Back-to-school season is creeping up again, and if you’re anything like most parents, uniform costs are the bit of the shopping list that stings the most, especially with more than one child to kit out.
We’ve refreshed our research for 2026 to help you find the best value uniform basics, plus the cashback tricks that can knock even more off the total.
This Year’s Best Value Retailers & Supermarkets
We compared the price of five school uniform essentials (a pinafore dress, a two-pack of polo shirts, a pleated skirt, a school jumper and trousers) across six major retailers, for a 10-year-old.
| Retailer | Pinafore Dress | Polo Shirts (2 Pack) | Pleated Skirt | School Jumper | Trousers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldi | £6.99* | £1.75 | £1.75 | £1.50 | £1.75 | £14 |
| Sainsbury’s | £7.00 | £4.00 | £7.00 | £6.00 | £9.00* | £33 |
| ASDA | £7.00 | £4.00 | £9.00 | £7.00* | £7.00 | £34 |
| Tesco | £8.00 | £4.00 | £7.00 | £10.00 | £8.00 | £37 |
| M&S | £7.00 | £6.50 | £8.00 | £13.00* | £9.00 | £44 |
| John Lewis | £12.00 | £9.00 | £11.00 | £10.00 | £11.00 | £53 |
* These items come in a pack of 2 as minimum.
Aldi comes out as by far the cheapest option this year at just £14 for the full basket. Among the remaining retailers, Sainsbury’s Tu Clothing is the next cheapest at £33, narrowly ahead of George at ASDA at £34. Tesco and M&S sit in the mid-range, while John Lewis is the most expensive of the six by some distance, at £53, £19 more than Sainsbury’s for the same five items.
Our research focused on the best value options for a 10-year-old, so costs could be lower still for a younger child.
Make It Go Further With Discounts for Teachers
On top of shopping the sales, Discounts for Teachers members have a few extra ways to bring the total down further:
ode cashback card. The ode prepaid cashback card gets you up to 5% cashback at over 80 retailers, including ASDA, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis, Boots and IKEA, so you can earn cashback on your uniform shop at several of the retailers in our comparison above, on top of whatever sale price you’re already paying. The card is free for your first 12 months, works both online and in-store, and cashback is added to your balance automatically.
Clarks kids’ shoes. Discounts for Teachers members can currently get discounted gift cards and cashback at Clarks online, well worth using if you love Clarks school shoes, but want to pay a little less. You can access the discount here.
Check the full offer directory. New in-store and online deals are added regularly across supermarkets, fashion and footwear, so it’s worth a quick look at your Discounts for Teachers account before you start your back-to-school shop, in case a better offer has landed since last year.
Buy only what you need. Multipacks look like good value, but it’s worth working out the price per item before assuming a bundle is cheaper than buying single pieces.
With the cost of living still squeezing family budgets, a bit of planning around sale dates and cashback can make a real difference to your back-to-school spend this year.
