School Uniform (again) What to buy?

[scrappydappydoo]

DD is starting school in September and I'm starting to think about uniform so I can take advantage of any deals that are on...

She is fairly tall for her age and skinny - what would you recommend I go for? Dresses or skirts and should I buy a summer dress in case of a warm september?
And (final question) what brand is good for skinny kids (and good value) - tried a tesco pinafore dress today and it was far too wide.

have a look at matalan and marks and spencer, they seem to be slim fitting, asda tend to be wider (i have a boy who is slim and tall for his age)

I don't know if it is the same for everyone, but I find that the sizing differs so much between shops and brands. I suppose the best thing is to try on and see what fits well. Lots of shops will be having specials so I don't think there is much of a savings between stores .

As for the season of uniform, I sent my DD to school in her winter uniform - there were a few hot days but nothing to warrant an outlay for two sets of uniform ...

Last year we were given some money off vouchers for M&S when we went to the school parent/child days in July for the starters in reception the following Sept. I was a bit gutted I had already bought uniform and not had the vouchers! You may like to just wait if you are having similar days and see if you get something like that.

Definately don't get summer dresses for Sept - they will only be used up to 3 weeks at most if you are lucky, and may well not fit by the next summer when hopefully there will be a decent length of time to wear summer uniform. All DD's class just wore short sleeves and the skirts/trousers on the warm Sept days.

My three are all skinny, and I used to find that Adams was the best brand. However they have bitten the dust

I buy trousers for the boys from M&S, they have adjustable waistbands which are a godsend. Next aren't too bad.

DD is in reception and she wears pinafore dresses as it doesn't matter if they are a bit wide as they hang from her shoulders rather than her waist IYSWIM. Hers are from M&S too.

The worst brands IMO are Tesco and Matalan, even with adjustable waistbands they are huge.

In their school they are only allowed to wear summer dresses during summer term, so I would check before buying one.

DD1 always wears summer dresses for the first few weeks of term. She has been known to wear them with tights for most of October!

have you had your school meeting yet. At our school they have to start school in sept in their summer uniform and have to wear this until after october half and then winter uniform until after easter. It is a waste for some children especially though that dont actually start reception until the end of sept but our school is pretty strict on uniform. A lot of our uniform is branded as well which we lose out in the bargains. Check with the school of what the uniform policy is all schools are different.

DS is starting school in September and was wondering where to buy the offical school uniform online (ie, fleece & jumper) - any ideas would be great. Thanks :0)

M&S is currently running a 3 for 2 promotion on schoolwear. This normally stops in mid July.

Our school has a regular second hand sale and at this time of year has new summer dresses for a quid. Ask your school if they have any sales.

Thanks - I'll check our M&S. I think I have some vouchers somewhere...
It's all a bit complicated with schools as we've just moved and she's only just been allocated a school which is not the one we want but has the same colour uniform as the one we want her to attend so I'm buying generic uniform hoping she will get in! We've missed all the parents evenings so feeling a bit lost. There seems to be this expectation that I know what I'm doing

I heard on the news Tesco are offering a complete school uniform shirt jumper and skirt or trousers for ...

£3.75!
ages 3 -16
almost disposable

Pinafores are definitely good for littlies - they don't have to keep shirts tucked in like they do with skirts or trousers, and thus look slightly less dishevelled by the end of the day. They're much more forgiving in their sizing as well, as are summer dresses. Cheap ones often have very short zips though, which don't help them with getting changed, and the other disadvantage is that they have to cope with tights when it gets cold. I tried to send DD in trousers for PE days, but they seemed to change a lot.

DD wears summer dresses well into the autumn term - she's at the end of Yr 1 now, wearing dresses I bought on offer this time last year, which will undoubtedly still fit in September, and probably next summer as well!

Have tried virtually all brands and IME you get what you pay for. Next and M&S best.

m&s pinafore dresses are great. thats all my dd wears to school. shes tiny and school trousers/skirts are much to big. for my tall skinny DS i got m&s or sainsburys trousers with adjustable waistband they seemed to be fine for him