School uniform advice

[maybeau]

Useless mother alert!
So my daughter starts reception in middle September and i have just been told by another mum that I've left it far too late to buy her dress. And what do you know, lilac dresses are sold out pretty much everywhere. Thank goodness for Next. Double the price of the supermarkets but there for you in a pinch.
So my question is: how long do the girls tend to be in the gingham dresses (if she starts middle September surely she's not in the gingham for long?!)? When do you put them in the grey dresses/trousers/culottes? And do they sell them in the shops through the year or do you have to buy a years worth of stuff once a year?
Yes I'm clueless. Help please!

Is it a state school?
Gingham dresses are normally just for summer term although if it's hot some girls may wear them in September.
Most will probably be in the standard grey/navy/black pinafore (colour depends on school)

My DD1 started reception last year & I just put her straight into winter uniform.
If the weather is nice she might go back in Sept in summer dresses from this summer but at her school you don't have to wear the gingham dresses at all.

As an aside - sainsbury's had some purple dresses in the sale last week.

Ask the school. Here dresses are officially for summer term, but some girls go back in them if it is still warm in September. They don't have to though and plenty will be in pinafores and polo shirts from the first day of term.

All of the supermarkets here still have every colour gingham in, no shortage of any type.

Most reception class girls will be in pinafores & skirts unless they happened to attend an associated nursery with the same uniform then they may wear the gingham for a few weeks if it's hot.

It's usually summer term only.

No although some girls will go back in gingham they will be the older girls. A reception girl in a summer dress will stick out. It's straight in to winter uniform

Depends on the school and area.
Growing up in our area it was summer term only.

Round here a lot girls wear it from when warm enough after the spring half term (sometimes not until Summer term) until October half term unless it's cold.

Depends on whether your primary has a strict summer/winter uniform. My school does and it tells the children when they can wear the summer uniform of gingham dresses/polo shirts with no tie - usually from Sept til half term, then after Easter. My own DD's school just classified all of it as uniform for any time of year (no ties at all for any) and DD would often wear the summer dress with tights on cooler days.

She stopped wearing them in about year 4 and the ones I bought for y5 were a waste of money.

At our school summer uniform is for the summer term and the first half term when they go back in September until they break up at the end of October. Generally the kids all wear the summer uniform through September, but some switch to winter uniform during October If it's cold, but most stick it out until they break up. A reception girl at our school in a gingham dress would not stand out, they will all be in them

Ask the school as the summer dresses are only for the summer term here and not allowed in September.

Most of the supermarkets have all the school wear online to buy all year round so you shouldn't struggle to find anything. I have already bought the branded stuff as it tends to sell out (and i did actually get the last 4 jumpers in the size i needed) but the rest is easy to get.

Check your new starter info or school website for the uniform policy. It should tell you whether summer dresses are just for the summer term or can be worn in September.

At our school, you can choose when to wear summer dresses but most come back in grey in September.

No formal dates, but generally summer dresses in the summer term (as long as it's warm enough) and into the autumn term until it starts getting cooler.

But new joiners didn't need to wear summer dresses in Sept. Those with hand-me-downs from older sisters did, but no expectation that a dress would be bought for a growing child for no more than half a term, and plenty of pupils in the polo shirt.

Suppliers like John Lewis have uniform year-round, so you can buy when you need. Even supermarkets which seem hell bent on putting big displays of 'back to school' stuff out in June (weeks before they've even broken up) are cottoning on to the idea that there is resistance to early buying for those who are growing.

That said, I always found it worth stocking up on woolly tights. We needed navy ones, and they seem to vanish.

Majority go back in winter uniform. If it's very warm you may get a few in summer dresses but hardly any.

Buy more tights now as you will need more than you think and I have found them hard to get through the year.

Oh wow! I have real love for each and every one of you! Massively appreciated. A couple of conflicting experiences but just goes to show it's worth checking cus every school is different! I think I'll give the school a ring this morning!
Thank you all so much!

The school may be closed but the website should show the uniform. Or try to contact another parent if you know somebody.

I found that the combination of pinofortes and polo shirts are really warm in an already quite warm classroom so if the weather was decent DD wore the summer dress with a cardigan in September/October.

My daughter likes to wear her gingham dresses with a cardigan in Sept / Oct but it will depend how warm it is.
Aldi is already selling 'back to school' uniform and I invested in some tights and some pinafore dresses for the winter.
As said retailers like M&S and John Lewis sell this stuff all year round so don't panic.

Hi op my daughter has just left reception and there are 3 primary schools in our immediate area and all seem to adopt the same stance.

Summer dresses are to be worn after Easter so it's usual grey/navy/whatever colour skirts, pinnies here so basically the winter uniform.
Only difference being that when it gets colder the girls switch from socks to tights.
The school should have been clearer with their uniform policy to new parents. You have enough to worry about without knowing the correct dress code.
Do you know anyone with older dc at the school to ask?
It may be the case that this is correct but I know in our case it's normal uniform in September and have only known the supermarkets to start selling the summer dresses in spring ( may be a regional thing ) we're in north west.

We don't have gingham, but our striped summer dresses are the summer uniform, and are worn between the first day back from the Easter holidays and the last day of school before the September weekend. I don't think it's compulsory, but everyone wears the dress anyway.

Our school have no rules on summer dresses. Some wear even in winter with tights lol. Most who do wear them, wear post Easter. Most return in Sept in winter uniform. The only reception DC in summer dresses would be sibling children in hand me downs. Other school near us say dresses are for summer term if girls want to wear them.

My DD is also starting reception, I was advised to get the lilac dresses in June by mums with older girls in the school as they are harder to get in supermarkets compare to red/blue ones.

In the school nearly all girls wear gingham dresses until half term.

Our school doesn't have rules for gingham we're just pleased if they turn up in uniform. We have more than one colour for gingham but sometimes there is a rainbow of colours on the playground. I think they look lovely.