Reviews into school uniform costs across Middlesbrough and Stockton

More research is being done by Stockton and Middlesbrough councils - to try and ease the burden of school uniform costs for families.

MORE research is being carried out in a bid to make life easier for families facing “ridiculous” school uniform costs.

Probes and reviews into costly school clothes have been held by Middlesbrough and Stockton councils in recent years.

Stockton’s review urged schools and academies to keep branded uniforms to a minimum, avoiding use of “specified suppliers”, and steering clear of having uniform requirements for different age groups.

Now a senior Middlesbrough councillor has said more research is being done to make it cheaper for parents to get hold of uniforms.

Cllr Mieka Smiles, executive member for communities and education, told the latest overview and scrutiny board how talks with schools were continuing after a question from Cllr Lee Garvey.

She added: “It’s something we’re all wanting to help with and issue some guidance to schools.

“We don’t want parents struggling to pay to get their children to school in uniform – it’s ridiculous.

“Even though I’m a great believer in school uniform, I don’t believe it needs to be priced extortionately.”

The education lead told the board how school leaders and senior officials had met to discuss uniforms.

“There is going to be some research done with the schools and some discussions had,” she added.

“I hope we’ll be getting an update soon from the officer doing that work.

“I’ll keep pushing it.”

Stockton leaders agreed a raft of recommendations in December on the back of a scrutiny review on the subject.

It pushed for schools to review their uniform policies “as a matter of urgency” – and also urged them to avoid rules making it compulsory to have children’s initials on clothes.

The probe also found some school policies were “overly prescriptive” – with secondary schools in particular placing too much emphasis on expensive branded items from specialist suppliers.

The 2020 review found the cheapest primary school sweatshirt available from a supplier was £6.25, while the most expensive priced jumper came in at £16.50.

Costs were higher in secondary schools – with the cheapest available blazer from a supplier priced at £23 and the most expensive coming in at £44.

However, the review also pointed out that one supermarket offered a school blazer for just £10.

Middlesbrough has some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country with council figures showing three in 10 youngsters live in poverty.

The authority’s children and young people’s learning scrutiny panel carried out its own probe into how poverty impacts learning for the worst off families in the borough last year – with concern flagged up about the “growing cost” of uniforms.

It also showed some academies and schools in the borough help families with reduced price uniforms using pupil premium payments – and by recycling clothes for youngsters who need them.

Meanwhile, a bill to make schools offer guidance about the costs of school uniform in policies has now reached the House of Lords.