Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of school uniform requirements on pupil wellbeing during periods of extreme heat; and if she will update guidance to schools on relaxing uniform policies during heatwaves to ensure pupils are safe and comfortable.

The department published updated non-statutory guidance on school uniform last autumn, which encourages schools to ensure their policies are reasonable, inclusive and practical. This includes taking account of the needs and comfort of pupils, for example by allowing flexibility in uniform requirements during periods of very hot weather, particularly on occasions where the UK Health Security Agency has issued weather-health alerts. This could include allowing pupils to wear shorts or PE kit, or relaxing rules on blazers in very hot weather.

The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.