Back to School Buys

Have you purchased your child’s school uniform yet? I used to buy the badged items from the school reception before they broke up, then I’d buy trousers, shirts, blouses and p.e kits during the holiday, leaving the shoes until last!

This year I’m feeling rather nervous and out of control as the school uniform is changing and we can’t buy the badged items or p.e. shirts and bags until September…eeek! Talk about cutting it short. A little more reassuring is that the kids have an extra two weeks off in September so I guess it’s still plenty of time.

Not only is the uniform changing but so is the school. The younger ones are moving into the Secondary School with Star and it’s going to become an all-through school.

I’ve been looking around for uniforms and to be honest it’s a bit of a nightmare, particularly online as everything seems to be sold out already. Also, when you are buying online you have to be careful that the clothes are good quality. So although I may ‘top up’ on uniform items during the year from supermarkets like Asda and Aldi, I do like to make sure they start the year in smart clothes that I know will last them until they grow.

Last September I bought shoes from Clarke’s and they last all school year. A bit of polish and they still look like new. The Little Man’s feet are the only ones that have grown much so he will need a size bigger. Although, they will all be getting new shoes in September.

I’ve been looking through the John Lewis range of School wear and I’ve been filling up my basket. They have an entire school shop and even provide badged items for certain schools all around the country. You can even download a school uniform checklist to print off and check the items as you get them.

Here is the John Lewis statement about their uniform.

Our school uniform is market-leading thanks to the ingenious designs, extra protection on the fabrics and clever finishing touches.
Each piece is designed to last, look great and make maintenance easy.

What I really like about the site is that you can find everything you need in one place, from clothing to lunch boxes, stationary to name labels, you can even buy lab coats and water bottles. The list goes on.

I’ve been having trouble finding black joggers for my kid’s p.e. kit. They have them at John Lewis in all three sizes and the prices start from £7 for the Little Man, £8 for Boo and only £10 for Star. I’ve had real trouble finding plain black joggers in Star’s size, and most have been over the £10 mark, even at Asda (and they didn’t have any in stock!)