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Back To School: How To Cut The Costs

Serena Cowdy

By

Serena Cowdy

From the Fool blog

Local Police Station Is Useless!

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Jane Baker
21 November 2008

Published in Money Saving Tips on 1 September 2008

Are you a parent struggling to make ends meet? We investigate how you can get your kids back to school -- for less.

My parents were always good at planning ahead. On my first day at ‘big’ school, I arrived in a puffa coat that reached the floor.

I looked like the Michelin Man in miniature (and the hood completely covered my face) but it was definitely a sound investment. They never had to buy me another school coat, and I’m pretty sure that one would still fit me today.

Expensive kit

As most parents are all too well aware, school uniform can cost a bomb. If you have children starting school this month, you may be about to shell out for a whole new kit.

And even if they’re already at school, the chances are ankles will be protruding from trouser legs before too long.

Uniform costs have become a contentious issue in recent years. Last October, the government published new guidance for schools on the need to formulate ‘fair, reasonable and cost-effective’ school uniform policies.

However, that didn’t spell the end for overpriced school gear. If you shop at a specialist ‘school supply’ shop, a full school uniform (not including shoes) could easily still set you back £150 or even more.

The uniform price war

The good news is, several high street giants have stepped into the breach. To cater for parents hit by the credit crunch (and muscle in on market share), supermarkets have launched their own budget school clothing ranges - and a price war is now underway.

A recent study by consumer champions Which? compared the school clothing on sale at Asda, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

And thankfully, it seems that these products are a good value option. The researchers found that generally, the clothes they tested were durable, hard-wearing and colour-fast as well as affordable. Hoorah!

The £5.70 school uniform

I’ve put together some tables looking at four school uniform ‘basics’ - so you can decide how to spend your money.

Jumpers

Retailer

Price per age group

Material

Colours available

Asda

£3 3-6

£4 6-10

£5 11-16

100% cotton

Red, grey, cobalt, black, green, navy

Marks & Spencer

£2 3-6

£3 7-10

£5 11-14

£8 15-16

100% cotton

Red, grey, navy, black

Tesco

Price varies for colour as well as age: £3 3-5,

£4 5-8, £5 9-12 and 12-16, £6 12-16 and 3-12, £7 12-16

100% acrylic

Navy, red, grey, green black

Sainsbury’s

£4 3-7

£5 8-10

£6 11-12

100% cotton

Navy, grey

Shirts

Retailer

Price per age group

Material

Colours available

Asda

£0.95 3-12

65% polyester, 35% cotton

White

Marks & Spencer

3 pack: £5 3-6

£7 7-10

£9 11-16

65% polyester, 35% cotton

White, pale blue, grey

Tesco

3 pack: £3.75 3-6

£4.50 6-10

£6 10-16

65% polyester, 35% cotton

White

Sainsbury’s

3 pack: £4 3-7

£5.50 8-10

£7 11-12

65% polyester, 35% cotton

White

 

Trousers

Retailer

Price per age group

Material

Colours available

Asda

£1.75 3-12

100% polyester

Grey

Marks & Spencer

£3.50 3-6

£4.50 7-10

£6.50 11-14 £9.50 15-16

65% polyester, 35% viscose

Grey, black

Tesco

2 pack: £5 3-5

£7 5-8

£8 8-12

£9 12-16

65% polyester, 35% viscose

Black, grey, dark grey, navy

Sainsbury’s

£3.50 3-7

£4.50 8-10

£5.50 11-12

65% polyester, 35% viscose

Black, grey, charcoal, navy

 

Skirts

Retailer

Price per age group

Material

Colours available

Asda

£1.75 3-12

100% polyester

Grey

Marks & Spencer

£3.50 3-6

£4.50 7-10

£6.50 11-14 £9.50 15-16

100% polyester

Navy, grey, black

Tesco

2 pack: £4 3-5

£6 5-8

£8 8-12

£9 12-16

65% polyester, 35% viscose

Navy, grey

Sainsbury’s

£4 3-7

£5 8-10

£6 11-12

65% polyester, 35% viscose

Navy, grey, black

Data provided by Which? 

As you can see, no one store has totally cornered the market when it comes to value.

And there are a number of other factors to take into account. Some retailers stock a greater colour range than others, and some charge a flat price for items while others tier their prices steeply according to age.

However, if you shop around, it is possible to get the basics for a ten year-old boy or girl (shirt, jumper and trousers or skirt) for £5.70. Not bad, eh?

Other options

Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to buy this sort of generic school gear. Many schools still insist that parents buy uniform, complete with school logos, from specific shops.

But you can still save money by buying the bare minimum from these places. A blazer might be emblazoned with a school crest, but shirts, trousers and skirts probably aren’t - so see if you can still get these items elsewhere.

If you’re happy to buy school uniform second-hand, you can save a fortune.

Find out whether your children’s school holds second-hand uniform sales. Children grow so quickly that some of the items on sale will be in ‘nearly-new’ condition, having barely been worn. And they’ll also be specific to the school, which is good if it’s fussy that way.

