Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the costs of school uniforms.

In 2013 the Department for Education issued guidance for all schools on the need to consider the cost and availability of the uniform.

The guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that uniform is widely available and affordable for parents. It sets out that governing bodies should be able to demonstrate that they have obtained the best value for money from suppliers and that any savings negotiated with suppliers should be passed on to parents wherever possible. It also makes clear that compulsory branded items should be kept to a minimum and that schools should avoid frequent changes to the uniform.

Local authorities and academies have discretion within their budgets to provide school clothing grants or offer other help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship.

The school uniform guidance is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform