Consultation under way into a potential price cap on school uniforms in Northern Ireland

A public consultation has been launched to find out whether a price cap should be introduced for school uniforms in Northern Ireland.

It is focusing on two areas - the introduction of statutory guidance and the introducing of a cap on costs.

Launching the consultation, Education Minister Paul Givan said: “I am clear that my overarching aim is to ensure that all school governing bodies put affordability, comfort and sustainability at the centre of their decision-making when they set their school uniform requirements.

“School uniforms play an important part in the engagement of pupils with their school. I recognise that many schools in Northern Ireland follow the existing guidance and work hard to keep the costs of school uniforms as low as possible. However, I know that some schools continue to have uniform policies where certain items are expensive or restrictive in where parents or carers can buy a uniform.”

The Minister added that at a time when there was pressure on family budgets "the cost of a school uniform should not be a factor that parents or carers need to consider when selecting which school they wish their child to attend."

"I want to create a system where schools, supported by appropriate legislation and policy, will ensure that their uniforms are affordable for all," he said.

The consultation will run until September 27th.

It can be accessed on the Dept website education-ni.gov.uk: