Around this time last year I gazed into my school-specific crystal ball and wrote a column about the trends expected to emerge in schoolwear for the 12 months ahead. This year, however, as I adopted my Gypsy Rose Lee pose, all I could see was a haze of blue…

It was another action packed affair, with some new boys and girls as well as all the regular crowd. Katz Dancewear, Stabilo and Sensport made their debut. A return of Grays International and POD Shoes made the total 43 companies and more than 50 brands.

Q - How are schoolwear buying habits changing?

A - Increasingly we are seeing parents opt to buy uniform at the last minute

Q - What is prompting this change?

A - Like almost every other buying decision at the moment it seems to be prompted by the current economic climate

Hoodies are increasingly becoming part of schoolwear, perhaps inevitably when they are so important as a popular, practical and comfortable clothing item

They are not yet much in evidence for general mainstream uniform but they are massively popular for school sports and for trip and year group mementos.

Beezer have been successfully producing schoolwear for more than two decades. One of the main reasons for that success is the company's ability to adapt existing garments to suit current trends within the industry.

The latest Blue Max brochure boasts an even bigger and better school wear collection.

For Back to School 2010, the Ziggys shirt collection has been extended with a range specifically designed for girls. It is available in both a short and long-sleeved format in a choice of white or light blue and features a slightly fitted shape for a more flattering fit.

Finden+Hales know the importance of encouraging kids to get involved with teams. Schools are now, on average, linked to seven different sports clubs including football, dance, athletics and rugby, and secondary schools offer up to 21 different sporting activities as part of the curriculum.

BTC activewear offers a wide choice of popular schoolwear brands including Jerzees Schoolgear, Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Regatta and Result.

Fruit of the Loom's Schoolwear collection has evolved over the years as the company has developed and expanded its product offering to provide an extensive modern school uniform solution. What has remained consistent, however, is the garments' durability and lifetime value.

Sweatshirts still remain a firm favourite for any school wishing to create a uniform in the UK and this is why Gildan have endeavoured to create a comprehensive youth offering.

The 18000B youth crewneck sweatshirt is available in 14 colours: white, navy, gold, forest green, black, red, royal, light blue, light pink, purple, kiwi, maroon, ash and sport grey.

Schoolwear figures prominently in the marketplace today and Henbury has a number of products to meet the demand. The Henbury children's and adults tipped polo shirt are perfect examples.

Gustav Daiber's Club 'n' School Now Collection - a range of trendy team wear - can be mixed and matched according to the occasion.

The collection ranges from trendy caps to fashionable tops and casual jackets.

I.S. Enterprises offers a large range of schoolwear suitable for print and embroidery decoration. With garments available from top brands such as Result, Gildan and Fruit of the Loom, I.S. Enterprises is able to provide decorators with indoor and outdoor garments suitable for a multitude of pursuits.

Prestige Leisure have a wide range of products available to customers who service the schoolwear market.

Key products decorators should be presenting in their schoolwear ranges include Fruit of the Loom's SS28B Kids' Valueweight Tee which is 100% cotton, 165gsm (colours) and 160gsm (white).

Jerzees Schoolgear continues to tick all the boxes with particular emphasis on choice and lifetime value.

An awful lot is demanded of school clothing and, as a market leader, Jerzees Schooglear prides itself in delivering across all the areas that we know are key to parents, schools - and children - alike.

School uniform is all about creating a smart, positive image in the public domain as well as giving children a sense of pride, according to Andrea Charteris, PenCarrie's customer services manager.

We have a range of schoolwear that can compete with the best of them. QC1.3 has the same winning formula as the 220GSM  QC1.1 polo shirt.

All the main features that made the adults polo a success are carried down to the QC1.3 children‘s polo shirt. which comes in nine must have schoolwear colours.

Quadra's School Essentials collection comprises a targeted range of products that covers all the core school bag requirements.

The QD17 Gymsac is water-resistant yet fully printable. Reinforced corners feature metal eyelets for additional strength and guaranteed long-term performance. The QD17 has a 7-litre capacity and is available in 10 colours.

Regatta's reputation for superior garments at excellent value does not stop at their adult ranges.

New from November 2009 is the TRA652 Kids Uproar softshell. Regatta's first kids' softshell for the school uniform market provides a sporty, stylish alternative. Made from a resilient Regatta Softshell fabric with water-repellent finish, reflective trim and a printed name label, this jacket is ready for the rough and tumble of the playground.

When it comes to school uniform, quality, durability and style are at the top of the checklist. Ralawise are pleased to offer schoolwear from a range of brands that use technologies to ensure uniforms will maintain their smart look throughout the year. 

Result's dedicated Junior and Youth range of high-quality jackets combines both functional and fashion elements for two to 16-year-olds.

