Government reduces the cost of school uniforms

The government has today announced measures that will reduce the cost of school uniforms from next year.

The binding guidance issued by the Department for Education (DfE) means that schools in England must now ensure that school uniform costs are reasonable, and parents get the best value for money.

It has previously been suggested that parents can save almost £50 if they can buy all school uniform items from any store, compared to uniform which all needs to be bought from a designated shop or the school itself.

From next autumn, schools will be required to remove unnecessary branded items and allow more high-street options, like supermarket own-brand uniform.  Schools will also have to make sure that second-hand uniforms are available.  It has been suggested that as many as 350,000 tonnes of second hand clothes end up in landfill each year.

Commenting on the proposals, the Education Nadhim Zahawi said: “School uniform provides a sense of identity and community for children and young people, and should be a source of real pride.  But it must never be a burden for parents or a barrier to pupills accessing education”.

The move has been welcomed by the Children’s Society, Chief Executive Mark Russell said, ”

For too many years the cost of school uniform has been a heavy financial burden on many families, causing money worries and even debt, so these new guidelines to make sure school uniforms are affordable are extremely welcome”.