Back to School: Secondary School Uniforms- Good Buys
As many of you well know, trying to ‘shop around’ for uniforms is much harder to do for Secondary students then when they were in Primary school. Most Secondary schools have specific uniform requirements which mean parents need to go to certain shops to purchase items such as crested jumpers / cardigans or a particular type of skirt. The crest represents the school and its students while also promoting a sense of solidarity within the student body.
While secondary uniforms are generally more expensive, they are often quite good quality and if you buy clever (e.g. a size bigger than needed) you can often get quite a few years out of some of the items. We recently heard from a parent whose daughter’s school skirt lasted the whole of secondary school - she had to roll it up at the waist for a few years and it was a little short above the knee by the time she finished so while it started out expensive it proved good value for money! Unfortunately the same trick won’t work with boys trousers!
So while you may need to visit certain shops for some of the uniform items, it is worth shopping around to find the best value for items such as shirts and trousers etc. We had a look around the shops to see what you could save on. Here’s what we found: (Please note that prices are based on the most expensive, ie the bigger sizes)
Shirts and Blouses
Tescos stock this 2 pack of unisex, easy-iron, long sleeve shirts for up to age 15. They are available in either white or blue which should conform to most school standards. You can pick them up on sale for €6.
Alternatively, Littlewoods.ie currently have a 3 pack of short sleeve shirts which are also available in white or blue. You can get these up to size 16 for €15.50.
Polo Shirts
It can be hard to pick up plain white polo shirts for bigger teens but H&M have one in their ladies from size 8 - 18, priced at €10 in stores.
You can also pick up a 2 pack of boys white polo shirts in M&S up to age 16 for €16. Most M&S stores still have a good selection of school uniform items for both Primary and Secondary students.
We think Littlewoods.ie has a good deal going for a 5 pack of unisex polo shirts up to age 16. You can purchase this pack on their website for €21.
Trousers
Next.ie stock girls woven trousers, which are available in either black, navy or grey and available up to age 16.They also stock boys slim fit, flat grey trousers with straight leg detail for €16 up to age 16.You can get a pair online for €16 on the school uniform section of their site.
You can find bigger sized trousers for girls in H&M stores, in their ladies section. They stock straight leg slacks in black and navy from size 8 - 18 for €20.
Skirts
Littlewoods.ie have a good selection of skirts from ages 10 - 16. You can pick up a 2 pack of grey pleated skirts for €18.50 on their online store.
For a more generous fit, H&M have black or navy skirts up to size 18 in their ladies section for €20
M&S also have this cute buckle detail skirt in stores for €16. It is available in black, navy or grey and up to age 16.
Tights / Socks
In our experience, we found that Penney’s is usually the best place to go for generic items such as socks and tights. They have a wide selection of colours and sizes available in most stores and are quite reasonable prices. We suggest you bulk buy as their prices are so low.
M&S also stock multipacks of knee length socks and tights of different sizes available in a variety of school-friendly colours.
We’ll be sending our shopping detective out again in June so keep an eye out over the summer for our follow-on articles on any great uniform deals we spot!
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