Preschool uniform woes

[kisaki333]

Ok so first time mum and didn't grow up in the UK so know next to nothing of the system here.
So little one is starting in a school nursery this Sept. Their uniform is meant to be emerald green.
Trouble is little one is LITTLE. She mostly wears size 1-2 years , sometimes 2-3 years. She is 3.5yo. Very few school uniforms are in sizes smaller than 3yo.
Second trouble is the emerald green thing. I can find green, but usually bottle green.

We went to the uniform shop the school indicated and she just floats in the smallest size they have. Like, they will probably fit her in another 2 years!

Questions I have:
How strict are schools with the uniform thing? Especially the branded stuff. I can get her stuff that fits in the right colours from amazon (kind of) but not with the school logo.
And recommendations of emerald green uniform stuff in small sizes? Most of the big retailers don't have what I need 😔

I would imagine that, since this is for pre-school, they’ll be a bit more relaxed. I’d go for what you found on Amazon and explain to the pre-school teacher your situation.

Primary school can’t enforce uniform. Especially if it’s nursery.
logos aren’t necessary. Just get her what fits 🙂

What sort of school outfitters is it? Could they alter the approved uniform to fit her? What sort of school is it? Most state schools aren’t that strict, especially for the little ones - but a private school might be.

Even at primary ours only ever needed a logo jumper for trips out. So I would go with what you've found in her size.

There’s a state school nursery next to my office so I see the kids daily, only one or two of the kids wear the school jumper, the rest just wear their own clothes.
In Reception everyone wears uniform, but some wear joggers if they can’t find ‘proper’ trousers the right size.

I do supply teaching in various EYFS settings and in nursery I’d say at least half never wear the uniform. Maybe less. As long as they are comfortable and can manage their clothes nobody really takes any interest in what they wear.

Thank you all, you've put my mind at ease! It's a state school. The uniform outfitters said they will check if they can alter or get a smaller size. But i imagine that will cost dearly as I already dished out close to 20 quid for a cardigan from them ( too big for little one but figured I need a backup in case the school is very strict).

I have a small child she had only just moved into 2-3 when she started school. Sainsbury's, m and s and Asda do uniforms in 2-3. We found m and s ran bigger than Sainsbury's for trousers and Asda for polo shirts.

Sounds like it might be a private school? They can be very strict so if the shop can source smaller or alter I don’t think you can reasonably turn that down to buy off amazon instead because it’s cheaper. But if they can’t then they can’t and clothes do have to fit. So assuming they can’t source the correct size then I’d get the jumpers/cardigans in the smallest size from the shop and turn up the sleeves, it doesn’t matter if the body is oversized, and then buy the rest from elsewhere- match the top/polo colour and if the emerald green is tricky for the bottoms just send her in plain black leggings or joggers. You won’t need a coat in September so speak to the school about that first in case it’s mandatory for outings.

If it’s state school though then ignore all that because you’ll probably find most aren’t wearing the uniform anyway.

@Superscientistthank you for this. We went to m&s and they don't have the right colours. The mega Sainsbury's i visited was out of stock for almost everything but i will place an online order. Good shout about asda, we'll go there next.

@Bitzeenot private, just a state school. But i am surprised to hear they are that strict. With how much money they cost i'd expect a more relaxed attitude so as not the aggravate their customers (the parents).

@kisaki333 I have found the smallest sizes do go out of stock quite quickly!

The one my son is attending you can choose between uniform or non uniform. Personally I would just get a cardigan in a similar colour and wear that. As long as it is green why should it matter?

I would also look at Tesco. I've always found their things to be on the small side, so you might be able to buy the next size up to normal and it still not be too big.

Does she have to wear uniform? Honestly, that sounds dreadful in preschool! They’re there to play. They don’t need a uniform (which will get destroyed in mud and paint in about a week if it’s a decent setting). Our preschool had an optional uniform. I’d say maybe 10-20% wore it. I’d totally just send her in normal (mucky) clothes.