Leeds parents spending HUNDREDS on spiralling cost of school uniform
Mums and dads tell us they're struggling to afford it this year
With less than a week to go until schools go back in Leeds, parents have been telling us they're struggling to cope with rising uniform costs.
New stats show parents across the country spent £1.2 billion on sending their kids back to school last year - a rise of more than a third from the year before.
It's thought more and more schools wanting items printed with their logo is pushing prices up for many.
Leeds mum Emilie Kerr's spent £200 pounds on her daughter who's starting high school this year:
"There are a lot of compulsory items that must be logoed, including the PE kit, all of which has to have the school logo on it. They also have rules with regard to the type of footwear that children must wear. It's all-in-all totalled about £200.
"Just one blazer alone was nearly £30, I bought her two. The fact there's things other than just the blazers - the PE kits and such - it is very frustrating.
"You're literally limited to one or two different uniform shops within Leeds so they've got the monopoly and it doesn't help the families that don't have money growing on trees. When you're on a strict budget as a family of four it really does have a great impact."
On average, Brits spent around £134 each when it came to school uniforms and shoes according to research from Mintel.
Leeds mum Sarah Hall says she's spent almost £140 on her daughter:
"It is a big chunk of money just to go missing from your bank each year. We're lucky that we're a two parent working family but for single parents, parents who maybe aren't working I can't imagine how difficult and stressful it must be."
Samantha Dover, a Senior Retail Analyst for Mintel, said:
“Pressure continues to mount on parents to keep up with the latest trends. There has always been an appetite for branded products when buying things like trainers, bags and coats, which often aren’t part of the traditional uniform.
"However, this pressure is moving into new categories like computing equipment and stationery as parents are keen to ensure their children are keeping up with their peers."