There’s something about the weeks before September that makes you realise just how much stuff your child needs for school.
New uniform (in many cases). Shoes that actually fit, and will last. A lunch box. A water bottle. Hair ties that mysteriously disappear. Labels for absolutely everything. And, if you’re lucky, a school bag that makes it through the year without looking like it has been dragged through a hedge.
We’ve been looking through this year’s back to school finds and picked out the things we really like — from clever uniform buys that make mornings a little easier to some very pretty school shoes and accessories children will actually be excited to use.
The uniform buys worth knowing about
M&S school uniform: the dependable favourites
If you’re buying school uniform this year, M&S is one of those places we keep coming back to. The range covers all the basics, but there are a few particularly good finds for making the everyday school wardrobe a little more comfortable — and a lot easier to look after.
And right now, M&S has 20% off school uniform, making this a particularly good time to stock up.
Shop the M&S school uniform range
For girls: comfy jersey skater skirts
We particularly like these 2-pack cotton-rich jersey skater skirts. They have the smarter look you want from school uniform but with the comfort and stretch of a jersey fabric — something that matters when children are sitting, running around, climbing and generally doing everything except staying clean.
They’re a great option for autumn and winter too, when comfort really comes into its own. And getting two in a pack makes sense for a school wardrobe where one will inevitably be in the wash.
Shop the M&S girls’ jersey skater skirts
The school shirts that save you from ironing
This is the sort of school uniform buy we can get behind: shirts that make your life easier. Yes please!
M&S’s boys’ Plus Fit easy-iron shirts are particularly worth a look if your child needs a little more room through the body, while the girls’ non-iron blouses are a brilliant time-saver for busy school mornings.
Because nobody needs to be standing over a pile of tiny white shirts at 10pm on a Sunday night.
Shop M&S boys’ Plus Fit easy-iron school shirts
Shop M&S girls’ non-iron school blouses
The school shoes we’d put on the list
School shoes have to work hard. They need to survive playgrounds, rainy walks, PE days, muddy fields and the occasional child who apparently uses their toes as brakes.
For girls: Lelli Kelly Isabella patent school shoes
For something a little more special, these Lelli Kelly Isabella black patent school shoes are gorgeous. They have that classic polished school-shoe look, but with the pretty details you’d expect from Lelli Kelly.
If your daughter likes her school uniform to have a little bit of personality, these are a lovely option.
Shop the Lelli Kelly Isabella school shoes
For boys: the tough ones
If your son has a habit of destroying school shoes at an impressive rate, the Start-Rite Rhino Warrior deserves a look.
It’s a black leather rip-tape school shoe designed with durability in mind — exactly the sort of thing you want when “looking after your shoes” is still very much a work in progress.
Shop the Start-Rite Rhino Warrior school shoes
Never lose another jumper: clever school labels
There are some things that are worth doing before the first day of term, and labelling every single piece of uniform is definitely one of them.
We love these universal stick-on clothing labels from Petit Fernand, particularly because they come in some seriously cute designs rather than looking like boring little name tags.
They’re a simple way to label school jumpers, coats, PE kit and all those other things that somehow end up in the lost property cupboard.
Shop Petit Fernand stick-on clothing labels
Lunch boxes that make packed lunches a little nicer
Trixie stainless steel lunch box
There’s something very appealing about a lunch box that looks as good as this one.
The Trixie Mrs Butterfly stainless steel lunch box from Scandiborn is a lovely choice for younger children, with a sweet illustrated design that feels fun without being overly babyish. There are plenty of other Trixie designs too, so children can choose something that feels like theirs.
It’s the sort of lunch box that makes a packed lunch feel a little more exciting — which can only be a good thing when you’re trying to convince someone to eat something other than the crisps.
Shop the Trixie stainless steel lunch box at Scandiborn
A water bottle they can actually identify
A personalised water bottle is one of those back to school purchases that makes surprisingly good sense.
We like the ION8 personalised stainless steel kids’ bottles, particularly for school where every child seems to have the same collection of navy jumpers, black trousers and identical water bottles.
Personalising it makes it much easier to spot whose is whose, while the stainless steel option is a nice alternative to buying another plastic bottle every year.
Shop ION8 personalised kids’ water bottles
School hair accessories that are actually pretty
If your little one has to wear navy, red or green school accessories, it doesn’t mean they have to be boring.
We love this Mimi & Lula pack of 12 school hair accessories, available in navy, with a lovely mix of clips and hair ties that makes doing school hair in the morning a little more fun.
There are also blue, green and red versions, so you can pick the colour that works with your school’s uniform.
It’s a particularly good buy if you have a child who loses hair accessories at a rate that would suggest they are deliberately throwing them away.
Shop the Mimi & Lula school hair accessories at John Lewis
And now for the fun bit: school bags
The school bag is probably the one back to school purchase where we’d let children have a little more say.
After all, if they have to carry it to school every day, they may as well love it.
For the K-pop Demon Hunters obsessed
If you have a child who has spent the summer singing K-pop Demon Hunters songs, you already know exactly what they’re going to want.
This K-pop Demon Hunters backpack from Next is a fun choice for fans who want to take their current obsession into the new school year.
Shop the K-pop Demon Hunters backpack at Next
For Sonic fans: Dr Eggman gets a starring role
For the Sonic fan in your house, the Hype x Sonic the Hedgehog Dr Eggman backpack is a brilliant alternative to the more grown-up school bags.
It has a bold Dr Eggman print, padded shoulder straps, a bottle holder and a spacious 18-litre capacity, so it isn’t just about the character on the front. It also has reflective piping, a water-resistant finish and a padded laptop sleeve.
And at the moment, it’s £25, which makes it a particularly tempting school-bag find.
Shop the Hype x Sonic the Hedgehog Dr Eggman backpack
Our back to school rule?
Don’t feel like you have to buy everything new.
A good school uniform doesn’t need replacing just because September is approaching. Check what still fits, look through last year’s PE kit, see which water bottles and lunch boxes have survived and only replace the things that actually need replacing. Vinted is pretty good for bundles too.
Then spend a little more on the things that will make everyday school life easier — a decent pair of shoes, comfortable uniform, a water bottle that won’t leak all over the school bag and, perhaps most importantly, labels for absolutely everything.
Because September is exciting enough without starting the school year with a frantic search for a missing jumper.
