Branded school uniforms 'to be banned' under new law

3 February 2020, 08:03 | Updated: 3 February 2020, 08:45

Branded school uniforms could be banned under a new law.

It’s no secret that sending your little one to school can be very expensive.

As well as stationary, shoes and bags, a lot of parents also have to stock up on costly branded uniforms.

But in a bid to make education more affordable, now a new law could be passed which requires schools to only specify basic items, such as trousers and shirts, and not styles.

If approved, the rule - proposed by Labour MP for Weaver Vale, Cheshire, Mike Amesbury - could save parents hundreds of pounds a year.

According to Sunday People, parents pay an average £340 a year for branded secondary school uniforms and £255 for primaries.

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Mr Amesbury said: “Head ­teachers will be required to draw up a totally ­inclusive uniforms policy. This issue has been ­brilliantly highlighted by the Sunday People.”

It’s been reported that almost one in six families say school uniform costs are to blame for them having to cut back on basic essentials such as food.

This number has shot up compared with one in seven back in 2015.

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One parent told the Poverty Commission: “The cost of school uniforms is like having to afford two Christmases.

"You start shopping at the beginning of the summer holiday, so you can pace yourself over the six weeks.

“To do that you have to take money out of the food budget, or less on the electric. But this stuff is essential, so you have to afford it.”

A charity which helps parents with uniform called School-Home said it has seen a spike in requests for subsidy.

As reported in the Daily Mail, CEO Jaine Stannard said: “Last year we were spending the most on beds, bedding, furniture and other essential household items.

“Now, we get the most requests for school uniform and shoes.”

The Department for Education also states no uniform should be 'so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend, a school of their choice'.

It advises: “The school uniform should be easily available for parents to purchase and schools should seek to select items that can be purchased cheaply, for example in a supermarket or other good value shop.

“Schools should keep compulsory branded items to a minimum and avoid specifying expensive items of uniform.”