UAE parents find budget-friendly ways to buy uniforms as schools prepare to reopen

Many private schools stipulate that clothes must come from an approved retailer, which can push up the price for some families

Parents search for school items for their children ahead of the new academic year. Pawan Singh / The National

In the run-up to the start of the new academic year, some families have turned to online community groups offering second-hand items of school uniform at a fraction of the cost.
Bronwyn Byrnes, from Australia, said her children would be going back to school in used, sanitised uniforms this year.

“I am a big advocate of recycling and I’ll be buying their uniforms from Facebook groups,” she said.

“I know some parents who deliberately bought less this year as school restarts because they predicted some campuses would only operate at 50 per cent.”

The mother-of-two, who lives in Dubai, used to run a second-hand uniform shop at her children's previous school for more than three years. At their old campus, most items would sell for Dh10 or Dh20.
"Normally, a shirt can retail at about Dh80 to Dh120," she said. "One of the blazers we sold at the shop was priced at just Dh75 as opposed to about Dh450."

Like many private schools, hers stipulated that clothes must be sourced from an approved retailer.

Prices at uniform suppliers, including Stitches, Magrudy’s and Zaks, vary across the country depending on size, item and school, but parents often pay anywhere between Dh75 to Dh450 a piece for shirts, blouses, blazers and trousers.

As schools reopen, education authorities have been mulling a staggered return to campuses and reduced class sizes. 
Neha Jain, who has a daughter in Grade 2 at Delhi Private School, said her child would be going back full-time.  
"She has already outgrown some of the uniform we bought last year so we had to get her a new sports kit from Zayn fashion, which was a lot cheaper than the school store," she said.
"I also got a friend of mine to bring some socks and shirts from India."
She said a uniform set, which includes a shirt and tunic, usually costs about Dh60 in Dubai but, from India, it cost just Dh25.

"I just got the new revised price from the school shop too. One set is approximately Dh85 now," she said.
Abdul Sharef, father of two, said said he had to buy direct from the school supplier.
"For the past two years we have had to buy the uniforms from a third party as instructed by the school," he said.

"To buy pants, a few shirts and a tie we usually spend about Dh400, not including shoes."
Last year, the Ministry of Education introduced a standardised line of uniforms for government school pupils to reduce the financial burden on parents.
The range of attire, available at more than 80 shops in the Emirates was a lot cheaper than private school uniforms, with pieces ranging from Dh25 to Dh139.

Estée Caplen, from the admissions and enrolment department at Al Raha International School in Abu Dhabi, said its second-hand uniform shop was temporarily closed as per government regulations due to Covid-19.
And at Dubai College, Debra Turpie from the alumni relations team, said its parent group, Friends of Dubai College, co-ordinated and sold second-hand uniforms.
"This service is usually offered at parent evenings and other school events, however, at the current time it is being co-ordinated through their Facebook page."

Budget-friendly tips for buying school uniforms

Wash right:

How you wash and dry clothes is key to making them last longer. Fabrics behave in different ways when being washed, ironed or dried so always follow the care instructions carefully. Use a gentle detergent and avoid using a tumble dryer as much as possible.

Alter when needed:

A lost button or unfurled hem doesn’t mean a uniform has to be destined for the bin. If it can be easily fixed then try and save it. You can try repairing a shirt or skirt at home or take it to a local tailor. And if an item is too small or big, you can always take up or let down a hem to get more miles out of it.

Check your school parent association:

For the money-conscious parent, most schools do have second-hand uniforms for sale. Covid-19 has put a stop to physical sales in most schools this summer but check with your school’s parent group as many sales and swaps are happening online.

A look inside a Dubai school's Covid-19 safety measures: