Pick your favourite back to school pieces from George at ASDA and share your back to school tips - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

It’s never too early to start thinking about the kids starting or heading back to school. There’s so much to buy that it’s hard to remember everything or even know how much of each thing you need - are 5 shirts enough/too much? Where should I shop? What should I buy? Are all common questions our MNers have.

Here’s what George at ASDA has to say: “Our schoolwear and footwear are such brilliant quality, we’re proud to offer a no-quibble 100 day satisfaction guarantee. This means that if you’re not happy with an item you’ve brought with 100 days, we’ll give you a full refund. So you can shop with complete confidence.”

George at ASDA would like you to go to their website here and pick out your favourite back to school items, whether that’s uniform, shoes, lunchboxes, or stationary and come back and share them (ideally with a link to make it easy on anyone who wants to check them out). It would be great if you could also share your back to school tips and tricks with your fellow MNers, especially those who may have DC going to school for the first time this year!

So how many shirts do you buy? Don’t forget about the PE kit! What are the most comfy school shoes for your DC? Have you found an amazing lunchbox with lots of handy compartments? Do you label EVERYTHING? How do you get your kids in the mindset for going back to school? Whatever your favourite back to school items and tricks, please share them on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 George at ASDA voucher.

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

The Light Up Spider-Man Rucksack is very cool 😎
I generally buy 5 tops, 5 trousers, 5 shorts for summer and a couple of PE tops/shorts.
We are still in the messy 6 year old stage though.

Have to say though that I wouldn't buy School trousers again from George. So little waist adjustability in the ones we bought last year that they were outgrown and useless within a couple of months..

my first year for uniform i have bougt
2 pks white polo shirts
1 piniform dress
1 red cardigan
1 red checked school dress
pack of tights navy / black
and some school socks

ive heard great things about the asda range so i stocked up :D

Oh the longer length boys trousers are a godsend, have a tall and skinny boy and they're the only ones that actually fit

I have 2 weeks worth of uniform actually because I work every other weekend and don't want to spend my working weekend faffing so I do a huge batch of washing/ironing on my weekend off

Love ASDA boys trousers!! My boy is very tall and slim and they always seem to fit him just right. Last year we bought him the Captain America lunchbox and this has been brilliant and after a quick wash is ready for next term!!! We have also bought socks and polo shirts which have stayed lovely and white. Thanks ASDA!!! X

My oldest dd is off to secondary, and unfortunately we are held hostage by one branded shop for the entire uniform - aggravating as I love Asda. Middle DS will be having new trousers soon ish - he's long and lean so they fit him great; plus I'd say 3 shirts would be plenty. The fine knit jumpers don't seem to last very long, so I'd plan to stagger them through the year, still cheaper than 1 branded logo jumper.
socks - make sure they're big enough as when they have new shoes they might need new socks. Pants too - all new for September

I like the George school uniform range but find the sizes I need are often out of stock online. I would buy direct.asda.com/george/boys-school-polo-shirts/boys-school-5-pack-stay-white-teflon-polo-shirts-white/GEM462672,default,pd.html?dual=0
But it's only available in 3-4 or 14-15 at the moment.

Love asda school uniform, always washes lovely, and their 100 day guarantee is worth it's weight in gold.
We always buy 3 packs of the 2 white polo shirts, 2 trousers, 1 shorts and 3 jumpers for our ds.
this year dd starts school so have got her the red gingham dress with free scrunchies. Still need to get her school skirts, shirts and pinafores and 2 lots of p.e. kit each.
oh and 2 pairs of p.e. trainers, school bag and lunch boxes. Phew could really use that voucher!

My daughter loves this pinafore dress direct.asda.com/george/school/pinafores/girls-school-jersey-bow-pleat-pinafore-grey/GEM362832,default,pd.html
And my son loves these shoes
direct.asda.com/george/school/shoes-trainers/boys-school-shoes-black/GEM544768,default,pd.html
I love the fit of George clothing, especially for my tall, skinny kids.
My back to school tip is to have a set of baskets for each child where you can put their uniform for the following day (including underwear) so all they need to do is grab the basket and they can get themselves ready.
We also have set places for school bags, letters and other paperwork so it helps us to stay organised.

I love this dress

direct.asda.com/george/school/pinafores-dresses/girls-school-bow-detail-skater-pinafore-grey/GEM279548,default,pd.html

My DD1 already has two of them - they are a bit longer than average - perfect, as DD1 has very long legs so the dresses are just right for her. I always buy Asda uniform. It is such good value and washes very well. The clothes last just as long as more expensive brands and look very nice.

For little children I recommend buying lots of cardigans/jumpers as these are what take the brunt of the painting and craft activities... a shirt often does a couple of days, but it's a clean cardi every day in this house!

Don't get upset if by the end of the first day your child comes back home with scrapped shoes, ripped or holed trousers, holes in the elbow of the school jumper, by the end of the week, all the kids will look like this

I love these, cheap yet durable

direct.asda.com/george/boys-school-polo-shirts/boys-school-5-pack-stay-white-teflon-polo-shirts-white/GEM462672,default,pd.html?source=2925&promotype=Editorial+Content&cmpid=afc--GEOR--awin--78888-%20-generic&cm_mmc=GEOR-aff--awin--Skimlinks-_-78888&awin_aff=78888_Skimlinks_Skimlinks_Editorial+Content&awc=2925_1501175290_d27ce2147743cb3deda6ca2a7fa00ba9

These are the best water bottles we've found - DC made one last for a year without it leaking, breaking or just getting manky...

https://direct.asda.com/george/george-home/Sistema-620ml-Twist-Bottle-Aqua/002041658,default,pd.html?cgid=D7M1G1C14

I buy 10 cheap shirts at the start of the year, they do get thrown out when covered in marker pen etc. but means that keeping up with the washing is manageable. 3-4 pairs of trousers as they grow out of them more quickly.

