The cost of school uniforms can hit family finances hard – especially if you’re sending more than one child off to class every morning.
To get the most out of your money, it pays to buy early.
That’s why we’ve run through all the best deals and discounts you can get on school uniforms before the new academic year starts in September.
One of the best deals around this year is at Aldi, where parents can grab a special bundle for the frozen price of £5. Available in a choice of colours and sizes from 4-12 years, the bundle includes two polo shirts, a sweatshirt or cardigan and a choice of trousers, skirt or cargo shorts.
You can also find a 20% saving across the entire back to school range at M&S, but the deal is only available in store.
Prices in the sale start from £4.50 for a pack of two polo shirts, plus you can pick up school shoes as part of the offer.
Elsewhere, John Lewis has frozen its prices for the fourth year in a row, with cargo shorts starting from £7 and a three-pack of its polo shirts from £8.
The new school clothing range at Clarks includes skirts, trousers, shirts and jumpers designed for children aged 4-11 years, with prices starting at £12.
Over at Next, you can grab multipacks of five short sleeve shirts for between £23-£37, working out at £4.60 per shirt.
Matalan also offers a whole range of school clothing. It’s currently offering a £5 and under deal, which incudes stretchy trousers, scallop collar polo shirts and plimsolls and more.
For school shoes, Kickers has frozen the price of their school shoes for another year, though they are still in the pricer range at around the £50 mark.
Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s all ran exclusive offers on school uniforms which have since ended, but we’ll let you know if those deals return before the start of the new term.
Six ways to save money
Once you’ve got the new uniforms, half the battle is making sure they’re not instantly ruined – no one wants to fork out again for replacements.
Parenting coach Isobel Mary Champion has shared six tips for making them last longer, and for finding items on the cheap:
- Don’t tumble dry uniform items or wash them with bulky items like towels – this will make your uniform bobbly and age more quickly. Line dry if possible.
- Don’t wash your child’s uniform every day unless it’s absolutely necessary – most items (especially in the cooler months) can be worn a couple of times at least before they need washing. This will also extend their lifespan.
- Most schools have a “nearly new” sale a few times a year where parents can sell used uniform that is still in good condition. Think sustainably and save money by not always buying brand new.
- Yes, you can buy your branded items (those with the school logo) from the official retailer – but all other bits and bobs you can usually find cheaper elsewhere – shirts, shorts, trousers, skirts.
- Mend small rips, fallen hems and loose buttons as soon as possible to prevent the damage from getting worse and rendering the item unwearable.
- Get your child to change out of their uniform as soon as they get home – this will reduce damage from carpet wrestling, “floor is lava” furniture climbing, dinner spillages, garden play, and all other kinds of extracurricular movement.
