Talk to me about school uniform

[Worried007]

What do we need and how much of it?

I am at a complete loss but now we know the school place we want to start buying in bits n pieces

Do reception children need bags and pencil cases?

Thank you

For reception for DS1 3 polos, 2 jumpers, 5 trousers. I work full time so do all the washing at the weekend.

I have a confession. DC1-when he started in YR he had to be pristine, spotless uniform every day.

After a few months I did relax a bit. if it was a tiny yoghurt dribble, on a sweatshirt I wouldn't bother too much etc.
By the time DC2 got there, all I need to say is that I was very relaxed, and so were all the other parents.

Email the PTA and ask when their next secondhand uniform sale is. Saves me a fortune.

My daughters school has optional uniform but I'm sending her in uniform

She always comes from nursery a mess..so I'm getting
1 cardigan
2 school jumpers with logo
5 white polo shirts
2 skirts
1 trousers
1 summer dress

Unsure of whether or not she will need a school bag but getting it anyway...those ones they hold in their hand and has school logo

I'm getting uniform in June. We will be out of the country all of July until mid August and I find that the school uniform sections is shops are always chaotic in August !

YY book again when DG1 started the thought of 2nd hand uniform was to me.

You soon realise that 2nd hand uniform is brilliant. I was v lucky in that one boy left to go to a different school. His Mum gave me all the uniform, and he had a jumper for every day. It lasted DS1&2 ages.

I've not had problems getting 100% cotton uniform, except the school logo stuff which is 60% polyester. I may have had correspondence with school about this, as pfb's eczema is exacerbated by man-made fibres.

At our school they keep spare clothes in the PE bag, so there's no need to schlep them to and from school every day.

Oh and I definitely don't think they need pencil cases..the school will probably provide pens, pencils etc

Just remembered (it's 11 years ago this Sept) but the school had a logoed cap for summer with the bit that goes down the neck, plus a fleece and winter hat. Optional but useful.

The great thing about second hand is that you know how durable it is - new might fall apart but second hand has already survived at least one child

I started off with 2 cardigans, and ended up having one for every day, because dd manages to get dirty every day.
I bought pinafore dresses second hand from the pta (they are Next and M&S) because she wouldn't wear the skirts I got her. So now she's got 5 dresses, 5 cardigans and 5 shirts.

I would stongly recommend asking other mums from older classes or wait until the shops have offers.

At my dd's school there was a list on the website stating reception is only allowed to wear jumpers. My dd hates jumpers. I asked the teacher on the information day and she said it is absolutely fine to have a cardigan if they get dressed/undressed for PE without undoing the buttons. Problem solved.

In general, less is better at the beginning to avoid buying stuff that won't get worn. After a few weeks you know what you need.
The stuff I didn't regret getting was tights (at least one ripped pait a week) and a shirt for every day.

We have four cardigans ( will up to five as I can iron once a week) I bought two to fit and two slightly larger.

Polos, two packs of cheap and cheerful and two embroidered ones. The logo'd ones washed better and color stayed better, also less ironing.

Trousers m'&s washed and wore well, two pairs have lasted most of the year, skirts, pinafores not as popular in winter here. Asda grey stuff also washed well.

I think it all depends on how often you want to wash and if you work. Our Polos are an odd color so need a special wash. The trousers can go in the everyday wash and dry in no time.

Tights are a rip off, two pairs of m'&s trousers cost the same as tights, which shrink, rip and are "not comfortable mum"

And yes to labelling everything and relabelling when it washes off.

Reception mum's generally do, but further up the school it seems to get forgotten. DD2 was an awful jumper looser and the amount of unnamed stuff in the Lost Property box was daft.

DD1 has helped with senior school lost property and that's even worse. You would thing parents would prefer not to replace £18 jumpers.

Mine have 2x logo sweatshirts each then I've most lately bought the rest from Sainsburys during the 25% off weeks, they are really well priced and I'm amazed at how good the quality is (I used to buy it all at M&S).

DD has:

6 x polos
6 x pinafores
4 x cardigans
1 x logo polo
1 x logo sweatshirt
1 x logo book bag
1 x logo back pack
2 x pe shorts
2 x white pe t-shirts
1 x logo pe shirt

Knitted cardigans wear much better than the sweatshirt material ones and you can use a wet-wipe on the odd mark and have it do an extra day.

DD has a lot of issues with wetting herself at school hence we have a lot of pinafores as she pretty much needs a new one everyday. I buy them huge so they do for a couple of years.

Jersey pinafores feel nice but bobble - the others feel like cardboard but wear as if they're made of Teflon! Everyone stocks grey, but if you need navy and can't get them, John Lewis do a big range. Sainsbury and John Lewis do the nicest polos, BHS do lovely pinafores and summer dresses. Tesco do nice socks/hair-bands that go with the summer dresses. M&S is expensive and the polo shirts are very thick and feel horrible.

My bug bear is tights - so many seem to shrink in the wash, or the feet are too big, or the toe seam in the wrong place. Still looking for the perfect brand.

For small sizes, buy as soon as the uniform comes into the shops or there is none left. BHS do especially small sizes and Mothercare do very small size school colour tights.

I like the sew-in name tapes - eBay has sellers who are a fraction of the price of Cash's and the quality is identical.

Dd has:
5 shirts
2 cardigans
2 pinafores (2nd one almost never worn as they wash and dry so easily)

Ds (different school) has
5 polo shirts
3 trousers
3 sweatshirts

Cardigans/ sweatshirts/ trousers I'm not bothered about unless they're dirty but I am anal re them having clean tops every day

Next tights are the best I've found so far.

Ds's are in Nursery and Year 1. Each, they have:

2 logo jumpers £14 each
Pack of 5 polo shirts, ASDA
Pack of 2 school trousers, ASDA
Black shoes
Logo PE Kit & PE Bag £10
Logo Bookbag £5

I'm somewhat bemused by the multiplicity of uniform some posters are talking about. I've worked on the basis of 2x trousers and 3x shirts since my son started - thought I might need to get more trousers but was pleasantly surprised to find that one pair can nearly always last the week. In a normal week I expect him to wear 2 shirts, partly because on Fridays he goes into PE kit most of the day. His single school jumper was bought second-hand, large, has been mended a bit - and is still being worn in year 4. I will need to replace it next year though I think!

Pythonesque I wish DS1 could wear trousers all week - they barely make it through a school day

It's a very outdoorsy school, though (eg they have a tree climbing rota) and it's mostly mud.

Seems like some folk have loads - 6 pinafores, 4 cardigans....

DD has survived with 3-4 blouses, 1 cardigan, 1 pinafore, 2 skirts (could have got away with just one but came as a two), 4 tights, summer dress, shoes and now boots. We did have a logged sweatshirt but that got lost in term 1 of the first year and didn't get replaced.

Also bought her the recommended PE shorts only to find "only the boys wear shorts. The girls wear leggings". The indoor and outdoor PE kit is whatever you like and comes home at the end of the term/half term.

I think our PTA tried a 2nd hand uniform sale. Most of the parents buy from ASDA, Tesco etc so often the uniforms are trashed by the end of year anyway. Cheap and cheerful.

OP - you'll figure out pretty quickly what works for you. But I wouldn't rush out and buy too much.