Before the summer term of the last school year even ended I saw ‘back to school’ stuff in the shops.

For a few years I did what lots of people do and started getting back to school things about halfway through the summer holidays, giving me plenty of time to label them and wash and iron everything before the start of the school year.

Over the years I’ve adapted this approach, mainly because I found that there were lots of sizes not available and I was having to either wait for things to come back into stock or compromise on what I bought, perhaps purchasing a different style of shirt or trousers for example.

The last couple of years I’ve changed my tactics a bit to try and avoid this. I’ve not left all the back to school shopping until the holidays, and instead bought things throughout the year in the next size and just put them away.

Not only does it ensure you get all the items you need but it spreads the cost over the year as well, which can be a big help to many families.

It also means that you can take advantage of special offers as they appear. So, for example Tu at Sainsbury’s have had 25% off clothing this month, given that they stock a huge amount of quality school uniform, it’s a great opportunity to make some savings. They seem to run these offers quite frequently so keep your eyes open!

You’ll be able to pick up school skirts, dresses and trousers, shirts, polo shirts and jumpers, all in a range of colours which will cover most schools. You can get summer dresses, shorts and a range of sports wear for P.E. lessons. In larger stores you will be able to purchase shoes and trainers, and of course most stores stock the school socks and tights in a range of colours.

Buying uniform as you see it for a good price and in the correct size during the year also means, that come the summer holidays you can relax in the knowledge you’ve got the back to school thing covered!