When do we need to start thinking about school uniform?

[MrsNouveauRichards]

DD starts reception in September. I am terrible at getting things done on time and I am determined not to be shopping the week she starts at school!

Are there any times when shops do deals on uniform? Where is best and where to avoid?

How much uniform do they really need? Please help a poor newbie school mum get it right :o

Wellies!

You are forever been asked to send in their wellies, at no notice. You then discover they haven't worn them for months and they are too small!

This problem gets worse as they get older and wear wellies less!

Both DDs have been to school in mine, despite them being a size too big for DD2 and a size small for DD1

Wellies are no problem, she lives in them during the winter, crocs in the summer.

Yes they do have logo sweatshirts, cardigans and pe t-shirts. Thinking of only getting the pe top and sweatshirt in the hope DS could have them when he starts (2.5yrs away!) and getting her a plain cardigan. She hates wearing jumpers and cardies due to her eczema so more likely to get lost than dirty!

M&S deal starts straight after the summer half term so June this year. Usually they do 3 for 2 but last year they did 20% off. I buy mine in June and just go a size up from the current uniform. They might be slightly big in sept but it stills looks fine. Shoes I leave until august but I go to a local shop rather tah Clarks as choice there is crap.

At our school, they ask for plimsolls and trainers. It depends if PE is going to be indoors or outdoors as to which they wear but we have to provide both.

I second the comment re wellies. You keep getting asked to send wellies in for all sorts of things! Wellies can occasionally be difficult to buy "out of season" - some shops think you don't need wellies in summer. So beware of that!

I have to add that You should buy according to childs body shape.
My dd is skinny and tall. I never buy her clothes in M&S because they don't fit and the same goes for their school uniform! Short and Wide.
If you get skirts then their shirts never stay tucked in because they are too short. (randomly their cami vests are excellent and perfectly long enough)

If you have DS then I know their shirts don't stay tucked in anyway but you have no chance with M&S shirts unless your child in on 0.4 centile

I think Sainsbury are best

All shops are made cheap and everything shrinks in the wash.
I would recommend buying the right ish slightly too big size now AND the next size up as well because DD grew after Christmas but nowhere had uniform left in stock.
Definitely buy 5 pairs of tights and the same in next size up for the growth spurt. !

I like Zeco tights from independents from around £3.75 a pair. M&S tights end up round her knees.

Dd is pretty clean and tidy
We needed
3 pinnies
4 shirts - I used polo shirts under pinnie and her tie stayed put plus she was comfy
3 cardigans
5 pairs tight or long grey socks
5 pairs white full ankle socks
2 summer dresses which dry quickly because they are light and the weather is warmer!

Def order in loads of shoes to your local Clarks on the web a week before you go in. Else they have nothing in.
And ask them to fit a half size larger with an insole.

PE requirements will vary by school. Ours didn't do PE until after Half Term and they do it in bare feet. (Wellies needed for outside play though).

Interesting to hear that the shops vary in shape a lot. DD is quite tall and on the slim side, I get most of her clothes from H&M as they fit her best.

Our school has a list of approved and required items - may be worth asking their office to send you a copy. There is only one shop that sells some of the key items such as summer dresses, blazers, cardigans, Winter Pinafores etc but we have a school 2nd hand shop. If this is the case then worth finding out when it is open and bag all the bargains.

MrsN if only H&M did uniform!!

Hi my dd school does logo cardigans and pe top only so i can but most of the rest from anywhere.

I also do not highly recommend M&S - the tops are short and wide, i have had 3 dresses this year and the zip broke on all 3 by xmas!!!

I find ASDA's tops are similar price to M&S actually (about 3 for £6) but the girls ones have a 'scalloped' edging which is very feminine and they was brilliantly. I buy 5 tops.

I get 3 dresses or 2 dresses and a skirt - Next were fab, M&S rubbish - not tried the supermarket ones

Shoes - Clarks reluctantly (they're so boring but offer good replacement service if knackered after 2 weeks!)

I buy 3 cardigans (1 in a slightly bigger size)

M&S PE shorts are 2 for £5 and their plimsoles for PE are fine

Personally i have found the cardigans don't last long enough to pass down - as they are logo items, they are bought from school or specialist tops and our schools just don't wash well. The 3 I bought in Sept already look terrible!!

I wouldn't buy before July unless on offer!

they wash brilliantly that should say!

