Back to school shopping ideas, have I missed any?

It seems like only yesterday that you could not turn on the radio without hearing Alice Cooper’s distinctive tones blasting out ‘School’s Out for Summer’ and for those for whose little ones for whom the following lyric ‘School’s out forever’ (or even ‘School’s been blast to pieces’) is not applicable now is the season to be stocking up on those essentials needed to ease the back to school blues.

First up: uniforms. Dreaded (and adapted) by many, most schools in the Hailsham area have a clothing code.

At Hailsham Community College (which prides itself on specialising in sports and business & enterprise), uniforms can be bought via the school alongside Science revision guides and the essential for the 20th Century pupil – a memory stick.

The same goes for fee-paying St Bede’s (my alma mater – and the school my ‘little’ brother goes to), though items such as the boys’ grey trousers and white shirts can be bought at most High Street clothing chains. The school shop (school.shop@stbedesschool.org.) reopens between August  25th to 28th.

If your youngster is due to attend Polegate School – whose staff showed such dedication in getting to the school during the snowdrop experienced in January of this year – it is best to contact the school on 01323 482404 or emailing office@polegate.e-sussex.sch.uk

Hawkes Farm Primary School uniforms are also easiest found online though, again, many of the items can be found on the High Street and in the larger supermarkets. The same is true of Hellingly Community Primary.

And there are masses of websites out there to indulge their stationery whims if Waitrose (Vicarage Field) and Costcutter (South Road) do not meet your needs – in fact I am a fan of the latter’s cheap cartridge pens. There is also a WH Smith in nearby Lewes, as well as a British Bookshops & Stationers. In terms of websites Rymans and Staples are both online, and for those with a taste for something a little more funky try Paperchase (new website to be launched in September, but there is a branch at London Victoria station if you happenchance to be taking a pre-school educational trip to the city).

Hopefully with a bit of organisation the transition back into the school routine can be less than painful. And if it still irks. you could do worse than remember that Scottish schools are already back in session!

Have your say: should students have to wear school uniforms, or do they restrict individuality, freedom, and comfort?