Half of parents paying for school uniform on credit – how to cut your costs

School uniform costs are getting out of control. According to the latest government estimates, the average cost of a school uniform was £249.58 per child in 2023.

According to some new research by Parentkind, half of parents are putting school uniforms on their credit cards, with a third turning to Buy Now, Pay Later products to fund these compulsory purchases.

Schools can currently ask parents to fork out for an unlimited amount of branded school items – and they do. The government has reported seeing schools asking parents to buy up to ten branded items of school uniform.

The government is looking to cap this to three from next September, with an optional extra branded tie for secondary schools.

However, many parents are still struggling to maintain these ever-increasing costs – but there are plenty of ways you can get cheaper or free school uniform, even if you need a niche or branded item.

Ways to cut school uniform costs

Find a local school uniform swap shop

If you haven’t already heard of them, many areas operate school uniform ‘swap shops’ or ‘exchanges’ where parents can take old school uniform and donate it, allowing other parents to collect it. These are usually free of charge.

These are no longer niche – there is actually a National Directory of School Uniform Swap Shops where you can find your nearest – but this is not conclusive, so search for one in your local area online if you can’t find one here.

There are often school uniform swaps held at schools or in village or town halls, and these are often publicised on social media. Facebook is a great way of finding these kinds of events.

Buy supermarket bundle sales

Every year, most supermarkets put on a school uniform bundle sale, and for the past few years the bundle prices have been as low as £5 for polo shorts, a coloured sweatshirt, plus a pair of trousers and a skirt. These are usually for primary schoolwear, which tends to be more generic.

However, supermarkets usually run these sales in July, so parents looking for this year may have missed the boat. But you can still get cheap school uniform items at most supermarkets year-round.

Lidl and Aldi usually offer the cheapest bundle deals, both sticking around the £5 mark for the past few years.

Check secondhand selling sites

Parents are flogging their childrens’ old school uniforms on platforms like Vinted and eBay at huge discounts. We found a set of two pinifores selling for £1.50.

Searching for ‘uniform’ on Vinted brings up a subsection of school uniform sales, but sometimes putting the exact school name in can bring up more specific results.

Plus, if you have any to get rid of that no longer fits your children, you could try selling it on a secondhand platform too, further reducing your overall spend.

Check if you could get a school uniform grant

If you’re really strapped for cash, you may be able to get a grant to help pay for your children’s school uniform.

Check via your local council’s website. You can find out your local council here: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council.