A school order is the one place where getting sizing wrong is immediately visible, because every hat is worn on the same day in front of the same parents.

Age is a bad predictor

Head circumference varies enormously within a year group — far more than clothing size does. Ordering by age band reliably leaves a handful of children in a hat that either slides over their eyes or perches on top.

Measure instead. A tape around the head just above the ears, and a simple tally sheet per class, takes one morning and removes the whole problem. We send a chart mapping circumference to band.

Expect to split across three or four bands

Most primary year groups need three bands; a whole-school order usually needs four. That is normal and it does not cost more — it just needs to be decided before production rather than after delivery.

Order a small overage in the middle bands, which is where replacements come from.

The chin cord has to release

A cord that holds under load is a genuine hazard on climbing equipment. Specify a breakaway fastening that separates under pull, and one that can be detached entirely for children who do not want it.

This costs the same as a fixed cord. There is no reason to accept the fixed version, and we will not supply one.

Brims, shade and practicality

For outdoor use, a proportionally wider brim gives meaningfully more shade on the neck and ears than an adult-proportioned one scaled down.

Choose a fabric that washes and dries fast, and a colour bright enough to spot across a playground. Both matter more than the branding.