Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had recent discussions with groups representing parents and guardians on schools requiring the purchase of uniforms directly from schools without the option of using retail providers.

The Department engaged with key stakeholders, including representatives of parents and guardians, ahead of the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms being published in November 2021. In addition, in May 2022, the Department attended an online meeting with parents and schools organised by the Children’s Society.

The guidance came into force in September 2022 and is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.

Schools must have regard to this guidance when they are developing and implementing their uniform policy. The guidance is clear that parents should be able to purchase generic items of uniform from a range of retailers, giving them choice and value for money.