Finally, have a look at the Patched Elephant community website. It’s a great place to buy and sell second-hand uniform, as well as sports equipment, musical instruments, books and lots of other school gear.

Good luck!

More: Single Mums Are Fighting To Survive | Money Saving Tips For Real People

Do you operate on a tight budget? Visit the Living Below Your Means discussion board for lots of non-judgmental help and advice.

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Comments

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual writers and are not representative of The Motley Fool. If you spot any comments that are unsuitable hit the flag to alert our moderators.

madvalentine 02 Sep 2008, 7:42am

My first uniform had to be bought from a specialist shop: pe kit and all. I hated it. Thankfully I only grew an inch after joining to 5foot5 and never needed any more. I wore my original 2/3 shirts and so on to the end (a bit tatty by then, but OK). The blazers were horrible and offered no warmth. I hated it so much I refused to let my mum, who didnt have much cash at the start, buy me any more on the basis that I thought it was a waste of money! The specialist shop closed down last year, so I guess they had to move their uniform supplier. I hope it doesnt still cost circa £50 for a blazer/PE rugby top any more. I was so annoyed even then at the stupid cost for clothes I hated!! My primary school in lincolnshire didnt have a uniform, although had optional coloured sweaters you could get. I didn't have one, but it never made a difference. I wasn't jealous of other peoples clothes etc. We didnt get lost. I wore hand made stuff half the time, and people thought it was near. I found it really very odd, quite upsetting and very uncomfortable when i arrived in Kent and was expected to wear uniform (and got told off when I didnt meet regulations). I never really understood the point, and changed out of it asap.

earlydawn100 02 Sep 2008, 7:59am

School uniforms can be moneysaving in the long run as once purchased it is worn most of the year and so one need spend less on 'fashion' and even less if one buys wisely and thinks ahead. When my sons were small they had three sets of clothes, smart (newest) middle (shopping outings etc) and old (mucking around in). They moved down a notch and a child and there was no need for piles of clothes waiting to be washed just because they were a litle bit dirty. My granddaughter has just moved from an English school with uniform to a Spanish school without it and ithas meant that she is extremely worried about WHAT to wear in order to fit in with her peers, and that is causing her some anxiety. Last point my sons were at a school where the inital outlay was expensive but the clothes were let downable , of good enough quality to last almost the whole time as a result, and so were an excellent investment.Trick is not to get them FAR too big, but big enough to have, with adjustment for several years.

Mummytime 02 Sep 2008, 9:53am

I buy most of my kids school uniforms at the supermarkets. It is worth paying a little extra to make sure that the general uniform has stain protectors, as these make everything last longer. It is also good that most trousers and skirts now have adjustable waists (my kids are all skinny).
The one thing that annoys me is that at my sons senior school the girls are only allowed to have one of two skirts both only available from a uniform shop. I know they do this because before they tightened up girls were going in in all kinds of skirt lengths (both very long and very short). However I hope they do change this before my daughter goes as it will be expensive otherwise.

nottjames 02 Sep 2008, 10:04am

I like the idea of school children wearing uniforms and it saves a fortune over trying to please their innate desire to look trendy and compete with the richer kids. Imagine the cost of sending them to school in brand name clothing as opposed to the school uniform. Yes, there are savings to be had by sourcing uniforms from different suppliers (where the school doesn't force you to purchase from a particular retailer) but, all in all, it is a winning situation.

Also, on the subject of ridiculously cheap clothing. To maintain those prices, clothing manufacturers are increasingly using illegal child labour, workers employed in near slavery labour conditions and cheap production methods which cause immense damage to the environment. Do you really think that you can produce, package, ship and retail a shirt for 95 pence?
I wonder how many parents think of the children in the third world who are working in sweat shops all so that they can save a couple of quid on a shirt. Someone has to pay the price and it is usually the weak who have to live with our choices.

Finally, I know this article focuses on the cost of school uniforms but I find saving a few quid here is usually blown out of the water by the fortune wasted by families on driving the little tykes to school and back every day.
If you are really serious about wanting to save money, try alternative ways of transporting them to school:
- it would, in most cases remove the need for a second car in the family, saving repairs, insurance, road tax, petrol and TIME
- it would get the kids and you in shape, other a than round one,if you cycle or walk with them to school
- it would improve their social life no end to meet other kids on the bus or walking to school
- and it would save the country billions of pounds in reduced traffic levels.

happygirl58 02 Sep 2008, 10:41am

Missing from this piece is the cost for those children who are over age 12, especially those who only fit into the upper "age ranges" in school clothing. Paying VAT can add quite a lot of money, eg trousers costing say £6 at 11-12, go up to more than double that!! Try as I might, I simply cannot fit my nearly 6ft son into those clothes. Same goes for shoes. So if you're on low income you're basically stuffed as there is NO choice.

unruffledemu 02 Sep 2008, 11:52am

Great article, however, probably would have been of more use several weeks ago as kids start in the next couple of days, so must of us have had the uniforms ready for some time now!

