Guide to Back to School Shopping in Bury St Edmunds

As the summer holidays come to an end, it’s time to start preparing your kids to go back to school. From uniforms, shoes, and pencil cases to books and stationery, we’ve put together a guide to make your shopping easier in Bury St. Edmunds.

Whether your child is starting or returning to primary or secondary school, getting organised with educational books is a great place to start. Both Waterstones and WHSmiths have a range of books to support and enhance learning, such as revision guides, encyclopedias, and practice books. For those who have reading lists for subjects such as English, this is a great place to check these off your list.

Have you considered checking charity shops? Charity shops such as Oxfam are a great place to purchase your own copy of novels you need for your studies. Many local students give their books to charity shops once they are finished learning about them – making it the perfect money-saving option!

Get kitted out for the school year with pencil cases, pens, pencils, highlighters, pencil sharpeners and even maths equipment from stationery specialists, Ryman. The Works is a good stop for notepads and folders for those in sixth form or college and often has great deals such as 3 for 2. With back-to-school discounts, Smiggle is a great place to search for stationary, tech, and even toys. While you’re there, why not browse their range of bookbags, water bottles, and lunch boxes? Look out for their great school bundles, which include lunch and book bags, water bottles, and pencil cases.

For those with a Bury St Edmunds Giftcard to enjoy, family-run The Parsley Pot and independently-owned Buy the Light and Quest Gifts are great places to purchase unique stationery, notebooks, bags, and water bottles for going back to school. You can even find mood-setting candles such as Yankee Candle, McCall’s Candles, or Dark Tropics and a range of deskware for your child’s home study space.

Uniforms can be found at Marks and Spencer, including skirts, dresses, shirts, polos, ties, trousers, shorts, and jumpers, as well as socks, tights, and clothes suitable for PE. With high quality and a wide choice of styles, it is easy to find something that your children can feel comfortable in.

On St John’s Street, you can find the independent Aubyn Davies, Bury St Edmunds Uniform specialists. Their schoolwear department currently offers uniforms for 15 local state and private schools, with extremely knowledgeable staff that can help you in your search for the right clothes.

For sixth forms or colleges that have a non-uniform policy, Bury St Edmunds Gift Card accepting Javelin is full of stylish, school-appropriate clothes; they also have bags, shoes, and accessories to check out while you are there.

For schools with a formal non-uniform policy, stop in at The Edinburgh Woollen Mill or Gerald Boughton for a range of smart ‘workwear’ that is appropriate and practical for school. Both accepting the Bury St Edmunds Gift card, you can take your time to browse, with the help of their friendly team, to find the best pieces for your child’s new school year.

Finding a pair of shoes that last the antics of the playground can be a tricky task, but the team at Shoephoric are available to help you find practical, stylish and durable shoes that your children love. Accepting the Bury St Edmund’s gift card, it is also the perfect spot to shop for PE trainers, with brands such as Clarks, Grass & Air, Geox, Skechers and Start Rite as part of their extensive shoe collection. For affordable school shoes, don’t miss Mr Shoes in Bury St Edmunds, offering a fantastic selection of sturdy, comfortable footwear to get your kids ready for the new school year. Deichmann and Clarks are also home to extremely high-quality smart school shoes and sturdy trainers suitable for boys and girls.

With Physical Education and extracurricular sports clubs gaining in popularity, why not stop off at JD Sports or budget-friendly Sports Direct to pick up any extra sporting equipment for your children such as hockey sticks, football boots, sports socks and undergarments, gum shields, and shin pads? They also have a great range of affordable water bottles and sports bags to keep your child’s new sports kit in one place.

For those rainy walks to school, school trips, or lunchtimes on the playground, get prepared with coats and waterproofs ahead of time. New Look, H&M and Primark offer a range of affordable and stylish outerwear for your children to choose from to get ready for the new school year.

Cotswold Outdoor and Mountain Warehouse are both great places to find outdoor waterproof clothing to protect your children from the weather, perfect for school trips to the coast or outdoor adventure areas.

It is important to keep your child safe on their way to school, especially if they cycle. Micks Cycles, which is independently founded and accepts the Bury St Edmunds gift card, and Cycle King, both stock a range of cycling accessories including helmets, bike locks, lights, puncture repair kits, high-visibility items, and cleaning tools. Halfords in Bury St Edmunds is also a great choice for purchasing a new bike and accessories, as well as servicing your existing bikes. If your child has decided this year they are going to cycle to school, Micks Cycles, Cycle King and Halfords can use their expertise and knowledge to help you find the perfect gear to get them to class safely and on time!

Before wrapping up your trip to Bury St Edmunds, pop into Claire’s, Accessorize, or Primark to get any final accessories you might need. From scrunchies, hair ties and hairclips, to school bags, water bottles, wallets, purses, card/pass holders and lanyards there are lots of places to grab the last pieces you need.

For much younger ones, bimbi stocks plenty of accessories for hair, as well as comfortable and cute clothing, with brands including Mayoral, Caramelo Kids, Billieblush and Jabadabado. Located on the Traverse, you can spend your Bury St Edmunds Gift card here, getting your little one ready for nursery or school, whilst checking out their amazing collection of unique children’s toys.

Getting ready to send your children couldn’t be easier in Bury St Edmunds. With everything you need in the town centre, spend an afternoon browsing the shops mentioned in this guide, and venture into all shops located in town on our Bury St Edmunds store directory.