Labor to cut cost of school uniforms, saving parents hundreds of pounds

Bridget Philipson, Shadow Education Secretary, said Labor would 'in one fell swoop' change the rules to limit the number of branded uniform items and physical education kits for parents. are forced to buy

Schools will be banned from requiring parents to purchase more than three branded items (stock photo) (

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Labour has pledged to cut the cost of fraudulent school uniforms, saving parents hundreds of pounds.

Bridget Philipson, Shadow Education Secretary, has said Labor will 'in one fell swoop' change the rules to limit the number of branded uniform items and physical education kits to three parents are forced to buy. The party's new research shows that the cost of school uniforms has increased by 30% over the past three years, more than the 13% increase in the overall cost of clothing.

Under current guidelines, many parents need to purchase multiple branded items, such as skirts, blouses, polo shirts, pants, sweaters, and ties. This newspaper has campaigned for the cost of uniforms to be reduced, leading to the introduction of guidelines last year requiring schools to 'reduce' the number of branded items.

A new law introduced by Labor MP Mike Amesbury has forced schools to review their uniform policies to see how to make them more cost effective by keeping branded items 'to a minimum'. But research from the Children's Society showed that the cost of uniforms remained high, with parents spending an average of £422 a year on secondary uniforms and £287 on primary uniforms, due to the cost of branded items. p>

Schools were to review their policies to ensure they complied with the guidelines by September last year. Nearly half of parents surveyed by the Children's Society, however, said the policies had not been updated. Amesbury said today's announcement was "good news".

“People struggle to define what a minimum is,” he told the Mirror. “Far too many schools still require four, five or in some cases seven banded garments.

He said the plan was “a long time coming” and thanked the newspaper for its campaign. He added, "It was good to enshrine it in law, but it was even better to cut costs for hard-working families by limiting it to three items."

Ms Philipson said the announcement was part of a move to 'reset the relationship between schools and families'. She said: “With the Tory cost of living crisis raging, it is unacceptable that parents are being forced to shell out hundreds of dollars to equip their children for back to school. That's why Labor will limit the number of branded items families in uniform have to buy, save them money and ensure that every child receives a brilliant public education. Once again, Labor is leading the way when it comes to tackling the Tory-induced cost of living crisis and bringing high and rising standards to our schools. This is why families are better off under the Labor regime. "