Parents looking to buy their children's school uniform on the high street need only fork out £3 for a shirt plus trousers or skirt this year. We look at where to go for the best uniform buys, and ask retail experts if low prices equal value for money.

Parents love school uniforms because they are a great leveller -- but they hate the cost.However in recent years a price war has broken out in the £450 million-a-year school uniform market and prices are at rock bottom.

Until now, the average cost of a secondary school uniform was about £280 a year or £170 for primary school pupils.

But this year thrifty parents can snap up a shirt and skirt or trousers for a total of just £3 from Woolworths' Ladybird Value range.

Tesco and Asda are offering similar bargains, with Tesco boys' trousers at £2, and a two-pack of skirts at £5. George at Asda has a white polo shirt for 95p, and trousers or a skirt for £1.95.

Kara Groves, head of clothing at Woolworths says: "Consumers have never had it so good - a school uniform now costs less than a lunchbox." But Groves insists that the low prices aren't at the expense of quality, stressing they've been achieved by using simpler designs, cheaper packaging and by ordering large quantities.

"We've managed to keep standards of quality and production high. Profits on each item are of course very thin, but we expect high volumes and spend in other areas in the store to make the range a winner for us."

With almost all state schools asking pupils to follow a dress code, and half having a strict uniform policy, such prices have got to be good news for parents.

Two years ago the government stressed the importance of keeping uniform costs down, and giving parents the opportunity to take advantage of cheap uniform deals - moves that should reinforce the benefits of budget high street uniforms.

But such good intentions haven't truly lowered the cost of uniforms, argues Margaret Morrissey of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations.

The problem, she says, is that the vast majority of schools include bespoke items in their uniform, and obviously these can't be snapped up for a song at Woolworths or Asda.

"Most schools have their name or logo on some items of clothing, and you can't buy them cheap.

"There should be some sort of debate about how those expenses can be brought down."

Aside from custom items, Morrissey says that parents often can't buy a whole uniform from the high street because they're only available in limited colours like grey, navy and black, when many schools include other colours in their uniform.

Then, of course, there's the question of quality.

"The concern is that the quality continues to be good. It's no use getting cheap uniform trousers, for example, if they rip every time a boy plays football," she adds.

"The bargains are there if they happen to fit your school's uniform policy, but that frequently doesn't happen.

"Nevertheless, things are moving in the right direction"

  • Visit your local supermarket such as Woolworths, Tesco and Asda to find out if they stock uniforms suitable for your child's school.