Calls for government to reinforce guidance on school uniforms to keep costs down

It's claimed some West Yorkshire schools are still ignoring the guidance on uniforms, leaving parents having to spend more.

The government published statutory guidance in 2021 which requires schools to do things like keep branded items to a minimum and avoid making frequent changes to the uniform.

A motion put forward by a group of Kirklees Councillors says some schools are still failing to adhere to the recommendations though. They want to write to the government urging it to ‘review and update’ its guidance and remind all schools of their responsibilities.

It comes as research from the Children’s Society found parents spend on average £287 a year on primary school uniforms and £422 a year on secondary uniforms, with branded items costing more.

The Uniform Exchange in Huddersfield has seen demand soar, with more than 6,500 requests for uniform in 2023. This compares to 4,200 the previous year, and just under 1,900 in 2019.

Founder Kate France says most local schools have made positive changes when it comes to uniform, but there are still some that haven’t:

“You’ve got some schools that have really taken it on board. We’ve seen schools remove logos from joggers, shorts and football socks… but then we’ve seen other schools that have just tightened down and made it stricter. So it just increases that pressure on families.

“We’ve got a couple of schools that have changed the logo for no reason. It’s the same jumper and the logo is hardly even different. For us, it means we’ve got quite a few items which can no longer be used.

“We’ve also seen when schools come under a certain trust then the trust want their branding on all the uniforms. There is something frustrating about that, especially when a school’s only just changed their logo. And it impacts all the sellers who’ve got the new logos in and then they change it again.”

The motion will be considered at a meeting of Kirklees Council this evening.

It calls on the council to write to the Secretary of State for Education, urging the Government to review and update its statutory guidance to include:

*A limit on the number of branded items in any school uniform, with an appropriate number of items specified for secondary, primary and specialist schools. Taking into account the frequency of use and lifespan requirement of all items.

*To prevent schools from making frequent changes to their uniform policy which may necessitate the purchase of new items, including during academisation.

*To provide further guidance on the requirement for multiple items of similar types of footwear e.g. indoor and outdoor shoes.

If a school does not comply with the updated statutory guidance, the motion says parents should be able to complain directly to the Department for Education rather than just to the governing body of a school.

It also says it should be explored to see if Ofsted could be tasked with policing school’s compliance with the guidance.