra padding so no point in buying more expensive. Size up for polos and sweatshirts. I use whatever shop is cheapest or has offers.

M&S are the best trousers because they have adjustable waists and an extra seam that you can let down on the length so they last much longer. Matalan or Marks are both good for shirts / polo shirts. M& S socks are good because there's a little white patch inside you can initial with a fabric pen. Clarks or Stsrtrite for shoes, everything else falls apart in half the time.

I use Asda for all uniform, they sell trousers/shorts with adjustable waistbands too which are really handy. Shoes we go for Clarks, I’ve found that if I go for supermarket shoes they don’t last so it costs more in the long run. As others have said, Petit Ferdinand labels are brilliant, don’t worry about buying separate shoe and item labels, the standard stick on ones for clothes will work on shoes and water bottles/stationary just as well. Because the labels can be customised with an picture/colour, it’s also useful for them to be able to identify their own clothes before they can read.

We find supermarket uniform has always lasted. We also have a uniform back near us that washes and checks uniform and then you can take it for free. Shoes we always use M&S and they last until some has outgrown them, but my son has wide feet so we can't use supermarkets so I've no comparison. I avoid Clarks at all costs, but that is based on bad experience: Basically assistant checked shoes says all fine fit perfectly, but she'll measure too. Feet measured, both feet 2 whole sizes above son's current size. Then gets pair of shoes in new size, more or less the same as his current ones, he tries them and they "fit perfectly" too. When questioned how he now takes 2 sizes "perfectly" she has no idea! From that point on my conclusion was Clarks staff don't know how to fit shoes! If she'd said "oh these ones always come up big" or something I would have been fine, but the fact that she seemed not to comprehend why I was surprised or have any explanation, made me think she just hadn't measured properly because she didn't know how to.

Sainsbury's uniform seems to be indestructible, took ages to get a hole even with my son skidding on his knees constantly. And Clarks shoes are good they seem to have the reinforcing in all the right places for heavy wearing reception kids. But expensive.
Don't buy brand new with tags off eBay/vinted as it's mostly stolen goods, there aren't that many people who genuinely bought too much and never used it.
And I second the stickers they are like limpets and the pack lasts ages.

Just to add, make sure that you put labels in shoes. DC1, when in reception class, came
home after PE wearing one of their own shoes and one of a classmate's identical Clark's shoes. DC1 has long narrow feet, classmate has smaller much wider feet. I
Didn't notice. The other mother did eventually notice because I had put name labels in DC1's shoes. No idea why the two kids weren't complaining about terrible discomfort!

We buy M&S school wear and no issues with quality. Clarks are crap. We buy geox shoes. I would try and buy shoes which have a rubber front to prevent scuffs

Really?

We’re just coming to the end of Reception but had school uniform in nursery too but both times I ended up with BNWT stuff to sell at the end of it.
For example I bought a few pairs of school trousers but she wouldn’t wear them - pinafores and tights only apparently. Overbought on gingham dresses the button up kind, but quickly realised the zip was much easier and quicker for her changing herself for PE etc so swapped to those - the button ones we’d already used we kept in rotation but I had a couple left with tags. Bought some of the polos in the next size up in the sale, stashed them away and forgot about them until I’d already bought another pack of full price ones 🙄

I’m sure other people are much more organised than me though! Or don’t have quite such particular children about the exact shape that needs to be on the pully bit of the zip!

@Proudmummy67 agree with others that Sainsbury’s are great. I’ve actually ordered some George stuff for next year for the first time and slightly regretting it because I don’t know what that’s like - the trouble with Sainsbury’s is that it seems to go out of stock so quickly and I couldn’t get what we needed. I also agree with seeing if there’s a uniform sale - at our school it’s been good for the dark winter stuff like the branded fleeces or dark grey pinafores (and I assume shorts and trousers). Useless for polo shirts, ginghams and jumpers/ cardigans though as I wouldn’t give away half the stuff they’re trying to sell it’s so tatty and often stained.

Contrary to what everyone is saying I haven’t found Clark’s or startrite shoes to be particularly long wearing - though I think the daft little girly dolly shoes are crap anyway. They’re not bad exactly (far better than the emergency Asda pair I grabbed when she grew out of her third pair in about 8 months, which lasted about 2 weeks). I bought a toe zone pair from Sainsbury’s after that and they’ve been really hard wearing - I like that the sole is much thicker and they’re barely scratched honestly - they’ve done us most of this academic year now her feet seem to have slowed down the growing!

I like the m&s polo shirts, I think they are softer than the other super marker ones

I have ordered a mix of school branded clothing, Sainsbury's and next. If you're not sure about quality it might be worth going to have a look but I think supermarket quality is fine for young children.