Three reasons you need more school uniform than you think

It got to the first day of school and you were totally prepared. School jumpers, shirts, dresses, cardigans, skirts, trousers, shoes, socks, sports kit, lunch boxes, water bottles… if they needed it, they had it. You’d labelled everything until you were cross-eyed, and you were more than ready to pack them off. Gold stars all round. Mission accomplished.

Fast forward to now and you may feel like you’ve gone back to square one. Where are those pristine polo shirts? The only ones you can find are more grey than white with multi-coloured splats down the front (is that red paint or ketchup? Who knows!)

There’s marker pen all over that lovely new school sweatshirt. And just when you thought they couldn’t possibly get through all their school uniform in two days, there seems to be a weekly scrabble to get a fresh set washed and dried by Wednesday morning. Could some bits be at lost property? Maybe ­– but that’s so hard to check these days as you can’t go into school.

As much as you know kids will be kids, and things don’t stay immaculate for long, there’s no way you’re going to send them to school looking like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.

Don’t worry – there are always things you can do to make the battle of the school uniform easier. Just bear these three things in mind before you stock up again...

• There will always be accidents
  Whether it’s a trip in the playground, an accidental snip with the art scissors or a wayward permanent market, school uniform will always be on the frontline.
  
  It’s a good idea to have spares in the cupboard in case items are suddenly beyond repair.
  
  
• School clothes go through a lot
  Most young people are hurricanes; they are into everything and more concerned with what’s going on than with keeping their clothes clean. That’s why most days a full set of clothes ends up in the wash.
  
  There will always be those stains that just won’t shift too. A stock take every half-term will help you decide what will do for now and what needs to be replaced.
  
  
• The season is changing
  The nights are drawing in, and the weather is typically unpredictable. Does your child have enough school clothing that fits and will keep them comfortable as we head into a new term? One school jumper may have been enough so far for the occasional rainy day – but you might find they need a few now if they’re wearing them all week playing sports in the outdoors an extra sweatshirt might do. 

You know your child best

Taking all these things into consideration, when it comes to school uniform, we generally advise that you have at least three sets ­– one to wear, one in the wash and one spare.

However, you might have a really active kid comes home filthy but happy. Or a teenager who needs a few extra shirts to stay fresh.

Either way, as you work through our checklist, you can also make sure everything still fits. It may only seem like five minutes since you bought them their last pair of school trousers, but a sudden growth spurt means they might be hovering above the ankles already.

We’re always here to help you keep on top of your child’s uniform needs. For bags of useful information, just take a look at our tips and tricks, size guides and our FAQs.