5 Decades of School with M&S

I’m buying school uniform. I’m in Monkhouses, the shop I only visit once a year, to queue, and queue, and queue – or so it feels, to a ten-year-old desperate to cling on to the last days of summer. The shop feels vast, though I know it must be ordinary, in its ordinary precinct location. It smells of newness, and stiff, shiny leather shoes. It fills me with apprehension for next week. When I ‘left’ school in 1983, this was the motley take on our uniform. As long as it was some kind of brown, with some shade of cream, it passed. …

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Back to School: 5 School Uniform Mistakes, and how to avoid them

Making sure you get the right school bag is an essential part of uniform shopping

This is how the Bug looks today. It’s hot, they have a non-uniform day, and a water fight on the field, so he’s in his coolest new t-shirt. I love this final week of the summer term, with teachers finishing off admin while kids let off steam and have fun after all the hard work. But nonetheless, mean mother that I am, I made him put on his brand new winter uniform trousers and shoes, just so I could show our readers, and get you thinking about adding school uniform to your summer to-do list. You’re welcome. Common School Uniform …

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Selfish mums and free school shoes…

School shoes from online store Jakes Shoes

Have you ever been cheated by your Mum? As a parent have you ever felt guilty for putting yourself before your child? Meet my mother, who managed to turn a shopping expedition for school shoes into a trip which was ALL ABOUT HER! Ad/Gifted Both the Bug and I are in need of new school shoes. The Bug, especially, has been out of his shoes since last half term. That’s six weeks he’s been going into school in his trainers, risking the tuts of teachers as he fails to pass muster in the uniform stakes each morning. In fact, it …

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Starting School: things parents need to know

For as long as you’ve known her, you’ve been the centre of her world. Whatever she needs, you’ve had it covered. You’ve overseen her milestones, and helped her navigate her friendships. She’s found her way through nursery, and flown solo without you there to see her triumphs. But now it’s time for starting school: a totally different ball game; a six-hour day without you. Not only that, but a day where 29 other children are also looking for the attention of a single stranger. And get this: that stranger is not there to play, cuddle and nurture; she is there …

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