With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to weigh on households across the UK, more families are accepting second-hand school uniforms as the new school year approaches. Parents are more open than ever to secondhand apparel. First, they cite the skyrocketing costs of school supplies as a leading stressor fuelling this trend.
Verona Tomlin, a local educator, emphasized the importance of uniforms, stating, “Uniform for me isn’t about the learning as such, it’s about the belonging.” This sentiment resonates with millions of American families. This year, grants are being given to 1,027 children to assist with uniform costs. However, the States received an additional 667 applications for uniform grant money as of Monday, indicating heightened demand for financial assistance.
As families like Nikki’s have had to think outside the box, especially with increasing cost of living, there have been innovative approaches to making ends meet. “We tried to shop in the sales and went to charity shops,” she said. Despite all these efforts, Nikki admitted that some costs are still through the roof. She and her husband put the money they would have made in August aside knowing they would need to pay for their children’s uniforms, which are often expensive.
Freya, a 17-year-old high school student from Bristol, told us about how she has been getting ready for the new school year. “It’s quite good because I already had most of it from last year that I could reuse,” she remarked. As she pointed out, there are always things that can’t be reused and need to be bought again.
Carl Walker, chair of the Jersey Consumer Council, highlighted the impact on the family purse. He calculates getting every child ready to start school might be as much as £400. This number includes everything from uniforms, to stationery, to lunch boxes, haircuts and coats. “It’s absolutely extortionate,” he added.
Jade Gallichan, manager of Paperclix, gave us some great tips on the high uniform costs. Parents should be able to find a set for between £15 and £20 in total. Claire Mackenzie, manager of Jersey Hospice Shop East, said the sale of new uniforms at discounted rates through pop-up sales have been a success. Families are responding, rushing to these sales to find enormous savings!
Unfortunately Nikki’s family is far from alone in facing these challenges. She was told that they had managed to spend nearly £800 on school uniforms even after careful shopping in sales and second hand shops. The detailed requirements imposed by the schools create yet another confusing factor in this space. “The school policy is very clear about what kind of socks they have to wear…if they’re wearing trousers they have to wear black socks,” she explained.
The government has taken some measures to assist families by creating standardized uniform shops at every secondary school. These shops supply school supplies and producing gear for students in require. Verona Tomlin noted that staff members would have discreet conversations with individuals requiring assistance, saying, “If you need five shirts, come and take them.”
We know that families are already under so much financial pressure. Therefore, they are welcoming second-hand uniforms, showing a growing trend that is prevalent in the sustainability and community support minded generation. Clive shared his thoughts on the benefits of second-hand shopping: “I think second-hand uniforms is a great idea. We always look for that sort of stuff, try it on before they go back to school, and then pass them down to the younger siblings.”
