Size Guides – How to take your child’s measurements for their school uniform

There are five important measurements you’ll need for any school uniform purchase: waist, chest, leg, height and collar. All of them are easy to take using our guides. Use a flexible tape measure if you can – if you don’t have one, use a piece of string to take each measurement, lay it flat and then measure the length with a standard tape measure.

Below is an introduction to each key measurement, below you’ll find some helpful videos with step by step instructions.

Waist

Your child’s waist measurement is needed for buying trousers and skirts, or any garment for the lower half of their body (including sportswear). Even if the garment is designed to sit on their hips – or they decide to wear it there – the waist measurement is what you should base your size selection on.

Measure your child’s waist by finding the narrowest part of their torso; this is normally a couple of inches above their hip bone and often, but not always, in line with the bellybutton. If your child has no natural narrower part to their torso, take their waist measurement from about halfway between the bottom of their rib cage and the top of their hip bone. Pull the tape measure so it’s snug but not tight against their waist and make sure they’re not holding their breath! You don’t need to add anything to the measurement for comfort as good quality school uniform will be designed with a little bit of ‘ease’ included.

Chest

The chest measurement of your child is needed for buying blouses, polo shirts, school jumpers, sweatshirts and blazers. Boys’ shirts are categorised by collar size, but it’s useful to have your child’s chest measurement on hand, just in case.

Chest measurement, along with height, is a measurement which is likely to change fairly dramatically over your child’s time at school as they begin to hit puberty. Taking their chest measurement regularly can help you make sure you’re buying the right size blouse, jumper or blazer for them even if their other measurements have stayed the same.

To take your child’s chest measurement, measure around the fullest part of their chest. For younger children, place the tape measure a few inches below their armpit and measure their chest there. For older children, particularly girls, the fullest part of their chest might be a little lower. Your child will be able to tell you what feels comfortable to them. Be sure not to pull the tape measure too tight as this can lead to buying shirts or blouses which are too small and strain at the buttons.

Chest Size Conversions

Chest              Age

22”                 2-3
24”                 3-4
26”                 5-6
28”                 7-8
30”                 9-10
32”/XXS       11-12
34/XS           13
36”                Small
38”               Medium
40”               Large
42”               XL
44”               XXL

Leg

Your child’s leg measurement isn’t necessarily their whole leg, but their inside leg for trousers. It’s used to buy trousers and to choose between short, regular or long length in these items.

To take the inside leg measurement, ask your child to put on their school shoes and stand naturally. Run the tape measure down their inner leg, from their crotch to an inch or so above the ground where you’d like their trousers to finish. Try to ensure the tape measure is in a straight line, not wrapping around their leg, and don’t pull it too tight or they’ll end up with too-short, uncomfortable trousers.

To take your child’s skirt measurement, it’s easier if they wear an existing school skirt or other skirt that they like the length of. Measure from their natural waist down to the hem of the skirt, ensuring the tape measure is in a straight line. You should also check their school’s uniform requirements for skirt length to make sure any item you buy adheres to regulations.

Height

Height is perhaps the measurement of your child you’re most used to taking and the method is very simple. Ask your child to stand against a wall, in bare feet or socks, with their feet flat on the floor and the back of their heels against the wall. Ask them to look straight ahead and then rest a pencil on top of their head, making a light pencil mark against the wall. Once they’ve stepped away from the wall, measure their height from the mark to the floor, keeping the tape measure straight.

Like their chest measurement, your child’s height can change significantly as they go through school, so it’s a good idea to take it regularly; even if you think they haven’t shot up, you’ll soon be able to tell when their trousers are above their ankles! It’s also the measurement on which you can base many of your school uniform purchases. If you’re shopping in a hurry, focus on the height guidelines – this will help you buy a size which is more likely to fit your child, whatever their age.

Collar

The final useful measurement to take for your child’s school uniform is their collar measurement. Mostly, it’s only boys’ shirts which are sold by collar size, just as with men’s shirts. Depending on your child’s school uniform you might not need to buy a formal shirt – polo shirts are sold by chest size or age rather than collar – so check the school’s requirements first.

To measure their collar, wrap the tape measure gently around the base of their neck. Put two fingers between the tape measure and their skin while you do this; this will ensure a more comfortable fit. Choose boys’ school shirts based on this measurement but do also check the chest measurement of the garment as well to make sure these two areas both fit. It’s better to have a comfortable, fitted chest and a slightly looser collar than a well-fitted collar and a chest that’s straining at the seams.

Why Choose Us?

The Boulevard Academy have been very pleased with the service we received this summer from Rawcliffes. They were able to supply all our uniform requirements in the way that we specified to our new students, ready for September.
The Boulevard Academy - Carol-Ann Daniel - Business Manager

Having Rawcliffes as our uniform supplier has made life so much easier for both the parents and the Academy – the fact that there is a shop in the City centre which is easy to access and open 6 days a week is without doubt the simplest way to meet the requirements of the Academy and parents/pupils. Your staff are friendly and helpful and our requests are dealt with quickly and efficiently.  Definitely the best move we made.

Winifred Holtby Academy - Anita Hoy - Student Services
Rawcliffes have been the suppliers of uniform to North Ferriby School for as long as I can remember. The uniform is always of a very high quality and we sell lots of it. The staff are always helpful, courteous and of the ‘nothing is too much trouble’ genre. I really mean that. No matter what we ask of them, nothing is too much trouble. They always go the extra mile to make sure we receive our stock as soon as possible so that we can keep our parents happy. It is impossible to put a price on dependability. School offices are extremely busy places and having a supplier that delivers a good product on time without quibble makes a huge difference to office life. Following a change in management recently things have got even better! So ‘thank you’ Rawcliffes and keep up the good work!
North Ferriby School

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