Families are still having to pay ‘exorbitant amounts’ on school uniforms, charity says
Families still have to pay ‘exorbitant amounts’ for school uniforms despite official new guidelines, charity says
- Research from The Children’s Society shows parents of high school students pay around £422 a year on uniforms
- The study also says that £287 is spent on uniforms for primary school children
Families are still having to spend ‘exorbitant amounts’ on school uniforms, despite changes made last year to keep costs down, a charity says.
Parents of secondary school children pay an average of £422 a year for uniforms and £287 for primary school children, according to research from The Children’s Society.
The charity, which surveyed 2,000 parents across the UK in May, said the high cost is partly because some schools require branded items.
Last autumn, the School Uniform Costs Guidance Act came into effect. It only applies to England. Under guidelines published after the law was introduced, schools must ensure second-hand uniforms are available and keep branded items to a minimum.
Mark Russell, Managing Director of The Children’s Society said: ‘It is alarming that parents are still forced to spend exorbitant amounts of money on school uniforms.
Parents of secondary school students pay an average of £422 a year for a uniform and £287 for primary school children, according to research from The Children’s Society (stock photo)
“With inflation and the cost of living eating into family budgets, we are disappointed that the affordability of school uniforms remains a significant financial burden for many families.
“As an organization we have campaigned for years to make school uniforms affordable and while some schools have made commendable changes to reduce costs, this positive trend is still not broad enough.”
A spokesman for the Department of Education said it expects schools in England to comply with uniform guidelines by September, adding: ‘We will continue to work with responsible authorities and schools to ensure guidelines are followed.’