School uniform

[HappySunflower]

So, my baby is starting school in September!

I've started to look around in preparation for buying her uniform. I've never seen so many polyester dresses in my life. But they seem to be what most people recommend as washing and lasting well.
I think I've narrowed our choices down to BHS & M&S who both seem to sell nice looking stuff, though I do need to go and check them out properly.

I think I'm going to go for the zip up dresses which will be easier than the button up ones on PE days.
So, where do you buy your child's uniform from and do you have any particular recommendations?

Marks & Spencers for me

Tesco of are great. They wash and iron well and are cheap enough that they can be binned if damaged.

I recommend the sainsbury pinafores!!!!! wash and dry really well and look smart.

their shirts with the embroidered trim are nice as well. nice fit wash well and look pretty.

I find the socks In M&s awful. The tesco belted skirt is nice.

Have to say everything I've bought in M&s has needed taking back.

Sainsbury's is fab. But perhaps not their really (cheap) thin skirts. Don't get long sleeve blouses as they will get really mucky and they won't need them in a hot classroom.
Label everything - you don't need to sew tags on, just write it on the washing care tag.

We do zip up dresses and socks (rather than tights) on PE days too.

Always M&S

I find Asda white polo shirts the only ones that stay white. I'll be able to pass those onto dd2 whereas any others have been disposed of after not even a full academic year in some cases. Asda also have the cutest skater style skirt with a bow on the waistband.

Steer clear of Matalan. It was the only place I could find a jersey type pinafore and it looked horrendous by November. The jersey ones are probably the easiest of the lot but seem not to be about for a long time.

I sew on labels as I find even laundry pens wash out tbh.

M&S every time. I buy two sizes during the July discount period (my DC always grow and need new stuff at Christmas!) and put the bigger ones away.

Buy as big a pinafore as you can so they have extra room to wriggle around when getting it on. But don't get it so long that it trails in the floor, obviously

Asda for me! Wash well, do all sorts of styles - always looks smart... and so very reasonably priced. I've tried all sorts... Debenhams was a close second for quality - but the price was a bit more!

[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Personalised-Stickers-STIKINS%C2%AE-Childrens-Labelling/dp/B008JZR9K2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433325829&sr=8-1&keywords=stikins] Stikins are brilliant for labelling - I use them on everything from clothes to lunchboxes and they never come off.

Link fail!! Stikins

I bought uniform last week from both m&s and bhs. I have to say I really liked the bhs. The styles were exactly the same as m&s and were cheaper. 2 pairs of trousers for £7 but m&s just 1 for £9. I couldn't really justify m&s over bhs I only bought m&s where bhs didn't have the size I needed.

I found the BHS white polo shirts go yellow in the wash and the M&S polo shirts shrink.
DS1 is 6 and wearing 7-8 shirts because the 6-7 ones I bought at the beginning of the year have shrunk and the waist is up by his arm pits!
Someone recommended the John Lewis uniform but in September my youngest starts and I'll have 3 lots of uniform to buy

Tesco for the gingham dresses (zip or button up) are 2 for £7.

All the rest mainly comes from Sainsburys which I have found wash better than M & S.

Tesco for the gingham dresses (zip or button up) are 2 for £7.

All the rest mainly comes from Sainsburys which I have found wash better than M & S.

M&S pinafores are the best I've found. Wash well and last all year. I also like BHS cardigans and their Lycra PE shorts.

Matalan and tesco here, I do like m&s too but sometimes over priced.

Last year was our first time buying school uniform so I decided to buy a bit from everywhere to see what was best. So far I have found:

M&S are best for tights but size up by a few ages (petite DD started in age 4 uniform but needed 7-8 tights). They have a white band on the inside (as do the socks) to write the name on. We have had very little bobbling and no holes so I will buy them again this year .
Skirts (slim fit range) and pinafores have washed well and are a good heavyweight material. The blouses are quite wide and short but we bought them for the velcro top button. They have stained and got a few pulls in the fabric so I won't be buying them again. Also should note the velcro top button comes loose through the day and has pulled the fabric on the school tie. The long sleeve blouses are still hanging in the wardrobe unworn due to the ridiculously long sleeves.

Sainsburys are ok, what I have bought has lasted well. The pinafore I got was outgrown by christmas so can't comment on how it would be for a full year. The material is much thiner than M&S. Cardigan has lasted full year with no bobbles,holes, shrinking etc.

All jersey uniform will bobble after while - I've tried Tesco, Asda (trousers)and Next (skirt) but they all end up bobbled and scruffy looking by christmas. That's with washing inside out in 30 degree cycle. I did try to salvage a pair of trousers by 'shaving' them with an old razor but didn't work that well and back to looking scruffy after 2 washes.

Asda cardigan is still looking great after full year. Tesco poloshirts shrunk in length and were like cardboard after a few washes so were been abandoned in favour of the school logo polos. Both Tesco and Asda tights shrunk and out of shape after a few months. Tesco long socks seem to be ok but only bought a few weeks ago.

School shoes by Riscosta have lasted the full year and still fit even though she's grown a half size. The the toes have just started looking scuffed in the past couple of weeks but with only 3 weeks to go until the summer holidays I am fine with that.

We have bought a summer dress from Tesco but it's only been worn once so far (bloody Scottish weather) so can't comment on how well it lasts but the fit is nice.

I didn't get anything from BHS as everything I looked at was too wide for DD.

The only thing I have had to replace a lot is school bags. She's on her third. Oh and we have had 2 jackets ripped by rough play in playground. One regatta and one tresspass so I'm thinking maybe a duffle coat for this year.

John Lewis trousers are good for slim kids and last well. You may need to buy an age down as very are long in the leg.

I have recently discovered Ecooutfitters.com. My first order from them has only just arrived so I can't say how well the stuff lasts etc. but first impressions are good. I can imagine that though the stuff is comparatively expensive, it may yet turn out to be good value for money.

When I buy 'everyday' clothes for my children, one of my considerations is that the clothes are ecologically and ethically 'sound'. (by far not the only consideration of course). I very much dislike the thought of my children wearing clothes made by other children's labour somewhere in a less lucky part of the world. And I do not want their clothes to be full of unnecessary chemicals, either (DS has sensitive skin). And given that they spend such a large part of their time wearing school uniform, it kind of makes sense to apply the same principles to school uniform.

Previously I got trousers and polo-shirts from Next. They lasted very well, but don't for a moment believe their 'anti-stain coating' really works. I have also found that second-hand uniform is a great way to go - at £1 per pair of trousers or per jumper, the stuff doesn't have to last forever - just until the next second-hand sale!

When does m&s go on sale for uniforms? Also where to get good school shoes from?

Sainsburys for pinafores. Wash well and still look like new. I did buy an M&S pinafore which washed well too but material seemed thinner compared to Sainsburys. I also bought zipped pinafores but DD has asked for buttons for her summer dresses and can do them no problem now.

Polo shirts from Asda (told to go cheap in reception as lots of messy play but they are also protected under pinafore dress). And summer cardies which have washed v well too.

Shoes - bought Hush Puppies from Brantano. They have regular discounts.

Thanks so much everybody-your comments have been so helpful.
A matalan email has just popped into my inbox. 25% off but ends today, hope that might be useful for somebody :)