School’s out for summer with the state exams finally over, and primary pupils waving goodbye to the classroom.

While long hot days stretch out ahead of young people, parents are very aware that the back-to-school financial headache is just a few short weeks away. Earlier this week, I was in pure Mammy-mode, sussing out whether the school cardigan had another few months in it and how likely the tracksuit pants would survive a mid-summer growth spurt.

To its credit, the crested school cardigan has stood the test of time – there isn’t a hole in sight. But saying that, the Dunnes Stores shirts are also in good enough condition to be passed down and the M&S pinafores have survived numerous paint days and still looks respectable. There was once a debate that parents were investing in quality with the more expensive crested uniforms but the retailers have also upped their game.

Last week, the CCPC – the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) wrote to the board of management in every primary and post-primary school on this matter. As well as advising schools to use generic uniform items, it also recommended that if parents have to purchase bespoke back-to-school items – which most do as 75% of schools have at least one recommended retailer – then the schools shouldn’t have exclusive suppliers as it stifles competition and drives up the costs. Iron-on or stitch-on crests are also encouraged.

Do we really need to pay a premium for tracksuit pants with a school stripe down the side?

The hope is that school boards sit up and listen as they prepare their uniform lists for September. And this call-out on behalf of consumers is needed. Some crested school uniform items are double, sometimes triple, the cost of non-branded items.

In fairness, I do understand that a crested jumper looks nice for those special school photos. I’d even get over the tracksuit top, as there are multiple days a week where the more casual attire is allowed. But do we really need to pay a premium for tracksuit pants with a school stripe down the side?

And don’t start me on the necessity for crested polo shirts and school shorts that only see the light of day for outings in May and perhaps an Indian summer in September.

Barnardos study

I do hear the argument that for some small drapery shops in rural areas, the business they get out of school uniforms helps keep the doors open. But there has to be a balance when parents face such excessive back-to-school costs. Last year, the Barnardos study detailed that uniform costs for primary school students stood at €119, while at secondary school level, they were as high as €211. And that’s just the uniforms.

Classroom resources, the ‘not-so-voluntary’ contribution fee, shoes, bags, and activities all have to be factored in.

In saying all of this, I was given good advice by a friend when my daughter started junior infants. She advised after the back-to-school pressure had eased and before the Christmas rush to buy a second uniform. But here is the trick – buy it one size up and leave it in the wardrobe.

So you have an extra for those days that a top gets lost or a pants gets stained but for the most part, it’s your back-up that they will grow into the following year. This has worked great for us in junior infants, although I suspect it might not be as foolproof for sporty boys in fifth class.