New rules on school uniforms announced to help families save money
A Cornwall mum who paid close to £100 for her son's kit is welcoming the government announcement
Last updated 19th Nov 2021
Parents in Cornwall are welcoming new rules to make school uniforms more affordable.
The Department for Education has announced that from next Autumn, schools in England will be required to push down costs by removing unnecessary branding and allowing more high-street uniforms.
Second-hand uniforms will also have to become available, so in order to reduce carbon emissions.
The new rules will be implemented in time for the next academic year, starting in September 2022.
It is thought that introducing these legally-binding guidelines will ensure that parents will get the best value for money.
Research from the Department for Education in 2015 found that families can save around £50 by buying school uniform items from the high-street, including supermarket-brand clothing.
The move comes as the government ensured that uniforms do not restrict where pupils go to school supports its mandate to "level-up" disadvantaged areas of the UK.
"I refuse to support those costs and pay that"
Camborne mum Louise has two boys, one of whom is at secondary. She has told us she paid close to £100 for his uniform and described the cost as hefty, even when bought as a bundle.
Louise said: "We paid the best part of close to £100 for the blazer, tie, PE kit, socks, jumpers the works. It's very expensive. So much so that this year, I actually bought his blazer second hand from a friend because I refuse to support those costs and pay that.
"PE kit's the worst one at the moment because you have to have the socks, the jumper, the shorts, the t-shirt and it's unnecessary to have the branded logo. There's no reason why they can't just state black polo shirt and black shorts; it doesn't need to have the logo to say what school they come from".
Louise added that the availability of where to go to get the uniform is an issue too: "My husband and I both work full-time, two boys and it is very difficult trying to get in at allotted times and trying to think of pre-orders when it'd be so much easier if you could just go to any shop and buy just the colour trousers and shirt or jumper that's required".
Schools in Cornwall addressing issue with swap shops
Fowey River Academy is already addressing the issue, through measures like swap shops and a non-uniform policy after lockdown.
Headteacher Ben Eddy said: "Actually the uniform itself is quite long-lasting so I would say that a student would need two blazers in their five years here.
"We therefore are able to allow parents to come in and if they can't afford it, rather than have to stretch themselves for new uniform, they can pick up new or second-hand gear which actually some of it's never been used because some people have too many blazers.
"I think we've realised, in the lockdowns, that there's been a massive pressure financially on families.
"When we came back from lockdown we went non-school uniform for quite a period of time.
"We thought about bringing uniform back like most schools did but actually parents asked us not to do that because they couldn't afford it so we extended, by another term, non-school uniform".
Is the cost of school uniform an issue for you? You can get in touch with your comments by emailing CornwallNews@bauermedia.co.uk