Matalan School Uniforms – Back to School Checklist

When it comes to kitting out new school uniforms there are two different trains of thought; parents are primarily concerned with buying affordable and hard-wearing clothes, whereas kids want to be trendy and stylish. Until recently it was difficult to find school uniform that fulfilled both parents’ and pupils’ expectations but thankfully, not anymore.
Forget being forced to dig deep into your finances to buy the mountain of accessories and footwear, for your child’s return to school as that is a thing of the past. Superb quality girls’ and boys’ school uniforms are now available in all the latest styles from major supermarkets and leading clothes retailers such as Matalan – voted number 1 for school uniforms by mums who read The Sun newspaper.

Indeed, most of today’s staple school uniform items such as t-shirts, polo shirts, trousers and skirts are available from high street outlets at extremely affordable prices. Unfortunately, it’s not all good news as mandatory school logo uniform items still have to be bought from the school’s appointed school wear shop at a significantly higher cost.

But, for day-to-day items choice has never been so great when it comes to school uniform; girls have a great choice of trousers for chillier weather or comfort, and on-trend skirts for spring and summer. Instead of a skirt and top combination, younger girls can opt for practical hard-wearing pinafores.

The boys don’t get left out either when it comes to high street uniforms, there is a fantastic choice of latest style crew neck jumpers, polo shirts, sweatshirts and trousers; plus the choice of footwear for both sexes is huge.
Little ones need to be wrapped up in coats that are weather-proof and warm when the weather turns nasty, and Wellington boots also come in very handy for those rainy days.

In addition to clothing don’t forget to kit out their schoolbag with all the necessary equipment and stationery items including pens and pencils. Another essential accessory is a back-pack in which the kids carry their school books, lunch boxes and drinks containers as well as the essential school books!

Remember to order name tags well in advance, and buy a permanent ink pen for marking items such as coats. Sewing the name tags are always tricky, so like everything else to do with going back to school don’t leave it too late.
To help with your back to school planning here is a suggested checklist of the most needed items and likely quantities required of each. It’s not a definitive list as children of different ages will require different things, but it is a good starting point. In addition to this list you will also need to find out from the school whether mandatory items such as blazers, school ties and sports shirts are required.
Back to school checklist:
• Pair of shoes
• Pair of Wellington boots
• Bag for school books / equipment
• Bag for PE kit
• Warm and preferably waterproof coat
• Sweaters, sweatshirts or cardigans
• Shirts or blouses
• Polo tops
• Shorts, skirts or trousers
• Pairs of socks or tights
• Pairs of sports socks
• Pair of plimsolls
• Pair of trainers
• Pair football/ rugby boots
• T-shirts
• Tracksuit
• Relevant sports equipment such as shin pads, tennis racquet, hockey stick etc.
• Lunch box and drinks container
• Stationery set including: paper, pens, pencils, rubber, maths set and calculator

It’s a long list but unless your child is starting school you won’t necessarily need to buy all the items listed. Instead examine your child’s current uniform for signs of excessive wear and ask them to try everything on for size before deciding what you need to buy.

Although it’s never too early to start preparations for the new school term don’t be overly keen to get everything too far in advance. Aim to get the balance right, as you won’t want to spend money on clothes that no longer fit when the term starts. But on the other hand, leave it too late and you’ll find the shelves are cleared of the most popular sizes.