'School uniform will cost me over £300 - I'm already having to cut back'

16 August 2023 , 23:01

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Sunny, seven, Frank, four and Timur, 15 (Image: Ilya Pavlovsky)

Ilya Pavlovsky says he expects to spend over £300 on uniform for his three sons Timur, 15, Sunny, seven, and Frank, four, who is starting school this September, this year.

The Manchester-based airport worker, 42, says the biggest cost is for Timur, whose school is still asking parents to buy pricey branded items. He says this means he ends up spending "a lot of money" ahead of the new academic year.

Ilya said: "A blazer on its own is about £80 and they are very strict about them having the correct uniform. The primary school my youngest go to has also changed its branding, meaning I've had to buy new clothes for Frank rather than giving him Sunny's old items."

Ilya says he goes to supermarkets to save money on non-branded items his children can wear, but has noticed that this has gone up in price compared to last year. He adds that with the ongoing cost of living crisis, his family has made changes and cutbacks to their lifestyle.

Ilya Pavlovsky has called for more help for parents (Ilya Pavlovsky)

The family are already cutting costs (Ilya Pavlovsky)

Ilya added: "The food shop seems to have almost doubled, so I've started using Aldi more and also going to three different shops to compare prices. I make the kids packed lunches rather than buying items from cafes, use an old SIM-only phone and cut our broadband and TV package from £50 a month to a £20 a month broadband.

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"Every penny counts at the moment. More should be done to help parents be able to afford uniform, as it an unavoidable cost and we have to replace items during the year."

It comes as consumer group Which? today revealed Sainsbury's is the cheapest large retailer for parents looking to save money when buying school uniforms.

The new report by Which? analysed the prices of a selection of nine-year-old sized school uniform items at eight popular supermarkets and high street clothes shops. Coming to £47 for two of the following items: sweatshirts, polo shirts, pinafore dresses, skirts, boy's trousers and girl's trousers, Sainsbury's Tu range was found to be the best value for money.

Natasha Wynarczyk