Everything You Need To Know About School Uniforms

If your child needs a school uniform, this could be the bane of your life.  You will not only have to buy a million items that have a school logo on it and you have to get everything very early or the store will sell out.  This will make getting your child ready to go back to school more stressful. To make everything run smoother when it comes to getting your child’s school uniform, there are some tips that you should know about.

 

Where You Should Buy The School Uniform

There are some schools that insist you buy the school uniform from a specialist school shop that will stock the uniform with the school logo.  This is a controversial thing because these stores will generally be a lot more expensive than getting the uniform on the high street. A lot of parents will simply buy the sweatshirt, cardigan or other items that the school insists need to have the school logo from the school shop.  

These parents will then buy plain polo shirts, normal shirts and the rest of the uniform from the high street or the supermarket.  You will also be able to find uniforms at second-hand sales and swap shops so you should never have to pay too much for the uniforms.  You should also never forget to look at local parent sales pages for uniforms.

 

The Quality Versus The Price

There is a lot of debate between parents about the quality versus the price.  You should keep in mind that your child will be in school for at least 190 days of the year.  This means that you will be using and washing the polo short you buy a lot. There are a lot of parents that feel that the very cheap polo shirts will not be strong enough to withstand the wear and tear of the school year.  This is the same for plain white shirts as it is for Bermuda shorts for girls.

These parents will generally feel that it is worth paying more for clothing that will last longer.  It is important to look at the offers on school uniform items that will be around. These offers will generally allow you to find a happy medium on affordability and quality on kids apparel.

 

When You Should Buy The School Uniform

While the start of the school year might seem like a low way off, you should never leave this too late.  When the school year is close, many of the stores will have sold all of their uniforms or will already be replacing them with winter clothing.   This is why you should buy the uniforms as soon as you can. You should also look at buying a size too large as this will take your child’s growth spurts into account.

 

When You Should Buy School Shoes

A lot of parents hold off on buying school shoes because they believe that their child’s feet are going to grow between buying the shoes and them being needed.  The truth is that your child’s feet are generally not going to grow that much. If you wait to buy shoes until August, you will find that it is a nightmare with reduced stock, choices and long queues.  If your child is still quite young, you should look at getting shoes that have a Velcro strap as this will prevent them struggling with their shoelaces.

 

How To Get The Right Size Uniform

A major issue that many parents have is choosing a school uniform that fits correctly.  If you have a child that has a slight build, you need to look for adjustable waistbands in the skirts and trousers.  If you do not look for this, you will often have a problem with the length of the legs and the size of the waist.

 

Washing And Ironing The Uniform

It is inevitable that school shirts are going to be filthy.  This is why you need to invest in some stain removers that you can soak shirts and polo shirts in before you wash them.  If your child has a school uniform with white shirts, you should look at getting an in-wash whitener that will help keep the shirts white instead of slowly turning to grey.  Another way that you can make life a lot easier for yourself is to look at easy-iron shirts and trousers.

 

The Exercise Kit

If your child needs to wear sneakers for their exercise times, you should look for a cheap pair of trainers that can live in their gym bag.  This will be one less thing that you need to worry about every week.

If the school specifically states that your child needs to have plimsols for gym, you need to look for ones that have adjustable Velcro straps on the front of the show.  You can get ones that are non-adjustable, but these are not always the best solution. Children that have narrower feet will find that these shoes could slip off during class.  

 

What School Coat You Should Buy

A warm winter coat is something that your child will need to have, but this coat might be too warm at the start of the school year.  At the start of school and in spring, you should look at a light raincoat or kagool. You should also check what the school uniform list states as there may be some specific colors that you have to get.

 

Do Not Forget About The School Socks

The absence of a matching pair of socks can undermine all of your careful planning.  If the school asks for your child to have a particular color sock, you should buy all or most of your child’s socks in this color and in the same style.  This will ensure that you will always be able to match the socks.

You should also look at buying socks for the other family members in different colors so you never have to be concerned about matching correct sizes.  All of the grey socks that are in your home will belong to your older child.

Girls will often need short socks in the summer and long socks in the winter and you need to consider this.  If you have the choice between white socks and other colors, you should choose the other colors. White socks will make your child look smart, but they will be impossible to keep clean.