School uniforms in Essex becoming increasingly unaffordable
The new academic year is bringing with it financial strain for some families.
School uniforms are becoming increasingly expensive for families in Essex to afford. This is according to Essex Free School Uniforms, who collect second-hand uniforms and give it to families who are struggling to meet the cost of buying uniforms themselves.
Mark Snelling is their Operations Manager. He says they have had to help more families this year than the whole of 2020. " We distributed 6000 items and helped 500 families last year. This time around, we have already distributed 8000 items and helped 600 families." With three months still to go this year, Mr. Snelling anticipates more demand.
He believes that this surge is due to the financial difficulties brought about by the Covid-19 coupled with the increasing cost of uniforms themselves. "Many schools now have branded PE kits. This means that you've gone from a PE kit that cost 20 pounds from Primark or another departmental store to 40 or 50 pounds for a shirt with a logo on it or shorts and socks with logos on them."
In order to address this, Parliament has recently passed a law that requires schools to follow its statutory guidance when setting prices for uniforms. This however will come into effect only from the next academic year. In order to help struggling families, Mr. Snelling recommends that financial support like the Essential Living fund in Essex be offered to families who are earning money over the threshold to qualify for these funds.
"We have found that with cost of living and gas and electricity going up, many families, especially those who have more than one or two kids, cannot afford several hundred pounds on uniforms", he adds.
Essex Free School Uniforms offers second-hand uniforms to students from schools in Colchester and Tendering. They can be contacted via their Facebook page of the same name. For those outside these regions, Mr. Snelling recommends seeking out authorities or organisations in their area.
"Speak to your councillor or church or community groups to see what support might be available. If nothing, reach out to your family or neighbours or even parents whose children go to the same school, they may have stuff lying around or that their children have grown out of", he adds.