School's...in...for...autumn!

There's just ten days left of the summer holidays, and it's time to make those final preparations for the new school year. New school shoes, book bags, pencil cases, uniform basics and academic stationery - where do you get your school essentials in Finsbury Park?

Stationery and supplies

Supermarkets such as Tesco on

Stroud Green Road always have funky back-to-school supplies in bright

colours at attractive prices - look out for special offers in-store at

the moment. Fish & Cook at

3, Blackstock Road is a traditional local stationer selling a complete

range of pens, paper, filing products, highlighters, paper and art

supplies.

School clothing

Blessed as Finsbury Park is with the Fonthill Road fashion mile, many of the clothing shops here stock items more suitable for Leavers' Proms than September starts. Many local people will be picking up their uniform basics this week at Sainsburys in the Green Lanes shopping arena, which stocks a range of school shirts, trousers, skirts and jumpers in its TU range.

Bargain hunters should head round the corner to Peacocks, which has school clothing and outerwear at sensible prices for boys and girls aged 5 to 15 years. Nearby Next in the same parade also has practical, stylish uniform basics, coats and sportswear.

Down the road in Holloway, there's a branch of the children's clothing specialist Adams in James Selby, selling rugged trousers, pinafore dresses, tank-tops and jumpers that are built to last.

Too busy to head out to the high street? Thanks to our sister site Islington People for tipping us off about online supplier Uniform Me, based up the road in N15 and which carries blazers, jackets and summer dresses in local school colours as well as the more common basics.

Other essentials

All the above shops also sell practical and pretty hair accessories to keep wayward fringes out of harm's way during science lessons and PE - remember to stock up on hairbands and clips while you're shopping!

Don't forget Islington Council's school uniform grant of £150 is available to

low income families to help with the costs of children moving from primary to secondary school this September. For more information, contact Islington Council on 020 7527 5483.