WILD58 02 Sep 2008, 12:41pm

Happygirl58, VAT is 17.5% I believe.

acecamper 02 Sep 2008, 5:21pm

I think that childrens clothing is VAT exempt ???
Anyway. AHa, an article on school saving ideas - great. So as a farther of three, I logged in, expecting to see travel to school, Computers, Stationary/ books, meals or anything in that top bracket. NO. Instead Juniors clothing - well ok -- Currently, I think everybody in the country must know all of these prices anyway because the ad's for these items are on TV more than My Family and are a fraction of the overall school costs (5% say depending). The sums of money that you mention you could 'POTENTIALLY' save are too small in most cases to actually make it worth while. (ignoring the very valid quality vs cost arguments). For example, It costs me £12 to park and travel to Asda, but, M&S is free parking 1 mile away, none of the other shops are close enough to even bother to calculate a cost. SO.. How does this work into our costs !!. HMMMM , not so good now for ASDA. This article is about the same as writing 'HOW TO MAKE A MILLION !' and concentrating on a swear box in the vestry. Please do not even suggest secondhand 95p shirts.. no thanks !! Another irrelevent article-- sorry. More tea vicar.

heskybabes 02 Sep 2008, 6:02pm

I have three young children at Primary School unfortunately the only items I am able to purchase and at more competitive prices are the skirts/trousers, the pe top, the polo shirt, sweatshirt have to have the school logo on. I only purchase when the eldest as outgrown an item which is then passed onto the sibling, I would rather buy the uniform then be put under pressure for the latest trends (not that I would give into the pressure). In response to nottjames comments re finding other methods to transport children to school, whilst there are those parents who are driving their children to school out of a need to save their legs majority having dropped their children off are then having to go to work which isnt likely to be within working distance. I myself had to drive one child to nursery, one to grandparents then go onto the school to drop the last child off before going to work. Did I enjoy this driving around no! could I have done without the stress yes! could not afford to give up my job though. People who make comments like this have never had to do it. I do not have a car now, I get a bus into town and walk 25minutes to work but I am fortunate enough that the primary school is local as is the Bus Stop but not everyone is that fortunate.

richard3647 02 Sep 2008, 9:16pm

Bravo heskybabes, you are great and i mean it. I have found that if you buy school uniform at the beginning of the school holidays it is often easier to find in the right size and on 'special' offer. I have thought that leaving it to the last minute would give me the better deal but have found not. So this year in late July I found Asda selling off school gear for my junior girls and have kitted out for a week inc pants, socks, vests[ so we can have the heating down] really well. I have approached the head at school about logo uniform and told her we simply cannot afford it, if it was to cause any discourse to my children I would talk to the governors and of course the local newspapers as is seems wrong that logo uniform should take pride and place in the learning environment. We now have a lot of children who have the right colour uniform without the logo and no-one cares. Ask, the more of you do the better the pressure. We have saved ourselves about £200 from buying plain uniform. Go on I dare you! Sally T

beebearg 03 Sep 2008, 12:43pm

I think what Happygirl58 was getting at was that once your child stops being able to fit into child sizes that the price rockets. I.E. You can get a pair of trousers to fit a 12 year old for £6 but then getting a bigger pair will cost you £12. Not because VAT adds 100% to the price but because adult trousers are more expensive AND there is VAT on top thus exacerbating the situation.

Personally I have been unable to buy supermarket uniform for my child since he was 9. He has quite a large waist but you find the bigger sizes at supermarkets just make the legs longer without making the waist any bigger. I had to switch to getting it from the specialist uniform shops for twice the price.

Luckily, now that he's older I can switch to buying adult trousers from places like Tesco and Primark who both do a range of men’s trousers for about £6. I have to turn them up a bit but that just is a small inconvenience.

beebearg 03 Sep 2008, 12:45pm

oops sorry about the bold tag went wrong and you can't edit once posted ^_^

suecurly 06 Sep 2008, 12:08pm

Most Spanish children wear tracksuits to school if there is no set uniform. Three to five year olds may have to buy an overall and these can be ridiculously expensive but protect their clothes. In the third term, when it is usually too hot for tracksuits, simple summer clothes are the norm with girls.
Markets are a good place to buy from as are some of the supermarket chains.
I hope she enjoys her education. Self motivation is extremeely important if she is to make the most of it. The school day in some areas is very short - here it's from 9 til 2 but there are usually elective courses some afternoons.
Parents have to buy the set course books and notebooks. The course books can be expensive but grants are available to some. I noticed that El Corte Ingles is offering a discount on course books to storecard holders.

detailista 09 Sep 2008, 11:57am

Marks and Spencers have lots of their uniform in store heavily reduced - we picked up 2pairs of football shorts for £2, lovely stretchy school trousers (age 13) for £5 reduced from £15 etc. Well worth a look as the reductions were really big and the quality is great.

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