When to buy uniform?

[darlingtwinklebum]

My daughter is due to start school in September so I'm a complete newbie to all things school related! I'm just wondering when everyone starts buying uniform?

I don't know whether to start now and get the size I think she will be in (4-5 which she's in now) or to wait until nearer the time and take her out properly?

I remember doing uniform shopping as a kid and spending many painful hours in m&s trying to find sizes which were obviously always out of stock

So when do you all start buying? Do you get bits slowly or do it all in one go? Thanks!

Tspeaking from experience (4dc) my advice would be sooner rather than later as when the summer hols start And everyone is out buying uniform sizes soon go out of stock and then you can end up in a situation where the hols are nearly over Andy you’re still trying to source essentials.

ALso, if you go for pinafor type dress for a girl, you can get a size or two bigger without looking ridiculous and therefor get 1-2 yrs of wear out of them, my dd had the same the same dresses from reception right up To year 2 and I got new size size when she moved up to primary!

@makingmiracles thanks for the reply I think I will start buying soon then! I've found most of the bits online already so it's just deciding when to buy.

M&S have 20% off at the moment.

I always buy in June when M&S do the 20% off.

Bog standard Primary sweaters with logos etc order in July before they break up because they're not always in the retail suppliers shop. Most other stuff early in the holidays but bigger than needed. Do not leave it til August especially if branded/secondary blazers, PE kit etc. Trousers polo shirts can wait a bit and shoes late August.

It really depends on school and area but in general early and size up.

The school my dd starts at the logo stuff needs to be ordered before end of this term. Bought everything else and it's huge so holding off on if I need the smaller size until nearer

Reception ages do go out of stock much quicker , parents are excited about buying new uniform . As the years go on people delay longer . Shoes I would do mid August but keep in a box incase of growth spurt.

Now to take advantage of 20% off at M&S.

Buy 2 sizes and return what you don’t need.

Ooh never thought of buying 2 sizes and returning. Although its presumably within a month?

Kneel They give an exchange if it’s over 35 days I think. There’s always something to get from M&S so this tactic has always worked for us!

Thanks for all the advice I'll definitely check out the 20% at m&s!

Ooooh I've usually left it till August but if they exchange that's useful....

I'll start ours this month after pay day, aim to get the bulk of it done and sorted by end of July - but my kids are older and have just been through growth spurts so I'm not expecting them to suddenly shoot up.

If you need logo stuff get that earlier - our local supplier sold out of all the logo cardigans for the new reception starter sizes for the local school the other year and caused chaos locally.

I usually just do it all click and collect from Asda as we don't need logoed stuff, then have to pick up the odd bits like shoes and PE pumps a bit nearer the time.

I got the majority in June last year in the M and S sale for reception age ds and then picked up the rest June/July. Shoes which were done late August as ds has a tendency to keep the same size for 9 months or so.then grow a size and a half at once!
I got a lot of 5-6 (Ds turned 5 in first half term) which was slightly big at the time and a lot of these things will be fine for next year. I have only needed to do an order for jumpers and polo shirts this time!
Definitely get anything with a logo early- these can sell out. Generic things are easier to find but I still wouldn't leave till August- black PE shorts to the right specification and size were a struggle to find for example.
Order more polo shirts than you think you will need- they go through these really quickly!

Go to the school's summer fair. There will probably be a stall of second-hand uniform and there's always a glut of the small sizes (outgrown long before wearing out). Then you can stock up on a couple sizes but also different styles of trousers, pinafores, etc.

Also school uniform suppliers in the summer are hell on earth. Ours had people waiting for hours, heatstroke, etc - much better to get some early and then buy extras as needed.

Well today I've bought all the logo bits we need so that's a few things off the list
I think you're all right about leaving shoes until August because dd has feet that grow constantly! As for the rest of the uniform I'll probably start that at the end of June/start of July
Thanks for all the advice

I have always like Sainsbury's, they usually have 25% off at the end of August.

I will have more of a challenge this year as I need purple.

@TeamUnicorn purple is a random colour isn't it! We've got red so not too bad
Haven't looked In Sainsbury's so will have a nosey see what they have

Click and collect is often a solution to slightly rarer colours and not having to hope they've got the right sizes in-store.

With red the one thing I've learnt the hard way is it gets wrecked by whiteboard pen marks that don't come out, and do at least the first couple of washes with the red jumpers separate so the dye doesn't run - it's a bugger of a colour. (Can you tell what colour we've had since preschool years?!)

I've got all-new stuff to get for one child as they transfer schools for juniors here, and to top up the red stuff that's now a more sad faded pink colour, and replace the war of attrition from cardigans lost at school... supplies are now running very very low.

Oh and name label but I also write the name in marker on the inside of the neck as well after some bastard cut the name label out of one of my kids' jumpers to use for themselves - then slung it back in lost property when it was outgrown (which is how it made its way back to me). I'm still irked about this now - especially since our school is in a very posh bit of town and 99% of the parents have a hell of a lot more money than we do (probably because they've been nicking everyone else's uniform)!

I saw yesterday that Aldi are having a Back to School Specialbuys event in a couple of weeks- polo shirts, trousers, skirts etc are super cheap and supposed to be good quality. I'll definitely be stocking up on their polo shirts etc at less than £2 for a pack of 2!

www.aldi.co.uk/specialbuys/about-our-specialbuys/back-to-school

You may be able to get away with summer uniform until October- check the school website and then wait for uniform sales.

Our local school shop sells fantastic quality clothes, however last year for convenience I tried the Tesco logo service, the quality of the polo shirts was shocking. I sent them back for a refund. I would get some uniform in now op and you can always buy more nearer the time.

I forget who's doing it now but Tesco have stopped doing their logo service (it was on a school newsletter I've long since read and forgotten).

The Aldi uniform event can get very... ahem... robust on the day it all goes on sale mind - even my very sharp elbowed mum was rather shocked by it when she went for me. I don't know if it's one of the special buys they put up online as well as in store.

I tend to get the bulk of our stuff from Asda just because I like their jersey stuff for kids who aren't the best at dressing themselves and I've found the red polos lasted better than other ones I'd bought. Mum buys the kids stuff at Sainsburys which is OK as well but it's just less convenient for me to get it there living where I do.

Oh and keep a polo shirt back for school photo day (usually around late Sept/early Oct - cynically in time for you to order for grannies for Christmas) before that one goes into general circulation for destruction.

Our infant school usually has a fair few kids floating around in summer dresses into October but they tend to be the older kids and parents trying to get some wear out of them! Ours isn't the strictest place for uniform though.

If you get her trousers longer than needed now, they can easily be turned up and let down as she grows taller.

Buy now. M ands 20% off until 2nd july. Sains will be 25% off in august.

My advice would be to size up as it makes it easier for them to take clothes on and off for pe.

My tall skinny nearly 5 year old had problem with her age 5 pe tshirts.