School uniform 2016/17: cheapest deals and discounts

Before you dash out to buy school uniform for next year, take a look at our tables for the cheapest deals around.

The end of the summer holidays are still weeks away, but the organised among us are already shopping around for the best school uniform deals. And the good news for shoppers is that supermarkets are in an ongoing price war.

Supermarket deals

Each year the supermarkets battle it out to see who can produce the cheapest items. So we've taken a look at how they stack up.

We've broken it down into the cost of a single school outfit, though it's worth remembering that in many cases things like polo shirts come in packs of two, sometimes three.

The following is based on the cheapest non-sale items, including two polo shirts, one sweater and one pair of trousers or a skirt.

Please note that Lidl school uniform is no longer on sale so has not been included in the round-up.

Retailer	Polo shirts	Sweaters	Trousers/skirts	Total	Comments
Aldi	62.5p each	94p	£1.25	£3.44	Same price regardless of size.
Asda	£1.25 each	£2	£3	£7.50	Prices apply to ages 3-16
Sainsbury's	£1 each (pack of 3)	£2 each (pack of 2)	£3.50 each (pack of two)	£7.50	For ages 3-5 only. Prices go up incrementally for older children.
Tesco	£1.25 each	£3	£4 boys, £3 girls	£8.50-£9.50	Prices apply to ages 3-7. Prices go up incrementally for older children.
Marks & Spencer	£2.50 each	£6	£8	£19	For ages 3-5 only. Prices go up incrementally for older children.

Other retailers

It is not just the supermarkets who are vying for your attention – plenty of other retailers have their own school uniform deals to draw you in. But how do they compare?

Retailer	Polo shirts	Sweaters	Trousers/skirts	Total	Comments
Debenhams	£2.50 each	£5	£8	£18	Price is for ages 3-6. Higher price for older children
John Lewis	£1.50 each	£8	£8	£19	Price is for ages 3-6. Higher price for older children
Next	£3 each	£7	£7 (£5 skirts)	£18-£20	Price is for ages 3-6 Higher price for older children

Extra costs

Remember that it is likely that your school will make you use their specified provider for blazers and jumpers with the school logo on, and the high prices more than make up for the savings you may make on the basics. That said, some shops will give you an embroidered logo that you can iron on at home. Double-check with the school to see if this is acceptable first.

And don’t forget shoes - a decent pair from Clarks can cost up to £40, although many shops do cheaper versions. Marks & Spencer sells perfectly good school shoes from £10 and supermarkets knock out school footwear from £6.99 for shoes and £2.50 for sports plimsolls! Many school ranges now offer P.E kit, swimwear, lunch boxes and stationery as part of their collection so you can fully kit the kids out for September.

Take advantage of these low prices now!

What are your experiences of the school uniform market? Do any stand out as being exceptionally good or bad? Please put your observations in the comments box below!

This is a classic loveMONEY article which has been updated

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