The Department for Education has told schools to keep uniform costs down, stating that they must also have second-hand uniforms available as an affordable and environmentally friendly option, in new statutory guidance published today.
The Education (Guidance About Costs of School Uniform) Bill, which makes guidance given to schools about cost-of-uniform policies legally binding, was passed in April this year, after being introduced by Labour MP Mike Amesbury and receiving cross-party support.
The DfE said the guidance would keep “branded uniform items to a minimum” and encourage “high-street options”.
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In 2019, Labour MP Emma Hardy launched a campaign for schools to have unbranded uniforms to help tackle poverty.
Keeping the costs of school uniforms down
Research from the DfE in 2015 showed that parents can save almost £50, on average, if they can buy all school uniform items from any store compared with what they pay when it all needs to be bought from a designated shop or school.
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “School uniform provides a sense of identity and community for children and young people, and should be a real source of pride.”
However, he added that the cost must never be a “burden for parents” or a “barrier to pupils”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “We fully support this guidance. Many schools have a uniform policy in order to give students a sense of identity and pride in their school, and to avoid the pressure children would feel if there was no policy and their peers wore expensive items and fashions they could not afford.
“However, schools are acutely aware of the need to keep uniform costs to a minimum, particularly as they often have many students who come from disadvantaged homes. They deal on a daily basis with the impact of the high level of child poverty the government has failed to address.”
James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union the NAHT, said: “It’s important to remember that a large number of schools already work extremely hard to ensure that their uniform is affordable for families.
“We fully support the move to ensure that uniform remains as affordable as possible in every school. We know that an increasing number of families have come under financial pressure due to the pandemic, so measures that could reduce the cost of uniform are certainly welcome.”
