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School starts in September, and with a fresh new school year comes the feeling of anxiety amongst so many parents. That is because it is usually the time when parents have one of the biggest outlays of finances for their children as it means buying new school uniforms, supplies, and school shoes. But rather than it feeling like a supermarket sweep, I wanted to share with you the school uniform shopping checklist to help you stay on track, budget for school supplies, and have everything you need for your children to start their first day of term. This is the Primary school edition.
Contents
Shopping checklist for primary school uniforms
The uniform basics
First of all, let’s cover the basics of the school uniform and the things your child will need to wear daily. It might be that your primary school has a winter and summer uniform, or maybe they can wear the same thing throughout the school year. Here are a couple of reminders for some of the things that your primary school child might need:
- School jumper or cardigan – This might be a school jumper with their logo, which might need to be bought from specialist school uniform shops. But if the school requires a specific colour, you can pick up jumpers and cardigans in most supermarkets. It might be an idea to get 2-3 of these items as they tend to get messy/dirty throughout the week.
- Polo shirts, shirts and houses – Your school may require a shirt to be worn, or polo shirts and blouses might also be acceptable. These are usually a specific colour, and some schools may require the logo although I do believe that many primary schools are more relaxed with the shirt/polo shirt just being the particular colour. This means it opens up supermarket shops for you. It might be advisable to get 3-4 items.
- School tie – If your primary school requires your child to wear a shirt, particularly as part of a winter uniform, now is your reminder to find the tie, or purchase a new one.
- Trousers and skirts – You might need to purchase some new trousers or skirts, especially if your little one has grown. Usually, two pairs of trousers or two skirts are sufficient and these can be purchased in most stores or supermarkets.
- Socks – Socks go missing, and you may be left with a lot of odd school socks or feel that your child has outgrown them. Pick up a new pack of grey or white socks so that you are ready. A top tip is to buy each child slightly different socks to make pairing these up after doing the washing easier for you.
- PE Kit – The PE Kit is usually something we forget to check so now is your reminder to check shorts, tracksuits, t-shirts and black pumps. Replace what you need to.
- School shoes – Most schools have a policy where they require children to wear black school shoes, and we all know that children’s feet grow very quickly. You might want to leave this until a few weeks before they start back to ensure there is no rapid growth just before school starts.
Primary school children on the whole are more active within their school shoes than secondary school children (they tend to get changed into PE kit and trainers). So make sure that you select a style that is comfortable and durable for your child. If the need some additional ankle support then take a look the range of school boots styles from Start-rite – perfect to wear with trousers, pinafores or gingham dresses.
Top tip – you can also beat the queues by measuring children’s feet at home, rather than having to wait in the store for someone to measure them for you.
The accessories
Now that you have covered the basics it might be time to think about the accessories that your child may need for school. Most primary schools provide pencils and pens, workbooks and supplies, but here is a quick list to help you prepare your little ones for the first day of term:
- Rucksack or book bag – Your school may have different policies but check the current book bag and rucksack and replace them if needed.
- Lunchbox – If your child doesn’t have school meals it might be time to replace the lunchbox. You can pick up some great options at places like Amazon or eBay.
- Water bottle – Even if your little one has school meals, most children require a water bottle to have with them during the day and in class. It might be time to replace your little ones.
- Sharpie pens, stamps, name tags – The big issue parents face is losing school uniforms in those first few weeks. School jumpers get left, PE kits go missing, it happens to the best of us. However, give yourself a fighting chance to have these things returned by naming everything. You can pick up name stamps that make this easier to do but a good old sharpie will also do the trick.
- Stationery – Whilst the majority of primary-aged children will not need to take any stationery into school with them, it is good to have a supply of stationery items are home. This will enable them to continue their learning at home via homework, school projects or simply because they have been inspired by what they are currently learning. Getting items related to their interests such as unicorns etc, then the Mystical Dream range can also help encourage them to practice their spellings, create an art masterpiece or jot down what they have done at the weekend.
Preparing for winter
Winter is coming, so there are some other considerations that you need to make to get your child ready for the start of school. Here are some of the things to think about:
- A Waterproof coat
- Hat, scarf and gloves
Thinking ahead to summer
You might also want to think ahead for summer. You might find that things like boys’ school shorts and summer dresses are in the sale, so buy the next size up and put them away for the summer months. It pays to think ahead.
Final thoughts
The last thing to think about would be to get yourself a decent diary if you haven’t got one already. The start of school means fresh term dates and dates for the diary, so it helps to be organised.
I hope this school uniform shopping checklist will help you to be prepared for when your child returns to primary school.
