Out dated advice…Secondary school blazers

[Wheninromme]

I bought DS’ embroidered uniform (blazer, games shirt, sports shirt) months ago, and I am in the process of getting the last standard items. Yesterday he put on the full suit, and I hate how big and ridiculous the blazer looks. When we were in the uniform shop the other mums were umming and owwing when DS was trying on the size 30, so we ended up getting a 32.
I am annoyed I allowed myself to be influenced (especially as it was only £42) and will be back in the uniform shop on Tuesday to get him the right size!

Are the days gone where we put our Year 7 children in oversized blazers? Did you buy the right size or a size larger?

Only £42? I think it's expensive. It probably is expensive for a lot of parents hence why they buy them too big. I think a lot of them will start in over sized blazers! My dds first blazer lasted three years! She's just got a new one and is going into year 10.

Buy your DC what you want obviously

Well I am looking at the cost per week, which is relatively inexpensive.
Full year/ 38weeks = £1.10 per week
1.5 Years/ 57weeks = £0.70 per week

I am also not expecting DS blazer to last the 3 years it is needed for, because he is a very boisterous young man.

Must be nice to be financially in a position to say “only £42”. Most people having to buy a blazer are probably also having to buy a shit ton of other kit and it soon adds up to being unaffordable.

Most kids go into year 7 in a ridiculous over sized blazer, especially boys as they’re likely to grow like a weed in the first couple of years.

My ds has to wear a blazer in primary school (ridiculous in my opinion!) and we got his a lot bigger and paid someone locally for it to be taken in. It cost about £10/£15 but we’re about to be on the 3rd year of the same one and it will probably finally be the right size next year.

I think most people buy the blazer too big in year 7 so everyone is in the same situation; as they grow so quickly at that age, and probably by the end of the first term/Christmas it won’t look so oversized.
If your happy to throw £42 at the problem and don’t think it’s a lot to waste on a blazer then crack on…

I didn’t go super oversized as I figured year 7-9 then a new one year 10-12.

if they are a big and fast grower they will only be in it for 2 years anyway unless you get one so big it looks like Frankenstein so might as well get one that doesn’t look ridiculous

DS's blazer is such awful quality that we've had to buy a new one every year anyway, so I've just gone for the right size each time.

Were the alteration on the body of the blazer and could they be undone? I know you can take the sleeves up but the body being large is the issue.

DD is going into the 4th year on her blazer... she grown upwards but not widthways or outwards! It was £25 (they are £29 now).

If they wear jumpers underneath in winter, don't forget to account for that.

We bought a 32" at the start of August, tried it all on at home this week and went to exchange it for a 30" which sits so much better and I will see if the school 2nd hand shop has another for in case of emergencies. He didn't feel comfortable and it did look a bit odd. Just go and exchange it.

You are right OP go and change it.
My Mum always got us huge oversized uniform to get the wear out of it. I never did it to mine and the uniform was really expensive. Lots of kids from the village go to this school and we pass used bits between us or return for school for re-use. But I don’t send my kids out in clothes that don’t fit

I never bought oversized uniform for my 2 as they had to wear the blazers every day so these ended up well worn after a year or 2. Swap it for a smaller size and buy the bigger size when he needs it or just keep the one you have for when he grows in to it. Personally, I don’t like seeing kids swamped in bigger sized clothes.

We just went for the 30" for DS as he hated the feel of anything too big. I imagine he will go through a few in his time. Whereas I reckon DD will only need one, as I did buy slightly big for her, and she's another taller but not wider kind!

If the school is anything like ours then wear and tear from the chairs will destroy it before he grows into it. If you can afford it get the right size

I loved my blazer at secondary, especially when it was at the stage of being too big. I did get a second in year 9 after a lot of humphing from df who expected it to last the entire time.

@Wheninromme buy the right size now then, if budgets are tight, get the next size up from the second hand uniform sale. Nobody will notice it is second-hand after year 7, not even your son.

If you haven’t put a name tape in it, the shop might well let you exchange it even if you’ve removed the tags. I had a similar experience with my DS and they let me. They are the only supplier of the uniform
and my account showed I had bought it there.

I got DD a £25 blazer age 11, she's very small for her age and I got the badge separately so we can move it to a new one. It's quite big at the moment and has extendible cuffs (though she might grow in the boob area first rather than upwards).
They can wear v neck jumpers underneath in the winter and I got her age 9-10 which is a perfect fit (age 11 wouldn't have left room underneath).

The full school blazer was £37.50 and I thought THAT was pricey!

Always bought Larger but the blazers were £80 and that was over ten years ago
We bought trousers and turned them up aswell. They were £40 and the shirts which also had to have a special collar were £25 last time I bought any.

They grow into them eventually

If I found anything in the school second hand shop then possibly I’d go for something that actually fit

secondary teacher here - you will be able to count the number of year 7’s wearing a blazer that fits them on one hand. Every single one of them will look tiny in a massive blazer.

my eldest DS is going into year 9. He’s still on the same blazer. When I went to buy it as he was going into year 7 they tried to sell me one that fit him. I was horrified! 😂

keep the oversized blazer. He will not look out of place.

My son is looking forward to going into Year 9 in a blazer that finally fits him. I’m seeing it as a rite of passage!

I’m so glad the schools around here don’t do blazers. They’re so impractical and expensive. DS whole uniform for Comprehensive has cost me £88, 2 hoodies, 3 polo shirts, long and short sleeved PE tops and 2 pairs of school trousers.
£42 for 1 blazer is eye watering.

I went big for dd1 but it looked ridiculous so bought another, she's now in the original going into year 9.

Dd2 I went for her size but she's shot up over the summer so ordered the bigger one to exchange.

Ours are around £40, but they don't wear school coats - don't ask🤦🏻‍♀️ - so it's reasonable as I'm not spending on outerwear

I think for a slim child, and if cost is manageable, I would buy the size that fits them at the moment. Blazers that are too big do swamp them and you never know how long they will last anyway. And they may even fit into it for years if they’re like mine and grow up but not out 😂 If you have a broader/more muscular child, I can see the argument for buying bigger as they’re more likely to outgrow it quickly and also probably look better in a slightly too big blazer than a smaller framed child.

@SneakyScarves Spot on! DS has a lean athletic build. He will likely get taller before getting broader, by which time he will need a new one as the upper school wears a slightly different blazer.

My son grew 6 inches in height in a year at that age so his blazer wasn’t too big for long!!