Children can enjoy wearing RESULT jackets with designs in keeping with their school and leisure time activities.

Putting together a child's sports kit can be a bit of a minefield. You want professional, but you don't want pricey. You want style, but you don't want fuss. You want durability, but you don't want hard-to-wash.

Core business for many garments decorators is the school uniform market and UKL has many brands to feed their need.

With many schools preferring to source uniform from a local supplier, there has never been a better time to review the schoolwear selection available from UKL.

Let's face it, not everyone's a natural sportsman and not all of us have glowing memories of school sporting triumphs - leading the football team to regional victories, hurdling our way into the trophy cabinet and not dropping our egg off our spoon. 

A strange thing happens to you when you become a parent. From the moment that baby first opens its eyes and looks at you or curls its tiny hand around your finger you feel something shift inside you. From that moment on there is nothing you would not do, no length to which you would not go to keep that child safe. Your own personal security will forever more come second. Apart from that occasional moment when they hit puberty perhaps...

Last week I had one of those days. You know the ones I mean. My drive into work reduced to a crawl thanks to seemingly unnecessary roadworks, deliveries delayed for no apparent reason and a queue so long in the sandwich shop at lunchtime you would have been convinced they were giving away gold bars. For the first time, however, none of this bothered me. No, I haven't converted to Buddhism but I have recently discovered that when it comes to sloooooooow nothing quite compares to the European Union.

This year, an Early Day Motion (EDM 409) was tabled by Lindsay Hoyle MP, calling for VAT on all school uniform to be reduced to a zero-rating. 

Choosing the right schooldwear garments is of vital importance in the printwear market. At the heart of this field is The Schoolwear Association which represents the interests of everyone from retailers, suppliers, direct-to-school and wholesalers to fabric manufacturers and garment decorators. It now has a new Chairman, David Burgess. The association casts an eye over what it believes will be the biggest trends for 2009.

Balmoral Knitwear can now offer both Made-in-Scotland school pullovers and off-shore knitwear made using its own yarns. "We have always made our bespoke lines in our own factory.

Bags specialist, Quadra has updated the traditional school backpack with its launch of two new designs that bring a dash of sophistication and style to the classroom.

Beezer have been successfully producing schoolwear garments for over two decades. One of the main reasons for that success is the company's ability to adapt existing garments to suit current trends within the industry. The Polo Shirt, for example, is a firm favourite and available in a wide variety of colours and sizes, the most popular being the single colour version from the company's Stock range.

Blue Max, with Stag now part of their portfolio, is one of the largest suppliers of schoolwear lines in the UK. The company has earned a well-deserved reputation amongst its customer base for offering quality, consistency and value in schoolwear. All garments comply with the latest safety legislation and all materials used in the dying process for childrenswear are Oeko Tex compliant and zips and toggle closures meet the most rigorous standards of safety.

BTC activewear offers a wide choice of popular Schoolwear brands including Jerzees Schoolwear, Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Regatta and Result.

Fruit of the Loom has expanded its successful school wear collection with the launch of the new Children's Long Sleeve 65/35 Polo. The new style fills an important gap in the modern school wear wardrobe, states the company.

Schoolwear plays such an important part of the printwear market and Henbury has a number of products that fulfil this demand.

With millions of pounds of stock at its disposal Essex based I.S Enterprises has a wide schoolwear selection.

Jerzees says there's a lot to shout about in 2009. A new "Less is More" range; a refined fleece range; two new contemporary jackets and, the cherry on the cake: the no.1 iconic sweatshirt, Jerzees Schoolgear's 762, raises its game further.

Given their chance, kids would choose to run around in T-shirts and polo's instead of the more formal and less comfortable woven shirts, which is why the Schoolwear market now revolves around these easy-to-wear and highly practical garments.

The Humbugz collection from Mantis World offers a range of exciting, high quality, fashion focused styles for kids. Whether looking for classic tees or polos for uniforms or sporty styles for extra curriculum and outdoor activities, there's something for all occasion.

Schoolwear is a sector where decorators can make their mark as dependable suppliers of quality clothing, says PenCarrie. "There is no substitute for quality when seeking out value-for-money schoolwear and the schools know this," comments Andrea Charteris, the company's customer services manager.

This is a great flexible style for kids which can be worn 2 ways - for warmth and waterproofness, wear it with the Hydrafort fabric on the outer side. When the weather gets better and for an alternative look, reverse it for a fleece outer! This is perfect school wear!

Rowlinson is delighted to announce that it has increased its offer on the specialised and personalised Schoolwear that forms the heart of its business and has launched its new Woodbank Signatures range to the market.

As one of the industry's leading distributors, UKL says schoolwear remains a core part of the business.