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Last week, after sifting through spaghetti-stained polo shirts and the annual ‘whose trousers are whose?’, I attacked the dreaded back-to-school shop.
With my sons, aged 6 and 9 in tow, I headed to the uniform shop, where a full set of uniform featuring their respective school logos would have cost an eye-watering £418.
Thankfully, with some smart shopping and a little help from my friends, I chopped my back-to-school bill down to £195.
Here’s how embracing pre-loved school uniform can ease the back-to-school burden by literally saving you hundreds.
The real cost of back-to-school shopping
Parents face tough choices each month as they stretch their budgets to cover the essentials for their children. The pressure to kit-out your kids for the new school year can make the run-up to September stressful – especially when family finances are tight.
In 2023, charity The Children’s Society found that parents and carers were spending, on average, £287 for primary school uniform and £422 for secondary school uniform. School staples, such as grey trousers and polo shirts, are available in supermarkets for just a couple of pounds. But, logoed items (which seem to be the ones children most frequently lose!) are particularly costly, pushing parents to breaking point – financially and emotionally.
Schools are legally required to take cost into account when setting uniform policies. But, not all schools adhere to the latest government guidance to limit the number of logoed items, meaning that some parents are faced with higher uniform costs than others.
“Last year, we were seeing parents so distressed, in tears because their kid needed a logoed blazer, a logoed jumper, a logoed PE kit, right down to logo football socks, and it’s so expensive,” says Rachel Kleinsmith, who runs MK Storehouse, a clothing bank in Milton Keynes. This year she has noticed more local secondary schools have taken the guidance on board and reduced the number of logoed items required. “It’s eased the pressure off a lot of parents,” says Rachel.
However, the number of families relying on donations to set their child up for the new school year remains high. This July, MK Storehouse kitted out more than 300 children through their annual uniform event, transforming the warehouse into a back-to-school shop to give young people and their parents a dignified experience.
How second-hand shopping saves parents hundreds
Laura Slade lives in Buxton and has a 14-year-old daughter. She uses her school Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to pick up pre-loved uniform for a fraction of the original price. “I’d gone to the visitors’ day with about five pounds in my purse and they said; ‘that’s fine, whatever you’ve got on you, we will take’. They gave me five t-shirts and two jumpers,” says Laura, who prioritises logoed items when shopping second-hand, “because they tend to be the most expensive ones to buy new”.
Using the PTA at my son’s school, I’ve picked up logo items, such as the PE hoodie (£17.99 new) for just £3 each, leaving more money for school lunches and wraparound childcare.
5 ways to save money on school uniform
Here are my top tips to bring down your back-to-school bill.
1. Check which items need a logo
You may find that, like my local infant school, logo items are optional, cutting the cost significantly. If you can’t find your school’s uniform policy online, ask. Prioritise school branded items in your hunt for pre-loved kit to maximise savings.
2. Contact your school’s PTA
Follow the school’s Facebook page and join parent WhatsApp groups to ensure you don’t miss uniform sales. But, it’s worth reaching out to the PTA whenever you need new uniform – summer fairs and school events aren’t the only time you can access secondhand stock. Remember to donate items your child has outgrown at the same time, helping other parents save money too.
3. Buy for next year (but not too far ahead)
Buy the next size up if your budget allows. However, buying years in advance carries the risk that the school could change its uniform. “A lot of schools change their logos. One local school has just completely changed; they’ve gone from red to navy blue. So that has been quite frustrating,” says Rachel.
If you’re worried about a change to your school’s uniform policy, speak to staff to check the transition period, as it’s likely you won’t need to replace items immediately.
4. Try uniform swaps
Pre-loved uniform is available on secondhand sites such as Vinted and eBay, but you can also exchange items, at no cost, with people in your community or using online platforms such as Swoperz. This free site lets families swap used kids’ items and empowers kids to develop a love of second-hand shopping.
5. Re-think what ‘new’ means to you
While school uniforms can help to create a sense of belonging, the expectations to buy the “right” items cause financial stress for parents and worry for children who want to fit in with their peers. Accepting pre-loved uniform, whether it comes from a friend, a swap site or a clothing bank, can lift a huge weight off your budget.
“Some people just have a thing in their head that if something’s been worn before, they’re not going to have it,” says Laura, who looks for a second-hand version before buying anything new. She encourages parents to “get into that mindset that there’s nothing wrong about it, there’s no shame”.
As I hone my second-hand shopping skills and my children become increasingly comfortable wearing pre-loved clothes, next year I hope to spend even less on uniform.
If your budget simply won’t stretch to school uniform this month, think carefully before using credit to cover your back-to-school shop, as high-interest debts can build up quickly, leaving you in a worse financial position.
Parents worried about affording school uniform for September should contact their child’s school or the local council. Citizens Advice can point families to clothing banks nearby and help parents find out whether school uniform grants are available through the council.
Image source: Getty Images
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