PE Kit Checklist: What Your Child Needs Each Term

The lost property box at my nephew's school is 90% unnamed black pumps. The other 10% is lone socks and one inexplicable swimming cap with a dinosaur on it that's been there since 2023.

Here's what your child actually needs for PE, and how to make sure it doesn't all end up in that box.

The Basics: What Every School Expects

Most schools have a PE kit policy somewhere on their website or in the welcome pack. Read it. Schools get surprisingly specific about what shade of blue the shorts should be.

That said, the fundamentals are usually the same.

Indoor PE Kit

T-shirt: Usually plain, often in the school colour. Some schools want the school logo on it. Some are fine with a plain white or house colour tee. Check before you buy six of the logo ones at £12 each.

Shorts: Plain black, navy, or sometimes house colour. No football team logos. No pockets full of Lego and tissues.

Pumps or trainers: Indoor pumps (plimsolls) are traditional for primary school. Some schools now allow trainers for everything. The pumps must be black. The trainers must be mostly black. If in doubt, black.

Socks: If your child wears tights or long socks to school, they might need short socks for PE. Or they just do PE in their school socks. Either way, someone's losing a sock.

Outdoor PE Kit

Tracksuit bottoms or leggings: For cold weather. Plain black or navy. Joggers work. No jeans.

Long-sleeved top or hoodie: Again, plain. School colours preferred. Keep it simple. You're dressing them for cross-country in January, not a photoshoot.

Trainers: Actual trainers, not pumps. They'll be running on grass and possibly mud. Pumps do not cope with mud. If your school has an all-weather pitch, check whether they need separate outdoor trainers or if indoor ones are fine. Some schools are militant about this.

A coat: For the truly grim days. Some schools keep PE outside unless it's actually dangerous. Waterproof is worth it.

Swimming Kit (if applicable)

Not all primary schools do swimming, but if they do, you need:

Swimsuit or trunks: One-piece for girls, trunks (not shorts) for boys. Schools are specific about this. No bikinis, no board shorts.

Towel: Doesn't need to be huge. Does need to exist. They will forget it.

Swimming cap: Some pools require them. Some don't. Ask the school.

Goggles (optional): Check if they're allowed. Some pools ban them for safety reasons.

Seasonal Changes

September and October: full kit, but they'll probably still wear shorts outside because children are baffling.

November to February: this is when you add the tracksuit bottoms, long sleeves, and possibly a pair of gloves they'll lose immediately.

March to May: transition period. Some days are warm, some are freezing. Keep the layers in the bag just in case.

June and July: back to shorts and T-shirt. Suncream applied at home before school because no teacher has time to suncream 30 children.

The PE Bag Itself

Drawstring bags are traditional and cheap. They also rip, tangle, and smell within a term.

A small rucksack or duffel bag works better. Costs more upfront but lasts longer. Put their name on it. Put their name on everything. Seriously. A laundry pen costs £2 and will save you buying three replacement pairs of pumps.

What Schools Actually Require vs What's Nice to Have

Required: T-shirt, shorts, pumps or trainers. That's it. Everything else depends on the weather and the activity.

Nice to have: spare socks, a plastic bag for muddy kit, a hair tie if they have long hair, a water bottle that doesn't leak in the bag.

Not necessary: matching designer tracksuit, expensive branded trainers, the full Under Armour range. It's primary school PE, not the Olympics.

The Unnamed Pumps Problem

Children are terrible at keeping track of their belongings. I don't know why. I just know that every school in the country has a lost property box full of unnamed pumps and no one knows whose they are.

Name everything. Not just the bag. Every single item. Write their name in the shoes. Sew a label in the shorts. Use a permanent marker on the T-shirt tag.

If you don't, you'll be buying replacement kit every half term and the school will be sending home passive-aggressive newsletters about lost property taking over the corridor.

How Often to Wash It

Every week. It lives in a bag in their classroom. It smells. Trust me, it smells.

Put a recurring reminder in your calendar for Friday afternoons. Or, if you're relying on your child to remember, accept that you'll sometimes be washing it on Sunday night in a panic.

Growth Spurts and Replacements

Children grow. You will replace this kit. Usually halfway through a term when you've just convinced yourself you're on top of things.

Buy a size up if you're on the fence. Baggy shorts are fine. Tight shorts lead to a note home from the teacher.

Supermarkets are cheaper than school uniform shops. The quality is about the same. Save your money.

When They Forget It

Some schools have spare kit. Some schools make them do PE in their uniform. Some schools make them sit out and write about why PE is important.

It will happen. Don't drive back home to fetch it. They'll survive. Hopefully they'll remember next time. (They won't.)

I set up My School Agent to remind me which days are PE days, because I was constantly sending my nephew to school without his kit and then acting surprised when he came home with a note. Now the app tells me the night before. He still forgets sometimes, but at least it's not my fault.