School uniform advice

[Neednewfloor]

DS starts reception in September.

Looking at Sainsbury's and m&S sales

Are easy dressing worth the extra( not in stock at Min so should I wait and get full price)

Is one brand better than another? It's a mine field!

Do I want reinforced knees ( Sainsbury's) or adjustable hem m&s?

Is there likely to be another sale later in year?

[MyHaloSlipped]

Hi. If it's polo shirt uniform I buy cheap. My DS wrecks his with food, paint and rolling around on the grass. They don't last long plus growing. I tend to buy shirts every 3 months. Trousers I do buy reinforced knees where I can. Trips and falls always wear out the knees. I like the elastic attic waist ones from Littlewoods. They are a little more pricey than supermarket brands but I haven't had to replace them this school year at all.

[MyHaloSlipped]

Elasticated that should read not attic

[Neednewfloor]

Oh thanks @MyHaloSlipped they look perfect so Littlewoods ever have a sale?

Is it best to buy now or later in summer?

[MyHaloSlipped]

They normally have a sale on mid August but you have to be quick as they sell out quite quickly.

I do buy mine early. First week of august normally. I found if I leave it too late lots of places have sold out by end of August and then I'm scratting around trying to find the right colour and sizes

[Bigoldmachine]

I think this is the only M&S uniform sale in the year.

polo Shirts depends on your kid - my DD’s are still looking ok but I’ve got the next size up for sept anyway.

I got a few easy dressing polo shirts and the Velcro scratched dd sl she didn’t like those. Also if you buy buttons ones they will quickly learn to do buttons (in my experience)

id buy uniform now and shoes in last two weeks of august

[Neednewfloor]

Thanks 👍

[FatAgainItsLettuceTime]

What is the uniform policy? DD always preferred joggers/leggings and a plain white tshirt with the school cardigan which adheres to the school uniform policy and is easy to wear, cheap and easy to find.

If your DC is tall or seems to be growing quickly then don't overbuy expecting it to last the year.

Also they do lots of whiteboard work in reception practicing writing their names, forming letters and numbers, so expect to have them come home with black marks on their white tops very frequently, and it doesn't come off. I tend to buy cheap multipacks then repurpose them as cleaning cloths or for tie-dye/tshirt painting once they become too stained or small.

I like sainsburys for uniform as they are nicely sized and the quality is good. M&S have some lovely useful features like easy let down hems and adjustable waistbands.

[Neednewfloor]

They have to wear shirt and tie 🥺

[Haudyourwheesht]

If you're signed up for Sparks you get periodic 20% off vouchers so don't necessarily have to buy in the 20% off sale. I got a stack of stuff for DD a couple of months ago.

[RachelSq]

M&S shirts all the way - the non-iron ones.

My DS is just finishing reception and didn’t ruin a single one until sun cream ruined the necks this term!

For trousers, I like Next trousers better than M&S (which felt quite rough comparatively).

[Twizbe]

Buy any branded stuff now.

We got it all in June as the queue for the shop that sells it is crazy.

Book an appointment for school shoes.

Shirts and unbranded stuff I got from sainsburys just before he started. The hems dropped on both trousers but easy to sew up. They've lasted well and can be worn next year as long as he doesn't grow loads over the summer.

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

The trouble with easy dressing, unless they've changed since now teen ds had them, is that they aren't adjustable waist so don't last as long, despite the elastication. Unless there are sensory issues which mean they won't cope with the little buttons in the adjustable waist trousers I'd always prefer adjustable.