Back to School Shopping - What's the Best Place to Get Uniform in Crowborough?

It's that time of year again.... schools are back earlier than ever this year so you've got to get a wiggle on before the shops run out of your child's size/school colour.  I usually go with the crowd and head into Tunbridge Wells' department stores.  I have lost countless hours of my life stuck in traffic, have paid through the nose for parking, been elbowed, and lost the will to live amongst the aimless milling shoppers one too many times.  This year I resolved to get the whole kit and kaboodle in Crowborough and set myself a target of under 2 hours.

Uniform

I set off at 2.32pm -  Beacon's new uniform is stocked in Phillips Mans Shops and you can get the trousers, shirts, jumpers and skirts there there too.  They also cater for St Johns, Herne, Sir Henry Fermor, St Mary's and Grove Park.  The wide range of anoraks and school bags thrilled my label-concious offspring and I was chuffed to get 36 iron-on name tapes for £1.   A quiet shop and freedom to look for what we were after meant we were there for just half an hour. So far so good.

3.02pm and it was off to M and Co - great for younger children and primary school. In and out in 20 minutes with socks, pants, vests aplenty. 

3.16  - historically the most stressful part of shopping with children - shoes! The  Factory Shop in the Broadway stocks isles of sensible black leather childrens shoes that even the most stringent uniform policy could not quibble with.

Had I not wanted to venture out at all, and had my children not been of unusual sizing necessitating endless tryings on - there's an online uniform and sports kit shop based in Crowborough called Fusion that will supply you with all your school-wear and embroider it for you with your school's logo.

3.47 - Final Score Sports Shop - it's got everything from footie boots and swimming hats to cricket bats and tennis racquets.  Whatever extra-curricula activity you've got to kit them out for they'll have the gear and if they don't they will order it in for you.

Stationery

4.16 - Poundfield Stores saw us right for all our school bag essentials - paper, colouring pens, highlighters, rulers and protractors.

So there you have it - free parking, uniforms done in under two hours, no stress, no hassle, bargaintastic and no shelling out for extras - i.e. the Macdonalds/toy bribe for good behaviour, or cheapo fashion bargains that catch your eye in the Victoria Place.