The cheapest places to get school uniforms in Preston and South Ribble - inluding £5 deals from Aldi and Lidl

It's that expensive time of year again when parents are forced to dig deep to find the money for new school uniforms.

So to make the task as easy as possible Lancashire Post reporter Lorna McDonald has been looking for the most cost effective ways parents can kit out their youngsters.

On average, a full single uniform costs parents £101.19. And with the ever increasing cost-of-living and the huge demands on family budgets this year looks to be harder than ever.

So we've been speaking to local parents, and shop owners about the deals they have on offer as well as comparing all the big brand supermarkets for the best deals.

Waheeda, a single mum from Blackburn, questioned whether more support should be made availabel to parents at this time of year.

She said: “We’ve been going through a lot of hard times and as a single mum with three children I don’t want to be paying adult prices for school blazers. I wish my council would help more.”  

Fellow parent Wendy Moore said she prefers to shop for uniforms at supermarkets as she feels they have the better deals.

She said: "The government should be giving some sort of grant to help with school uniforms.”

Here are the deals on offer in Preston and South Ribble. 

Supermarkets: 

- Aldi and Lidl

Unsurprisingly, Aldi and Lidi have unbeatable prices this year making them the top choice for cheap deals.  

Aldi has a discounted range starting at 99p and offers a full uniform for £5 including a sweatshirt, two polo shirts with either trousers or pleated skirt. They also have affordable lunch boxes, water bottles and other school accessories available.  

 Lidl has a similar school bundle for £5 to help families with the cost-of-living crisis and is donating 50p towards NSPCC’s Childline with every purchase made on selected items.  Prices include:

Kids' School Skirt/ Trousers/Shorts- £1.75 

Kids' School Polo Shirts 2 Pack- £1.75 

Kid’s Trainers (Size 13 kids – Size 4 adults)- £6.99 

Kid’s School Shirts 2 Pack- £2.49 

Kid’s School Joggers- £3.99 

Kid’s Pinafore 2 Pack- £6.99 

Kid’s Cycling Shorts 2 Pack- £2.99 

Kid’s Leather School Shoes- £9.99 

Kid’s Plimsolls- £2.99 

Kid’s School TShirts 2 Pack- £2.99 

Kids' School Sweatshirt- £1.50 

Asda - also has back to school deals in its stores.  It's range of affordable and good quality school uniform is available online and instore. They offer a wide range of colours and styles appropriate for all school policies. Prices depend and range according to size and amount in a pack.  Deals you can find in store include:

2x Polo shirts- £2.50- £5.50  

2x sweatshirt £5- £12.50  

2x Skirts £7-£8  

2x trousers- £7-£14  

School shoes range from £4- £20 depending on style and size.  

Tesco - is also offering parents choice in its school uniform range. Tesco’s prices are similar to Asda and again prices depend on the size of the product. However, they do offer a range of features including adjustable waists and ‘permanent pleat’ technology for less ironing which is perfect for parents.  Prices include:

3x polo shirts- from £4  

2x sweatshirts from £5  

2x trousers from £7  

2x Skirts from £7  

Independent stores in Preston and South Ribble:  

- Smart Schoolwear - 54 Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1DD

Smart Schoolwear stock uniforms for 45 schools and offer 10 per cent or 20 per cent off selected schools in a bid to keep customers happy.  

On average blazers cost £29.99, and customers are happy with the pricec and the service.  

Sonal Purohit, the owner of the shop, said: “We keep our prices as low as possible to keep our customers happy because we know they are struggling.”  

Her son, Van Purohit, said the thing that sets them apart from other stores is: “We carry a lot more stock so we can be more competitive with pricing.”

The shop also offers NHS and school staff 10 pe cent discount and frequently ask schools if they are struggling so they can provide uniforms for families in need.  

The store is open all week but is hitting its busiest time as September is only a few weeks away.  

- Bang Bang Uniform- 91 Lancaster Rd, Preston PR1 2QJ 

Bang Bang provide primary and secondary school uniforms for many schools located across Kirkham, Preston, Fulwood, Deepdale and Penwortham and are willing to help families with discounted prices.   

 We spoke to Dr. Raman, owner of the shop, who told us about their unique blazer offer, when you spend over £150 on uniform you can get a free blazer which families with multiple children may find helpful. 

 She said: “We never compromise with the quality, that’s the best part.”  

 The store is open all week till 8pm and 4pm on Sundays offering friendly, helpful service and are always fully stocked with all sizes.  

 - Justs Clothing Penwortham -53 Pope Lane, Preston PR1 9JN.  

Justs offer uniforms for a range of Preston’s nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools and provide better than supermarket quality plain uniform.  

The average blazer price for the local store starts at £36.99 in smaller sizes and between £44-£46 in adult sizes (38inchs above). 

You don’t need to book an appointment as the store is open all week and open late till 7pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and even if you can’t make it in-store you can order over the phone and collect whenever you’re free.  

 The store gets most busy between 12-3.  

Not all deals last forever so now may be the best time to grab all your school supplies before it’s too late.