Get them back to school in style

The secret to a smooth, stress-free back to school experience in September is to plan ahead. Leave things to the last minute and you’re likely to end up panic shopping and spending over the odds.

This is also one of the best times of year to raise donations for your school or other good causes – so don’t forget to reach out to fellow friends and parents and encourage them to get set for September through easyfundraising too.

Take the PTA at Holy Trinity Primary School in Richmond as inspiration –  they have raised over £7,000 to date –  funds they have put towards purchasing brilliant resources for their school.

Find out how the PTA at Holy Trinity C of E Primary School raised over £7,000 with easyfundraising

To help you raise additional funds for your cause this summer, we’ve put together a quick guide on how you can boost your fundraising when shopping for everything you will need for back to school, from uniforms to tech, all through the retailers on easyfundraising.

Uniform

Head over to Marks & Spencer (up to a 1% donation) for high-quality skirts, pinafores, trousers, shorts and skirts in ‘easy dressing’, ‘plus’ and ‘skinny’ fits in longer or shorter options.

Stock up on basics such as polo shirts at George at Asda (up to a 3% donation) or if you need items personalised,  John Lewis (up to 1% donation) stock named-school uniforms that you can order into your local store in advance.

Sports kit

If your school allows generic sportswear, you’ll find some excellent deals at SportsDirect (up to a 2% donation) –  just add a gym-sack from Debenhams (up to a 1.5% donation) or a holdall from JD sports (up to a 3% donation) to keep it all in.

For swimwear check out Boden (up to a 4% donation) and browse Notonthehighstreet.com (up to a 2.5% donation) for fabulous personalised swimming bags.

Footwear

Clarks (up to a 1.5% donation) and Start-Rite Shoes (up to a 3.75% donation) are generally regarded as the gold standard for well-fitted leather shoes for smaller kids.

Older tweens and teens are likely to argue the case for a cool pair of Kickers or Vans, both of which are available from Schuh (up to a 3% donation) or Office Shoes (up to a 1.5% donation).

For plimsolls, swing by Shoe Zone (up to a 3.5% donation) and for trainers try Footasylum (up to a 2% donation).

Bags

Younger kids will love a sturdy backpack from The Disney Store (up to a 2% donation) or Amazon (up to a 1.5% donation), while The North Face (up to a 2.5% donation), Adidas (up to a 3.5% donation) or Ted Baker (up to a 1% donation)  all are high on the list of acceptable teen brands.

If your child takes a packed lunch, it’s well worth splurging on a decent one from Lakeland (up to a 2.5% donation), and keep them hydrated with a water bottle from Paperchase (up to a 4% donation) or Etsy (up to a 4% donation).

Stationery

Little ones will head off happily to big school clutching a cool pencil case from Smiggle (up to a 2.5% donation), while secondary students are likely to need an exam-friendly clear style from Viking (up to a 4.5% donation) or Staples (up to a 6% donation).

Try Pen Shop (up to a 5% donation) for pens suitable for all ages, and source calculators and other essential maths equipment at Ryman (up to a 1.5% donation).

Books

Support your older child’s learning by stocking up on textbooks and required reading from Waterstones (up to a 2% donation) and revision guides covering all key stages from WHSmith (up to a 4% donation).

You can keep smaller bookworms engaged over the summer with fun activity books from The Works (up to a 7.5% donation).

Top Tech

For great deals on mobile phones, head over to Carphone Warehouse (up to a £30 donation), O2 (up to a 1% donation) or Mobiles.co.uk (up to a £12.50 donation).

Currys PC World (up to a 1.5% donation) ticks all the boxes when it comes to decent laptops and tablets ideal for research and homework projects.