Best brands for schoolwear 2014

[MooseyMoo]

DD is starting Reception in September and I've been looking at the school uniform threads on here but couldn't find a recent thread asking what brands people found the best (quality, cost, hard wearing)

Thanks

primark are good for cheap pairs of gloves - they lose these regularly (even when they are named because school tend to assume noone names them so they don't look. I now put the nametapes on the outside of the wrist area so they can't be missed), pound or 99p store for a cheap hat that can be left at school too. they also need a decent thick coat over the winter for going out in the playground. sounds obvious but a lot of people don't send the kids in with them. some schools do seem to state dark colours for those so worth checking before you invest in a bright one but I think most are easygoing about colour.

I bought Asda polos which have been great but do shrink, so I sized up. I have some Sainsbury's pinnies and some M&S skirts (which came in a 2 pack). The Sainsbury's one's are fine, but could probably do with a quick iron after washing, whereas the M&S ones keep there shape better.

Sainsbury's tights have been mixed- one pack bobbled horribly but DD got holes in them quite quickly from playground accidents. Second pair have washed loads better.

I bought some logo'd cardie's which have been 10 times better than the plain cardie I got from Tesco.

Totally agree with the 'don't spend too much on gloves and hats' for the winter.

In my experience M&S pinafore is much better wash and wear than the Sainsbury's one we have. Tights M&S too. School cardigan is much better quality that the ones we have from Asda - but our school uniform is purple so it is very hard to find on the high street.
With regard to hats, gloves etc I bought 3 pairs of identical gloves from something like a pound shop and then when one is lost we still have a pair so to speak.

Oh blimey, I hadn't thought about hats/gloves!

I've got 3 school age children and was a primary teacher for aaaaages.

Agree with everyone...go cheap as you can and replace often. I chuck out stuff every term, esp. Polo shirts (paint, glue, lunch, mud).

Second hand is absolutely fine....lots of children will be in hand me downs, def. no stigma to that. Buy bigger and store for later when there's a sale.

Buy one decent coat and then a second/third one from the charity shop for when decent coat is wet/muddy/left on fled behind a tree etc.

Buy PE in double so that you can replace easily when bits goes missing but is needed TODAY MUM!

Also totally agree that £shop is your friend for gloves. You won't be seeing some of them twice!

Big black marker pen is fine for labelling. Make it plain enough that your child can read it at 5 paces...you'll be making them very independent when they are finding their coat/book bag/PE kit in the cloakroom scrum.

You'll probably need a pair of wellies for outdoor work...again buy cheap they'll be lost easily.

Don't iron anything. Shake out, dry, fold.

Ask other parents of older children what the usual drill is for world book day, comic relief, come to school as a Victorian child type days. Start keeping odds and ends for dressing up...plain old t shirts very useful...can be drawn on or chopped up accordingly.

You will find as soon as just before they break up for summer everywhere has sea of uniform m&s usually early july , sainsburys 25%off happens loads and usually in summer hols.

One thing would say is stock up.

we moved schools start of november when there was very little in the shops was only after navy cardigans, sainsburys just had green and white.

My little girl bit of tom boy but still prefers cardigans to jumpers.

But most official ones and ones slight sweater type material are fleece lined inside so in summer we go for supermarket own brand knitted ones m&s ones been best cardigans by far.

Her new school only does logos polos and logos jumpers she has 2polos 8quid each and they have washed better tha cheaper brands and brought loads 2nd hand jumpers from pta school shop so does mix of both logo and cheaper items.

Also september when they start can still be a pretty warm month.

we get socks , undies, gloves from primark and still havent found holy grail of shoes that last tried

startrite
clarks
and john lewis own brand.

The peococks shoes lasted one day.
john lewis one term.

impressed with tesco ones.

m&s do cheaper copy startright called walkright but they stop at smaller sizes my girls seem to have huge feet.

m&s big stores print off name tags that iron on.

tesco did do event as remember buying bundle stuff for a tenner when eldest started reception.

we had bit of disaster trial with aldi uniform sept just gone my mum brought it the cardigans were awful, polos ok and the skirts been ok.
Havent had cance try morrisions new nutmeg range as that was advertised got cheap.

I have got loads 2nd hand skirtsm summer dresses and pinafores 2nd hand at charity shops, carboots and ebay.

m&s not as pricy really as her 1st skirt was £3.50.

bhs only do uniform online now when went in november.
Not sure if debenhams do any as never tried .

im just dying to fid dd2s school so know what uniform to buy.

luckily they all easy colours maroon one may prove tricky.

if your schools blue or navy do check colour of summer dresses as my freinds daughters school was all navy cardigans, skrts so she brought navy dresses then later found out she needed sky blue.
If schols royal blue its genrally sky blue if schools navy like ours they flexible say either or but i buy navy to match her cardigans.

And agree that uniform in supermarkets is very seasonal...sometimes loads (June, July) sometimes none at all. Buy when you see it on offer and store for later/next year. Esp out of season stuff, it'll be reduced to pence often.

