‘Cheapest’ UK supermarket school uniform with ’88p’ offers

Although the summer holidays have just started for some, parents wanting to prepare for September might still be thinking about the best place to stock up on their child’s school uniform for next year. Instead of accepting whatever is on the shelves or sticking with your usual store, shopping around could unlock some major bargains.

Polo shirts are generally part of most primary school uniform policies across the UK. For the majority of schools, children will wear these alongside a sweatshirt or cardigan as well as trousers, skirts and appropriate shoes.

Buying these basic layers in multipack deals often works out best for families, but some places are cheaper than others. Consumer watchdog Which? recently reported that some options were as little as 88p per shirt.

Posting the findings on Instagram, they said: “It can be hard to clearly see how school uniform providers differ in price because options and pack sizes vary. We took a snapshot look at how the different brands stack up on the price of a basic white polo shirt to help you compare.”

The results found that Aldi offered one of the cheapest options, with a pack of two plain polo shirts costing £1.75 (88p per shirt). The catch is that customers cannot just call their local discount supermarket and expect to find these anytime before school restarts in September.

The most recent event happened before the end of the current summer term. Historically, Aldi does not often repeat this sale before back to school in Septmeber – although shoppers can keep an eye on any SpecialBuy updates online.

The next cheapest options, which are more likely to have items on offer regularly, include Sainsbury’s and Tesco. The major chains were ranked as joint second in the analysis, with the brand’s two-packs of polos both costing £3 (£1.50 each).

Sainsbury’s shoppers can order uniforms online via the Tu website or find items in their local stores. Tesco customers can also use the dedicated F&F website or look in local supermarkets with clothing sections.

The average school uniform costs about £340 for primary school and £454 for secondary school each year – typically including compulsory branded items, generic clothing, PE kits, and school shoes. Where possible, these affordable Aldi options could help parents.

From this September, schools in England will be required by law to cap the number of branded uniform items to three (excluding ties) under new legislation as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. In previous reports, officials say this would save parents up to £50 per child.

While there is no legal mandate in Scotland or Wales to match this three-limit rule. Schools in these countries have been advised informally to make branded uniform items optional and rely on generic, plain clothing matching school colors that can be bought from any low-cost shop.

Councils (such as Edinburgh) have actively adopted policies making blazers and logo-embroidered items voluntary to reduce the financial pressure on families. The Welsh Government operates under its own statutory guidance which instructs schools to keep uniforms affordable and minimise branded attire.