Secondary school teacher on a limited budget, clothes suggestions needed please!

[Ekka]

My dsis is about to start teaching in secondary school and is trying to put together a suitable work wardrobe. She has a limited budget (max £30 per item) and is looking for decent quality tops, cardigans and skirts. The school is apparently fairly formal, but not quite suits.

Shape wise she'd describe herself as well endowed, size 12-14 waist and 14+ on the hips (hourglass figure) and is about 5'8". I've made some suggestions, but am not that great at clothes shopping myself (sahm, live in jeans at the moment!) so wondered if you could all help with some suggestions of possible shops we could check out?

Any ideas would be really appreciated! Thanks

M&S or BHS - couple of pairs of trousers and about 8 tops that will go with either.
Or - plain jersey type tops (like long sleeved T shirts) in different colours and you can dress them up differently with necklaces, scarves etc (depending on what subject she is teaching - scarves doi not go well in a science lab.....)

Use ebay.

Dresses work best for me, then I can wear a jacket if I need to or a cardi if not. I bought several from Next & M&S a few years ago but found they only lasted one year. More recently I've gone for pricier shops me am still wearing the same clothes 3-4 years later. Get her to find out if there are any rules - at my school we 're not allowed (and it says so in the literature sent out by HR) leggings/tunics, flip-flops and stiletto heels.

Ah, thanks! She'll be teaching languages, so no worries about science labs! I've been trying to track down sales bargains from more expensive sites as I know what you mean about cheap stuff not lasting... And eBay is a good idea, though I'm a bit wary having had a few issues in the past. I think she is tending towards dresses or skirts and tops plus cardi/jacket combinations. Just trying to find decent stuff in her price range that flatters and isn't too revealing but with a decent fit!

(NB in case anyone was wondering, I suggested asking mn for ideas, but she doesn't have an account hence why I'm posting for her!)

I'd just buy one or two outfits until she's properly 'met' her classroom - some are like being in a freezer van, others the Sahara, seemingly unrelated to the actual climate of this fair isle :) she could well find she needs lots of layers - my first classroom was a temporary thing where we all wore gloves and coats!! Other than that I always buy from eBay - knee length skirt for £5 ish, simple top and cardigan £10 ish and knee length boots (for the warmth) spend the money on the boots and for goodness sake make sure they're comfortable - being able to run a marathon in them is a good sign. One formal jacket (£20ish eBay) to replace the cardie when needed (or for warmth!) and one suit for parents' evenings (£15ish eBay). Up until Oct she'll need less warm clothing, but should have some left over from her placements?

All joking aside, I STRONGLY suggest she saves the real money till she's more of an idea of her individual school's climate (both literal and in terms of formality).

Comfy but smart shoes that you can run in if needed in an emergency.