As the new school year looms TRACEY O’SULLIVAN takes a look at the perils and pitfalls of back-to-school shopping

It’s the start of the new term next week and with it comes a big bill for families with parents now having to face soaring costs to send their children back to school.

Parents across Britain can expect to spend £122, on average, on kitting their kids out for primary school with Shropshire parents admitting they are having to fork out £150 to £200 per child.

The average spend nationally rises to £139 for secondary school children, compared to £96 for infants.

School uniforms will set parents back by about £30 to £40, while a sports kit is £40 and a winter coat and school books both cost about £20 and shoes £35.

A school bag is another £15, a lunch box and drinks bottle close to £10, school stationery about £10 and a haircut another tenner.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg, with accessories and other incidentals adding more to the total with some children also kitted out with mobile phones and laptops.

The good news is that thanks to price wars uniforms are cheaper, with supermarkets and high street stores slashing their prices on skirts, shirts, blazers and school trousers. But it is still a stressful time for families with many confessing that they find it almost as much of a struggle to finance as Christmas.

Jo Richards, from Shrewsbury, has had to plan her school uniform shopping with almost military precision. First because her daughter has to have a navy skirt and secondly because she is responsible for kitting out almost 100 pupils at Cruckton Hall school for boys with learning disabilities. It gives her quite an insight into what parents face at this time of year. Jo has two children - Matthew, five and Sophie, seven - and says she tries to space out her shopping to help spread the cost and to ensure she can get hold of everything she needs. "Sophie has to have a navy skirt for school and they can be extremely difficult to get hold of," said Jo. "This year I have been to an independent supplier in Shrewsbury to get Sophie's uniform and that can make it more expensive and very often the quality is no better, really. I don't think the difference in quality is always as great as the price difference."

A report from insurance and investment group LV= shows that even though many families are still feeling the squeeze, nearly half of parents expect to spend more this year on “back to school” items than last year.

Lovely

One in two in the Midlands said they are feeling the strain of having to spend ‘excessive amounts’ on these costs.

Sarah Abrahams, whose twin girls start school in Wellington next week, said it was very expensive and she had to double the costs with two children starting school at the same time.

“Luckily they have very lovely grandparents who have helped out with the cost of shoes and coats and that has helped us a great deal,” she added.

Other parents also admitted that they had tried to spread the cost to help cope with the demands of going back to school.

Liz Smith, a mother-of-two from Bridgnorth, said she had bought items throughout the summer and would often buy coats at a different time of the year than September for her children Laura, 12, and Matthew, eight.

“I couldn’t do it if I had to buy everything at the same time for a primary-aged child and a secondary school pupil.

“Although I am grateful they have a uniform because it is easier in terms of the busy routine we have during term-time. I think it is just the rush to get it all which can be just so busy and stressful for mums.”

Rushed

And the county’s independent stockists of school uniform were certainly experiencing a sudden rush and demand for the key items in the final few shopping days before the start of the new term.

At Mary’s Tots and Teens in Newport yesterday a member of staff said they were rushed off their feet with customers before adding that they didn’t have time to fully comment on the cost of uniforms.

Similarly three staff were kept under constant pressure at Toggs and Cloggs in the town yesterday where back to school shoes and some of the top brands are one of their leading buys at this time of year.

On the high street Clark’s is operating a grab a ticket and wait policy for children’s shoes at this time of the year but it is one area where parents are adamant they will not cut back on.

Mother-of-three Susan Hope, from Shrewsbury, said she was happy to shop at supermarkets and other discount names for other items of her children’s uniform but she felt shoes should be purchased carefully with the help of an expert in the field.

“I think it is because children wear their school shoes so much and their feet grow and change and need a proper pair of shoes which have the correct amount of growing room in them. They also need to last,” she said.

“It’s not cheap because my bill for just the school shoes this year was £122 but I do believe it was worth it.

Supermarkets

“Although I do find myself worrying about how we will manage to do.

“It’s often about make do and mend with some of their things from last year.”

It’s not surprising that more than half of parents are looking to low-cost suppliers for back to school items, such as supermarkets to buy basics such as uniform and stationery, and one in four are considering giving their kids second hand items, including hand-me-downs and goods from charity shops or eBay.

However, many shops are also trying to meet the demand for cut-price items with BHS among those to launch a sale this week with a rail for items at £5.

The Local Government Association, which represents 350 councils in England and Wales, has also called on schools to provide sew-on badges for logos allowing parents to buy uniforms at a number of different outlets.

Shropshire Council may help in ‘exceptional’ cases

For families who are really struggling Shropshire Council is prepared to consider help with the costs – but bosses stress it will only be in exceptional cases.

Schools are responsible for deciding on which uniform policy they will adopt but the council does try to encourage establishments across the county to take into consideration various issues to help parents.

In a statement it maintains that as the local authority it will consider any application for support.

“Shropshire Council does not routinely provide clothing grants. However, Shropshire Council will consider requests in exceptional circumstances from parents/ carers,” adds the statement.

But there are also certain guidelines for schools.

When setting a school uniform policy, school governing bodies should:

• Give high priority to cost considerations

• Have a policy that incorporates items that are readily available from a wide variety of retail outlets

• Consult parents/carers for their views and concerns before deciding on the introduction of a new uniform policy/dress code, or amending an existing one.

We would like to hear from parents about their experiences in terms of school uniform and their experiences when preparing for the new term

Does your school have a good uniform policy? Is it easy and cost-effective to kit out your children? Write and tell us your stories at School Uniform, Features Desk, Shropshire Star, Ketley, Telford, TF1 5HU or e-mail your stories to tosullivan@shropshirestar.co.uk marked school uniform