Back to school: how to cut the cost of school uniform

Parents face paying hundreds of pounds for uniforms as the back-to-school rush begins.

Buying school uniform “is a real lottery,” said Zoe Wood in The Guardian. Some schools still require parents to buy “pricey gear” from specialist shops while others will let you buy the whole lot on the high street.

Purchasing the right items can be a “big financial burden” especially during the cost-of-living crisis, said The Children’s Society, and can lead to families cutting back on other essentials.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

A survey by Scope found more than half of parents are considering buying school uniforms from charity shops, said BBC News, “as the cost-of-living crisis bites”.

This is despite government guidance last year which said schools must “ensure that their uniforms are affordable”.

How much does school uniform cost?

In 2020, the average cost of primary-school uniforms was £315, rising to £337 for secondary-school pupils, according to The Children’s Society. But this year, parents are spending £287 on average for primary-school pupils and £422 for secondary school, the charity said.

That means parents of primary-school pupils have seen uniform costs reduce by around 9% but the bill for secondary-school garments is 25% higher.

However, The Schoolwear Association has different figures. Its research found the average cost of compulsory secondary-school uniform and sportswear in England items for 2023-intake pupils is £96.24.

It argues that these costs have increased by only 0.5% since 2022, adding that children wear school uniforms for approximately 195 days of the year, “making it crucial for garments to be made of high-quality materials and designed to withstand daily wear”. The organisation adds that uniforms made by schoolwear retailers hold “significant value for money” and can be handed down to siblings.

What are the rules on school uniform costs?

The cost of uniforms varies depending on the school, said Gov.uk, but it shouldn’t be so expensive “that it leaves pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend, a school of their choice due to the cost of the uniform”.

Guidance for state schools in England was published last year, which said the use of branded items should be kept to a minimum, and secondhand uniforms should be made available for parents.

But parents complain that many schools “have not done enough”, Wood said in The Guardian, and have stuck with “strict policies that include expensive extras such as branded sports kit, and even socks carrying a school’s initials”.

The issue with the guidance, said The Times Money Mentor, is that it doesn’t specify what affordable means in real terms, “which allows some schools to skirt around the law and allow excessive uniform costs to remain and rise”.

How to cut the cost of school uniform

Parents could pay between £47 at Sainsbury’s and £102 at Next for school-uniform supplies such as pinafores, shirts and trousers, said Which?, so it is worth shopping around.

The consumer watchdog adds that “it doesn’t harm to buy uniform in the next size up”, so your child can grow into the clothes, helping them to last longer.

Consider keeping an outgrown item to “save it for your younger one”, as well as uniform swaps with other parents, said NetVoucherCodes. There may be an online group for your local school where you can easily “swap uniforms between year groups during the summer” or your school may give away unclaimed lost property at the end of term.

Opt for multipacks, said HuffPost, and choose “longer-lasting options” such as trousers with a hem that can be let down.

Your local council may also be able to help, with some offering school-uniform grants worth up to £200, said MoneySavingExpert, but “go quick” as some deadlines have already passed and others are approaching.

Charity and secondhand shops and websites may have a good range of uniform supplies, said The Times Money Mentor, “often of good quality, given how quickly children grow”.