A new piece of legislation aimed at reducing the cost of school uniforms for children is making its way through Parliament this week. The high price of branded clothing items, which often need frequent replacement, can add up quickly, but this new law seeks to alleviate some of that financial pressure on parents.
According to the Department for Education, parents currently spend an average of £442 to equip a child for secondary school and £343 for primary school. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will be presented to the House of Lords this week, includes a limit on branded items, reports the Mirror.
Have your say! Should branded items of clothing for school uniforms be banned? Have you had issues with the cost of school uniform shopping in the past? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.
This limit will reduce the number of branded clothing items a school can require to three, excluding ties. The government believes this will save parents up to £50 by giving them more flexibility to shop around for suitable schoolwear.
Department for Education analysis reveals that 4.2 million pupils across 8,000 schools stand to benefit from this change. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson commented: “Looking smart at school shouldn’t cost the earth, and no parent should be forced to choose between buying family essentials and a school shirt or tie.”.
“Alongside our free breakfast clubs, these new laws will save parents hundreds of pounds a year, and make sure family finances have no bearing on children’s time at school.”
This statement comes as last week saw the launch of free breakfast clubs in 750 schools across England and Wales, with ministers promising to extend this provision to all schools.
However, experts caution that school uniforms can cause anxiety among students and may even affect attendance. Lynn Perry, CEO of Barnardo’s, expressed her concern: “It cannot be right that children are going to school wearing ill-fitted clothes or shoes due to the high cost of uniforms but, as high prices continue to impact families, it’s yet another essential item that parents are struggling to afford. We look forward to seeing even bolder action in the upcoming child poverty strategy to tackle the number of children growing up in poverty.”
Have your say! Should branded items of clothing for school uniforms be banned? Have you had issues with the cost of school uniform shopping in the past? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.