My DD is slim but not tall - M&S is fine and definitely on the slim side (pinafores).
If you don't manage to get it all or find something is good, buy more - as there is nothing left in Nov/Dec/Jan after the tiny growth spurt.

M&S plimsols sell out quickly - I bought 2 x 2 sizes as they only restocked them twice a year.
Asda PE tops are cute (and better than M&S) but shrink, so size up as they go very short.

My advice would be not to buy it yet as when DS was in reception and I bought his uniform for yr1 (on sale in M&S) at Easter time, the school announced they were changing the uniform!!

I will probably leave it another 6 wks or so but tbh I don't have to buy much as she is going to the same school as her brother (so has inherited jumpers) and she wears a uniform of sorts to nursery (grey dress and cardigan) I just need to get new white shirts. All the kids get a school tie when they "graduate" from nursery. We have the PE kit already and she will have DS's bookbag as he will be going into juniors (when they use rucksacks instead).

Will go against the grain and recommend M&S as DS has always had the trousers from there (the ones with no zip that they just pull up) he is in yr2 but a short arse and they have aged really well (until he has outgrown them tbh).

The non iron shirts from there are great too if you are lazy like me & don't iron

I think I am going to try the shoesforkids site as they have last season's Clarks for £20, Clarks trainers for around £10 so I might be able to get the whole lot for the normal price of a pair of shoes.

Would be great if H&M did uniform!

So, I am thinking along the lines of a pinafore and school skirt, get another one of whatever fits best/most comfortable, some polo shirts and a cardigan, then from the school 2 sweatshirts and a PE top. Not sure about PE shorts/jogging bottoms yet though. Will ask my friend with a DD in reception.

shoesforkids are brilliant!!!! They send you the shoes really quickly too

Oh good! My friend told me about the site but I don't know anyone who has actually used them. Good to hear a good review!

I think DD is gearing up for another growth spurt (do they ever stop?)

re double barrelled surname.
when dd started I ordered firstname surname surname. Fine though they take ages to sew in as it is so blinking long a name (darn those ancestors of dh who thought it was a good idea all those generations ago).

for ds i have not ordered any yet (he started school yesterday). I am currently using dd's ones with her first name folded under so it is just surname surname. I am considering getting ones with his first name then initials of his surname if i have to buy him any soon - but i think we will be on dd's dregs for a while yet.

Do you not just sew each end?

No, I think it's quicker to sew around the whole thing. If you sew each end, you have to tie knots at the start and finish twice rather than once as you are doing 2 lots of sewing. Quicker to do a few stitches along the length IMO. Unless we are talking a whopping surname!

Agree with pink
Someone asked me today why on earth I didnt buy iron in tags

Well I would be buying new ones every year if so but I re-use my sew in ones, have been since nursery age 1!!

Labels -
I have sticky ones for shoes/lunch boxes, iron on ones from m&s (not great,) but the sew in ones have lasted (no surprise there).

I like the sew in labels as you can make them into hanging hooks. It drives me mad not to find a hanging hook on a cardi or something that obviously is going to need to go on a peg!

As a seven month veteran (ha), this is what I have learnt:

• M&S and Next are short and wide. ASDA and John Lewis work best for DS (5).
• I used ebay iron on labels at first. Followed instructions to the letter and 80% are still there. Sharpie is what works for now.
• Started with Clarkes in September; 5 pairs later ASDA, BHS etc will do.
• DS loves socks with toes and heels Like these. I made sure he could dress and undress but socks still flummox him - he walks around with a mad bump on top of his foot (meh). For girls. *Despite labels he has lost a polo shirt and his jumper has had many three way swaps.
• Put a smiley face in shoes. It will help them identify the correct feet, but also mean DC will be less likely to come home in a size 10 and a size 11.

He has just had a growth spurt and so I have had to buy an entire new unifrom in age 6; got age 7 as well so I am ready for September already. Bring it on Year 1.

If you have two children, just get your double-barrel surname on your labels.

eggrules love your list!

My ds has pe for the first time today. ha ha. I imagine it will consist of undressing, putting pe kit on, taking it off then re dressing,. whether they come back with their own clothes on, things the right way round will be interesting! I couldn't think what to advise him (can't remember if dd found pe changing tricky or not) - so all i said was to remember to keep his pants on (you know - they are so used to stripping for the bath that before you know it they can be totally bare )

I order the whole lot online from Next, alway loads of stock and the uniform is really good quality.

Names written on tag with a sharpie.

Job done!