Sturdy fit school trousers are cut wider at the waist, seat and thigh, and shorter in the leg for that waist size. That combination is the whole point, and it is what an ordinary trouser sized up cannot do.
Sturdy fit, plus fit, generous fit: all the same trouser
Every retailer uses a different word for it, which makes comparing genuinely difficult. Sturdy fit, plus fit, plus size, generous fit and comfort fit all describe the same cut. We use sturdy fit and plus size, so if you arrived here searching for a generous fit school trouser, you are in the right place.
What matters is not the label but the two measurements. Take the waist and the inside leg, then buy to those rather than to your child's age.
Why sizing up does not work
This is the problem almost every parent here has already run into.
What happens
The age nine trouser will not fasten. You go up to age eleven, it fastens comfortably, and now the hem is folded over twice.
Why it happens
In a regular cut the waist and the leg are locked together. Sizing up to fix one always changes the other.
What sturdy fit does
Separates the two. You get the waist you need without inheriting the leg length that normally comes with it.
Choosing between the trousers on this page
Two decisions, and everything else follows from them.
One. How much extra room
Sturdy fit covers most children who need more width. If your child is already in a sturdy fit and it is still tight at the waist, look for extra sturdy, which is cut wider again.
Two. Fastening or pull on
A conventional waistband with an adjustable inner tab suits most children. A full elastic pull on has no zip and no button at all, which matters for infants and for children who find fastenings difficult. Both are available in sturdy fit, so you are not choosing between the right shape and the right waistband.
And if the leg is still too long
On our plus size range you can have the leg shortened by one to five inches before we dispatch. It adds roughly seven to fourteen days, and because the garment has been altered for you it cannot be returned, so measure carefully first.
A note on boys and girls
These trousers are cut and sold as boys school trousers, and that is how the sizing is built. In practice a good number of girls wear them, usually because nothing in the girls range is wide enough at the waist. If that is your situation, buy to the waist measurement and treat the label as a description of the cut rather than of who it is for. You can also browse our girls school trousers.
Work out the size before you order
Measure the waist and the inside leg, then choose by those two numbers. Our fit guide sets out all six fits with real measurements, including the full sturdy fit size ladder, and explains what to do when the waist and the leg do not agree.
Read the school trouser fit guideAvailable in grey, black and navy, ages 4 to 17. Browse all boys school trousers or our sturdy fit school shorts. Free UK delivery on orders over £75.
