Buying school uniforms can be an expensive business.
This post takes a look at some of the benefits of buying second hand school uniforms, a practice which is becoming more and more popular with cash-strapped parents.
Second-hand school uniforms don’t always have the best reputation – you may associate them with being dirty or stained, not looking smart, or too well-worn to be any good.
However, there are many benefits of purchasing second hand school uniforms, even when you can afford to buy new ones.
My daughter started reception in 2022 and I certainly didn’t anticipate how often we would need to update her school uniform.
It’s now March 2024 and she’s already on her fourth pair of school shoes for the year!
And I’ll soon need to replace her summer school dresses because last year the white collars all got stained with suncream which hasn’t come out despite my best efforts.
The majority of the school uniform I buy is pre-loved.
Mostly from Vinted, but occasionally from charity shops and second hand clothing sales directly at the school.
In 2023, the UK Government introduced new school uniform rules, which encouraged schools to limit the number of expensive branded items required and ensure they offered pre-loved clothing sales to help parents struggling with the associated costs.
What Does Pre-Loved Uniform Mean?
Pre-loved uniform typically means school uniforms that have already been worn by another child but that have been outgrown and are in good enough condition to be re-used.
This type of uniform is often considerably cheaper than new school uniform and can help families on low incomes afford school wear that fits their child.
What Are The Benefits Of School Uniform?
Whether buying new or preloved you might be wondering what the benefits of school uniforms are.
Why can’t children wear their own clothes?
Well, one of the main reasons for school uniforms is that they foster a sense of community among the pupils.
A uniform is also supposed to help with equality and means there are no children wearing designer items that would be unaffordable for many.
For school trips, it means children are easily identifiable from their uniforms which help teachers ensure everyone is accounted for while away from the school campus.
5 Benefits Of Second Hand School Uniforms
1. Buying Second Hand Is Eco-Friendly
Did you know there are enough garments on planet Earth to clothe the next six generations of humans?
That is a heck of a lot of clothing.
Millions of tonnes of clothing end up in landfill each year, but purchasing second hand is one way to help prevent this.
Even if you only buy second hand for spare items when something gets lost or for your child to wear on art day when you just know they’re are going to come home covered in paint!
2. Buying Second Hand School Uniform Is Cheaper
One of the biggest benefits of purchasing a pre-loved school uniform is that it can be considerably cheaper than buying new, even if you usually buy from the supermarket budget ranges.
Our infant’s school charges £1 per item and this includes branded schoolwear such as cardigans and bookbags.
3. Purchasing Preloved School Uniform Can Help Families, Schools and Charities
When you buy second-hand, you could be supporting other families to buy more school uniforms for their own children, supporting a charity when buying from a charity shop, and supporting your school if buying directly from their preloved uniform sales.
The school my daughter attends uses the money from second hand school uniform sales to help top up their pastoral funds, which in turn enables them to help more children within the school community.
Related Post: Packing Essentials For Your Child’s School Trip
4. Buying Second Hand School Uniform Means You Can Afford Better Quality
As I mentioned above, school uniforms can be expensive.
However, buying second hand may mean that you can buy better quality, which means uniforms should, in theory, last longer too.
5. Buying Second Hand School Uniform Doesn’t Always Mean Buying Used
Not everyone likes to buy clothes that have already been worn. But buying second hand doesn’t always mean used.
A quick search on Vinted shows hundreds of items of school uniform that have been purchased in the wrong size or colour and not been returned.
Brand new items, with tags, for a fraction of the original cost (although you will need to factor in the cost of fees and postage when buying from Vinted).
Some big brands, such as M&S, donate surplus stock to charity shops, who then sell this on at around half of the original price.
I have seen this in both Scope and Oxfam and it’s worth looking out when you need to buy new school uniforms for your children.
Do you buy second hand school uniform? If so, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments.