Back to school tips from school uniform experts
David Luke is the biggest brand you’ve never heard of! We might even be in your child’s wardrobe right now – go and have a look at the label in their blazer. To date we’ve prevented over
37 million plastic bottles from going to landfill through sales of our
Eco-Uniform. That’s a lot of blazers!
We thought we’d ask some of our amazing team about their experiences of wearing our eco-uniform and what being part of David Luke Family means to them. From first day of school to dealing with the transition to high school, this is what our team of experts had to say…
Tess, Head of PR and Communications and mum to Jack aged 8 & Alfie aged 5
What’s your eco-uniform essential?
My boys refuse to wear trousers, even in the snow! I’ll be stocking up on
Bermuda shorts which give a longer length and look smart. I’m eagerly awaiting the Zippy when it launches in September as I can probably convince them into wearing a lightweight warm layer and at least feel like I am sending them into school in something cosy!
Top tip on getting ready for the first day back to school?
Prepare your week’s kit bags on Sunday evening – football, PE, swimming, get it all packed and stored by the front door so you aren’t trying to run around in the morning looking for random items. One of my back to school tips when it comes to uniform is to lay everything out the night before. Even placing socks by shoes. I am slightly obsessed with organisation because I am naturally very disorganised and hate leaving the house in a tizz.
Uniform myth unbusted
Cheap school uniform deals are no good for the environment and do not last. I have found that investing in better quality durable items like our eco-polo shirts is better for my budget over the course of a year. There’s less shrinkage so they fit for longer and wash brilliantly. Our school colour is red and I find the eco-polo shirts stay true to colour and don’t develop dark mystery patches in the fabric.
Jamie, Business Development Director and dad to Arthur aged 9, Grayson aged 6 and Séamus aged 4
What’s your eco-uniform essential?
All three of my boys will be at the same school from this September so I have a good pot of uniform for them to pick from. The
eco-polo shirts for the youngest two are still going strong from when the eldest wore them who is now going into year 5! The sweatshirts are also looking good, it’s just a shame the boys grow so quick. The full zip up sweatshirt will be a great addition to the uniform pot, as the boys will be able to wear this for both their normal school uniform days and their PE kit days.
Top tip on getting ready for the first day back to school?
For all the organised parents who have taken the good advice and bought their children’s uniform early, it is always worth trying it all on again a couple of weeks before the first day back, one to make sure they haven’t grown too much but also double check you have got everything!
My eldest has now graduated from his elasticated tie to a standard tie. So he has developed the art of only tying it once and then pulling it over his head all week. Try and make the morning as smooth as possible is high up on back to school tips. Getting the uniform ready the night before, we have a school uniform draw for each of them so they can find their uniform easily and quickly.
Totally unrelated to uniform but my boys like a
packed lunch so a good ‘hack’ is to make their wraps for the week in one go and freeze them, getting them out the night before, again saving time on a morning.
Uniform myth unbusted
I have always thought ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ and this certainly relates to school uniforms. The summer deals offered by supermarkets look great, but you usually need to replace them before Christmas! Adding to landfill and hitting your pocket. Good quality uniform items will more often be grown out of than worn out, so worth spending the little extra first-time round.
Melissa, Customer Operations Manager and mum to Charlie aged 16 and Louie aged 10
What’s your Eco-Uniform essential?
The eco-polo is definitely our essential item. My youngest son Louie is lucky enough to have all his older brothers’ hand me down’s. They still look in excellent condition with 5 years between them. Louie loves the fact that he can boast about his polo shirts being made from recycled bottles. He loves to tell the story behind them to his friends and teachers.
Top tip on getting ready for the first day back to school?
Organisation is the key to less stressful school mornings. Uniform for the full week will be ironed and labelled and sportswear/swimwear packed into bags for the required days. Packed lunches will be made up and in the fridge the night before. The least to do in the mornings the better!
Uniform Myth Unbusted
I’ve always believed that quality is a must and more so with school uniform. These items are worn day in day out and we don’t want to be replacing them more often than needed by making the mistake of choosing the cheaper options. I get the full school year from the David Luke eco-polos and
eco-sweats and still pass them on for re-use.
Mark, Operations Director and dad to Dominic aged 5 and Imogen aged 3
What’s your eco-uniform essential?
Next year I’ll have one in Year 1 and one in Nursery year so it’ll be essential to have durable uniform that can withstand the rigours of the playground and various arts and crafts! David Luke’s polos and sweatshirts wash really well and stand up brilliantly against the demands of the school day
Top tip on getting ready for the first day back to school?
A uniform station is always in my back to school tips! A stack of 5 drawers, labelled for each day of the week. On Sunday, make sure each drawer has the uniform bundle for the day in it. Then each morning your child goes and gets the uniform for that day. Saves a lot of stress and confusion in the morning rush!
Uniform myth unbusted
The price of school uniform. If you look at the total cost of uniform against the number of days it is worn, it works out at a very low cost per day compared to normal clothes. Particularly if you find a brand that is durable and washes well.
Still looking for more back to school tips? Check out these
5 simple top tips to get you back in that school routine.