And label everything that you wouldn't want to lose. It still may not come back to you but there's no chance if it's not labelled. Include water bottles, lunch bags, ties, and shoes/trainers. I still laugh at a MN thread where a mum didn't label jumpers but said she would be able to pick out her DC's jumper by the smell.

It was my daughter's first year of school last year and she struggled to settle, which surprised and worried me. I found that uniforms with heart zips were helpful as I could tell her it was because I loved her and would be with her all day. She genuinely seemed reassured and told me about times she touched the heart zip during the day. Asda is my go to uniform shop as good value and durable, and they have a heart zip pinafore here direct.asda.com/george/school/pinafores-dresses/girls-school-drop-waist-pinafore-grey/GEM462970,default,pd.html

I don't think 5 shirts is excessive you don't want the pressure of washing urgently and it leaves room for one or two to get ruined with the joys of school - grass and mud stains, paint and holes!

You should plan ahead, but make sure everything will fit and ensure the clothes you are buying are 'playground proof' can handle crawling on knees and outdoor play!

Itsamackeral they are fab water bottles. I don't use any other now.

I just bought this skirt for DD and she loves it.

My favourite item in Asda is the white pe t shirts. I've been buying them for years now for my boys. They are great quality, wash amazingly well and keep their shape. They are really cheap too. My DSes also wear them as pj tops.

I love all of Asda school uniform, it's always good quality and wears well for the whole year. I've bought from other places in the past but now only buy from Asda.

Back to school tips is alwsys buy 6 polo shirts or shirts. Having an extra one is very hand

I love the trousers and skirts. Unfortunately I have trouble linking from my phone. A lot of my DC's uniform has to be logoed, so I have to buy it from a particular local uniform shop. 😢

I have come to post on here because I am so pissed off with trying to buy uniform for dd1.

She is 12. She needs trousers, must be grey, ust be trousers not jersey/stretchy etc.

She is tall, but not that tall, was tall in her primary class, but just above average at secondary. She is not overweight, but is not skinny legged.

Today we have been to Asda, Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury, Matalan and we cannot find a pair that fits.
Why?

1. They are all so SMALL. She is trying on size 15-16. They are pretty much all skinny fit, they are too tight on the leg, look like leggings, not allowed at school.
2. If they fit round the bum, they are too short.
3. There are no uniform sizes above a 15-16, but she is TWELVE, and what the hell am I going to do for the next 4 years???
4. Most of the shops mentioned do not have stock in their shop in the larger sizes. The phrase needle and haystack spring to mind.

While I was in Asda I picked up a pair of black jersey legging style for dd2. They are one size up from her comfortable nice fitting trousers from this year, same style.
Except these ones are skinny tight, and not comfortable, smaller in fact than this year's which are one size smaller.
dd2 is a skinny legged 9 year old, her old ones were 9-10, these ones are size 11-12, and too small, and too short.

What have they all done to their sizing this year?
Sorry Asda, no vote from me. Not one pair in dd1's size and dd2's size smaller than her ones from last year. 0/10

My plan is to make up 5 bags each Sunday, each containing uniform, pants, socks, vest, snack. I think I'll buy these bags to use and write the day of the week on. direct.asda.com/george/kids/accessories/swim-bag-navy/GEM563162,default,pd.html

Definitely get enough uniform so theres some to wear whilst some is in the wash so you dont have to wash daily if you dont need to.
And label everything our school always has tables of lost property at the end of each term all unlabeled. Nursery and reception can be terrible for it. I use laundry markers. If you have more than one child and will be passing uniform down to siblings just write the family surname in clothing rather than the full name that way it can be just passed on.
In expensive coats i dont only write names on the tags inside that could be removed i also write their name in a place where you can easily see it but you know its their like the seam of a pocket or its a raincoat with the packaway hood i also label in there.

I love this summer dress direct.asda.com/george/school/dresses/girls-school-gingham-dress-red/GEM526528,default,pd.html. Reminds me of when I was at school in the 80s

I like the cargo shorts as my 4 year old loves collecting things and I think the ones with pockets.
I like to get 4 polo shirts, three trousers and or shorts and plenty of socks and pants so I only need to wash once in the week.

I buy the girls black jersey trousers. They are super comfy and practical. Easy to wash and iron and at five pounds a pair really good value. I also buy polo shirts, socks and pants from ASDA.

cansu - look out for this years's trousers though.
Thinner less comfy fabric, slimmer fit and tight across the bum, more like leggings.

dd1 and dd2 have lived in these for last 7 years, but the ones I bought for dd2 this year from asda (as always) are rubbish

(that means i always buy the from asda and until now have been fine, but this year's are rubbish)

We buy most of our uniforms from asda. Our must haves are the pinafores, grey heart knee socks and cardigans. My older girl is thrilled that asda have tube skirts for senior girls now that are longer than the bog standard ones everywhere else that are too short! Will be ordering our items soon as school is back in a fortnight in Scotland