Sainsburys for girls jersey trousers and polo shirts. They were also the only place we found cardigans in sweatshirt fabric. Asda were ok, but Tesco and Aldi didn't iron well...

with regards to wellies - I always send in the previous year's home ones, so they are a bit small but who cares, DD1 wore hers twice in the whole of R and so far this year DD2 has worn hers once!

sorry to add gloves hats etc to your list but thought I should mention it. they tend to ask for sunhats in the hot weather too that can be left at school in a box or in the child's bag. I found we needed these in september so if you have an old one hanging around don't throw it out but keep it for that.

It's a good point though nonick and for wellies too. And thanks to everyone else for sharing and tips.

I'm using mynametags for nursery clothes. How do you label shoes?

I'm going to pay extra special attention when doing nursery walk to see what the school kids are wearing/carrying from now on ... Hope I don't look too weird!

you can get special shoe labels which are shaped to go on the inside sole in the heel but any of the label stickers should be ok I think. don't forget PE shoes need naming as well.

I disagree re wellies. My dc wear theirs a lot - every wk for forest school and whenever the grass on the school field is wet at playtime. So it really depends on the school. My dc soon complain if theirs are tight.

I write in biro inside shoes, has lasted since sept.
I've got a huge supply of socks and I now can't tell the difference between John Lewis and primark so I would just go to primark and get a load of cheap ones!

ah - Sunny our school doesn't have such lovely things as grass!

No grass at all

I had no idea schools existed without grass.

I've bought uniform from most places over the years I think!

Best place IME is Next. My DS trousers/ shirts from there have managed to last 5 terms so far!

Tesco and Sainburies have been the best supermarkets.

I bought M&S one year but 3/4 of it literally fell apart at the seams within 4 weeks and their customer service was so crap I wouldn't ever buy uniform there again.

Op not sure if it's been said but cardigans,. The girls all wear cardigans, my dd refuses jumpers on the grounds that boys wear jumpers! Friends dd is the same.

I have three primary aged children.
For the boys, Next trousers as the eldest was/is skinny and they do a slim cut that doesn't leave him swathed in fabric. These have lasted until he outgrew them and they are still going strong for my youngest. Buy at least 3 pairs.
Polo shirts. I have tried MS but they shrank so I went back to Next which have been good up to now. The material is not so thick on the latest batch, but is still washing well.
Jumpers. In Infants I didn't buy the logoed ones, I had a couple from the 2nd hand uniform sale. I liked the BHS ones. Very soft and lightweight.
I also bought the all in one dresses that have a mock blouse and pinafore. She loved those as they were very quick to put on. Next and BHS do them. M and S did do them but they bobbled.
Shoes. I tried going the cheap route.
Styles with toe bumpers seem to last a long time and still look decent.
I now save up and buy GEOX. They have lasted till they grew out. In fact last years were good for three whole terms and they were worn everyday.
Skirts. I was given a couple of MS ones and they have lasted well.

2nd the pe kit dd1 has lost 3this year!

Our school has no rass either just 2prision yards she still gets filthy.

The trend round here especially for r is forest schools .

managed to get dd1 some waterproof trousers and matching coat in navy quite cheaply from go outdoors.

our schools is very muddy as on village green so if weather bad we wear wellies to school then changed later.

Coats I love duffles dd1 refuses wear them.

we have 3coats on go 2 were 2nd hand.

one is quilted navy with hood lightweigt but not warm eneough when very cold.

Big black padded 3/4 one.

pink waterproof with detachable fleece.

in spring she has a gillet as many of her freinds do as nippy on am school run the roasting later.

With 4 children who have noe alm almost got through primary school last one in year 5 I can honestly say it depends on the shape of your child.

dd1 was in what was adams skirts and next shirts tights from asda sumer uniform sainsbury or asda
dd2 tights from sainsbury skirts m&s shirts from John lewis sumer uniform john Leeis or M&S
ds m&s for everything
dd3 john Lewis for shirts Skirts from next
summer uniform from Debenham and tights from m&s

for me iy depends so much oon the shape of the child I have passed down some stuff but the only one that worked was the adams stuff abd they no longer exists.

so my advice would be to try out lots of shops see ehat works on your son. Also remember to look at cotton content if that is of importance I Was shocked by how hard it was to find a high cotton summer dress

no Sunny - no grass at all! shocked me too as I went to a school in a city which had grass and now we live in a town but the playground hasn't a speck of grass. there are some raised flowerbeds and a few trees but just lots of tarmac for grazing knees on.

Always M&S. I don't find it worth buying anywhere else at all. It washes and wears well and can usually be passed down. Mine have regulation polos and sweats but trousers, skirts,pinafores and tights are all perfect several years later.

M&S for older boys trousers. Sainsburys & next for shirts/blouses, especially if non standard colour (ours are pale blue) M&S for PE shorts (depending on whether silky or 'rugby' type)
Use 2nd hand sales and local charity shops (especially in July/August when the oldest ones leave) or get friendly with a mum with an only child in the year above!

I've found www.identitydirect.co.uk for shoe labels. Seems to be the cheapest with nice images

Marks and Spencers have 20% off school uniform today